Digital Story Brainstorming

I have so many rich experiences that many people may describe as life defining moments both good and not so good (I hate to use bad, because I learned from those experiences too and that was good). This brainstorming post is about reflecting on events or memories that help define parts of your character and the journey of life. The aspects of defining positive and negative events, seems so harsh when thinking about so many different memories. I can remember the worse whipping I ever received at the hands of my dad. The evening was a typical evening except we had dinner guests. My mom always fixed such great meals for us to eat and we usually had desert, so when we had guest for dinner it was great treat for them, but supper as usual for us (that's the way I remember supper at my house, Yes supper the evening meal! we ate breakfast, lunch, and supper except for Sunday when we on special occasions had breakfast, Sunday dinner, and supper). The evening was as I remember filled with mostly grown-up talk and it was time for the "boys" to get ready for bed, which meant bath and teeth brushed then off to bed. Unsupervised bath time for young boys (age 2 or 3 to 5 or 6) could be a bit rowdy; it must have been pretty over the top that night. I remember being told, "settle down! get your bath! knock off the grab ass! and get to bed!" This didn't happen fast enough for dad that as he came up the stairs with loud thundering steps, threw the bathroom door wide open, and yelled I said enough!!! He then ripped the belt from his pants and one by one pulled the three of us from the tub, I remember that night well.

 The positive times are harder to narrow down, not because of scarcity, but rather the opposite. Many of these experiences are rooted in learning how to work and work ethic or learning how to be resourceful. I will try, over the next few weeks, to pick a few really good examples. The one that comes to mind had a not so positive long-term outcome, but was a great learning experience. Milking the milk cows we kept and tending to their calves. We milk twice a day, which is what the cow requires not the other way around, early morning before school and just after 5 or so in the evening. We only milked three teats on each cow and let the calf have one, which usually meant trying them all before finding the right one (it was never the same teat so the cow wouldn't get sore). The collected milk was then strained through cheese cloth filter, separated with a cream separator, and sold. We sold most all the cream milk, which left a watery substance affectionately refer to as "bluejack." The bluejack was so thin mom had to add Carnation Powdered Milk to the bluejack so it would more closely resemble milk for drinking. I can to this day do many things with regard to tending to a cow, but I will not drink milk!

 The teen years are filled with many different events as well from feeding 220 calves before and after school from November to May to joining the Navy and going to "boot camp." I remember getting my driver's license so I could start driving legal, going to the World's Fair, and so much more some of which are really hard to share even today so many years later.

 As an adult, the choices aren't any easier, but the one single event I'm most aware of led to some really great things happening in my life. The greatest of those great things was meeting and marrying my wife Jan. The event happened in September of 2005, I met Jan in October of 2008, and we were married in July of 2010. She has inspired me to pursue my dreams, to get a college degree and teach others what I have learned along the way. My life changed on a day that nearly took it. After being badgered by my uncle to take my grandmother some topsoil from a jobsite I was developing; I loaded the dump truck and headed out. It was suppose to be an early day as I was going to travel to Harrisonburg and meet my brothers for our annual golf outing. My uncle promised to come and put the dirt into grandma's flowerbeds if hauled it over to her. I loaded the dump truck (late 60's early 70's model Ford single axle with a 2-speed rear end. The D-66 Komatsu track loader has a 2 1/5 cubic yard bucket, so I put one extra full bucket and a second small bucket on the truck. I pulled out confident that the trip would only take about an hour, since it was hardly 3 miles away across the "knob." The knob road started with a steep grade followed by as steep of downhill, then back up another grade with some sharp turns and a flat area before descending a 9% grade for a 1/4 mile ending with a double 15 MPH switchback (you know the arrow squiggly sign). It was the turn at the top of the grade when I found out that I had no brakes (no brakes means none nada zilch). I thought about many things, but I'm about to die was Not one them. I made a plan (old school... plan your work then work your plan) put the truck in the ditch on the right side around the first turn and ride the ditch to the bottom of the grade and then out into the farmer's field until I got stopped. In the mean time, try to find a way to slow down the truck if possible. I reached behind the seat to pull the emergency brake, no help, release emergency brake tighten then reapply, still no real help, pump main brakes, tighten emergency brake reapply (worried I was going to ruin emergency brake). Long story short I didn't make the first turn and jumped the dump truck down through the woods over the guard rail until I stopped; parked straight up sitting on the tailgate between three trees. I walked away with a cut on my head and a few bruises, but with a completely changed outlook on life. There is more to this story....