Found Treasures

My good-looking and positive influence friend Pat from Toronto, Canada taking his first "selfie" with his new iPhone which I suggested that he buy - I'm having a positive influence on him too!

Because of the very positive influence of my new minimalist BF Pat of Toronto, Canada; I continue to clean out my accumulation of 72 years of "stuff."  Everyday I'm finding new treasures!

Me cutting my birthday cake celebrating my 38th birthday - 1979

During my clean out this morning I finally came across one of my favorite photos of me.  It was taken at a surprise birthday party for me on my 38th birthday on November 9th, 1979 at my friend Bob McCamley's "Ranch" outside Georgetown, Delaware.  Prior to finding this 8" X 10" enlargement of that festive occasion, the only photo I had was a small pixel photo that I had transferred from my old Gateway computer.  I still don't know here my original photo is but no matter, I have this one which I scanned into my computer this morning.  Regular followers of my blog have seen this photo several times before but I post it again, because this is a better version.  More pixels.  And yes, I have framed the 8" X 10".  No place to hang it though!  Oh well.

During my digging in the many boxes in my basement storage room this morning I came across a tablet in which I had written down notes to myself.  I don't know when or why I wrote the notes but what I find interesting is that I don't remember much of them.  This is why I like saving things, especially something I've written.  When I read them years later it's almost like someone else wrote them.  

So, without further ado, here is a transcript of what I wrote.  

Things I need to spend more time on in my life:

1. Researching my family genealogy
2. Getting rid of a lifetime of accumulating "things
3. Catching up on my e-mails
4. Writing my autobiography
5. Selling my more valuable "things" on eBay

Things that I need to spend less time on in my life:

1. Working at the hotel
2. Trying to please everybody
3. Arguing religion
4. Arguing politics

Things I wish I could spend more time on in my life:

1. Researching my family genealogy
2. Organizing my photos and videos
3. Downsizing
4. Staying in touch with far away friends and family

Things I love about myself:

1. The ability to cut through the lies and distortions and see the truth read people.
2. My love of animals
3. My work ethic
4. My honesty

Things I hate about myself:

1. My reluctance to hurt people's feelings
2. Low self-confidence
3. My fear of driving on crowded highways and at night.
4. My naïveté.

Things I look forward to:

1. Getting older Dining out with friends.
2. Getting a cat (or cats)
3. Watching my garden grow
4. Summertime and walking on the boardwalk Making new friends.

Things I dread:

1. Preparing my taxes
2. Colonoscopy preparation
3. Confrontations
4. Driving at night in the rain or fog.

Things I once believed but no longer do:

1. Religion (Christianity)
2. Authority figures
3. That evil does not succeed
4. Good deeds and people are rewarded recognized and rewarded.

Things I love to do despite being bad at it:

1. Dance
2. Talk
3. Paint pictures
4. Play sports

Things that I hate to do but I do anyway (and quite well):

1. Run a household
2. Call a Help line to resolve a problem
3. Clean out a drawer or closet
4. Work full time at the hotel

Things I did of which I am ashamed:

1. Failed to return a call to a good friend shortly before she committed suicide.
2. Stood up my date to her Senior Prom.
3. Stood up a former boss for a lunch (see a pattern here?)
4. Lost my temper with a former boss which resulted (I didn't finish this sentence on the original form but I did lose my job, he fired me)

Things I did for which I am proud:

1. Voluntarily joined the Army for three years right out of high school.
2. Gave jobs and provided leads for jobs for unemployed friends.
3. Kept my Mother out of a nursing home (promise kept Mom)
4. Built two dream homes Stayed in a committed relationship with my life partner for 46 years (now 49 years - I obviously wrote these notes three years ago)

Things I didn't do which I regret:

1. Have children
2. Visit a foreign country (Canada not included)
3. Become a commercial artist professional photographer.
4. Floss my teeth regularly (which I do now with great results)

Things I want to do before I die:

1. Write my autobiography
2. Sell all my valuable collectable on eBay.
3. See Visit England Have a cat.
4. Have a Pomeranian dog
   

So there you go folks.  Ron's mind at work some three years ago, surmising his accomplishments and failures during the previous seven decades of his life.  

Well folks, I have a few more years (I hope) left.  Let's see what I can do with them.

Note:  Photo shoot compliments of my (former) friend Bob Adams who took these photos with his new camera in 1999 - I didn't break his camera.