The ninth chapter of Changing with Aging is: Focus on the positive. Don’t let bad things define you. My life has not always been peaches and cream. Here are a few of the challenges I reflected on while writing this chapter.
STUTTERER: As a kid, I had a pretty mean stutter. It drove my dad, Vern, nuts. It made me clam up and hide for a long time.
REBUFFED: While I liked girls, they didn’t seem eager to hold my hand or even talk to me.
LACK OF ATHLETIC ABILITY: I wanted to be a star. The problem was, I could not run fast or jump high.
COLLEGE: I flunked out of the University of Illinois my sophomore year. Ouch!
ALCOHOL USE: I drank too much, too often.
JAIL TIME: I spent short stints in jail. Maricopa County Jail is a bad place to visit.
Guess what? I became a better person with each of these experiences.
This was the most difficult chapter of the book for me to write. In life, I wish I had done better. But I’ve learned that change is possible. I’m still working on a few of the details… and staying positive.
How about you?