Oh, the places I've been...

I have a list of about 100 places I would like to see. I have a list of at least that many places I have been. I have often shared a little of my history with people but will post it here again for those of you who may not know...

My dad was a superintendent for American Bridge, division of United States Steel, and wherever a bridge was needed, we went. This meant a lot of traveling across these great 50 states, and living in close quarters. Grew up in a trailer..that’s right, trailer..not a mobile home, although it most certainly was that, not a modular home. A trailer. In trailer parks. Sometimes just over the tracks...often not pretty but usually fun, with lots of kids and adventures.

I was raised with my older sister, Micki, and my younger brother, Kevin. We had good times. There were just the five of us most of the time. We also had half siblings as mom and dad had each been married before and had two children each. Of course my dad’s kids were with their mom so we didn’t see them much as we traveled and lived far from them, but, we loved them. My mom’s kids also lived with our grandparents, my mom’s parents. Never really knew why and it matters not at this point. We loved them, too. Bunny, Jerry, Glenn and Darrell.

There are habits I developed as a kid that I carry forward into this current life. The whole sit back and observe thing. I will talk to anyone, and love learning something from a stranger, or finding out how we are connected. I like those characteristics...but there are a couple I developed I am not fond of and am spending my adult life trying to shake. I size people up. Too quickly, and often incorrectly. I do talk to anyone but it is often uncomfortable to look them square in the eye...forced extrovert from an introvert. And, I move on quickly. Friendship falters? Okay, move on. I don’t work hard to save them as there are, or at least was true in my past, more friendships down the road.

“I don’t drink, cuss or chew, or run with women who do...” an old pastor friend of mine once said. In the next chapter of my book, I’m going to be working on those other bad habits I've developed. Do you have habits you would like to change? Join me. Its never too late to be a better version of yourself.