Looking back on my life, others identified the traits; adventurous and risk taking, compulsive, and a higher threshold for self-regulation. Me? I was fairly clueless. And when I did have a clue, I didn’t care as I had enough money, paid my bills, and had fun, lots of fun.
It started with mechanical things I wanted to figure out and master like pistol shooting and motorcycles. I couldn’t have just one. At one point I had 30 different pistols from the WWI and WWII era.
Then it expanded to more intellectual pursuits like photography. I bought and used everything Olympus made in the late 70’s. When I added skydiving to the mix, I had two camera bodies and two of many of the wider lenses like 18 and 21mm. I also bought a second skydiving rig, so I was always ready to go. My photography and skydiving bender, so to speak, did have a positive side. I had photos in a stock agency in NYC. My pictures were used in textbooks, Woman’s Day magazine, and calendars. I also was a member of several official and unofficial skydiving records.
Then it was time to buckle down and get a degree. So, I sold all that and found a college that ran five semesters a year. In a little over two years, I finished my degree and all the while the budding triathlon bug was biting me. So, time for more gear. The best bike I could afford and new running shoes and wetsuit, you get the idea. But being a participant wasn’t enough, so I took on the race director role for the Top Gun Triathlon we held on MacDill Air Force Base.
After the first Gulf War and moving north to Maryland, I thought it would be fun to have some animals and save some money on property taxes. So, we got 2 Arabian horses, 6 sheep, cats & a large dog along with 13 acres of land. But that wasn’t enough, so I added sports car racing to the mix to ensure I had no extra time. I didn’t realize of course how much work the animals were until I stopped. To be good at sports car racing also took a lot of time but once again it seemed worth it as I won regional championships and several seconds and thirds at the national level. I almost forgot, during this period I was also a Maryland National Guard Special Forces Team Sergeant with all the work it encompassed. Training and mission planning with overseas deployments to Panama and Columbia to name a few.
Then there was a period of even more intense work and a deep look at Steve. It’s never too late to discover who you really are and make necessary changes to become who you want to be.
My addictive personality has cost me jobs and people. But I am at peace with that.
Lately, it’s been a bit of vintage dirt bike racing and hunting for the first motocross bike I bought with my own money. I found one and currently have a genius mechanic sorting out the motor and electronics.
Now my current passion is writing, and I like to think I control it. HA!!! When I started writing what became Shadow Tier, it was just writing for me. When friends and family said I should try to get it published I once again dove in and paid for a 6-month internship with Jerry Jenkins. And off I went and continue to go. Now I trade my most precious commodity, time, for the pleasure of writing.
Having just retired this past June 30th I have time like never before and I am purposely not piling on with more things. Staying in shape and being healthy late into my life is now the goal so I can continue to bike, hike, hunt, fish, and travel with my wife. I consider myself lucky to have found the perfect person for me at this stage of my life. I now have the experience of turning the peril into pearls and hope your life is where you want it to be or on the way.
I’ll keep writing and look forward to your feedback.
Steve