I was thinking about my life this morning, and it occurred to me that there have been a few really significant moments in my life that are memorable for what I learnt or experienced, or simply the impact they had on me at the time. I'd like to list them here, just for the record, and will try to list them in order of when they happened, but no guarantees….
- Sculling a full 750ml bottle of rum, without stopping, at the age of 18. It was during a farewell party my closest friends were giving me, a few days before I left Pt Augusta. I've never been able to drink rum since. Ever. The smell makes my stomach turn.
- Joining the Australian Army Reserves at 18. I was a soldier! Albeit a part time soldier, but I still got to learn how to use heavy machine guns, assault rifles, submachine guns, pistols, anti-tank weapons, and land mines.
- Space shuttle Challenger exploding in 1986. It was on the radio while I was having breakfast. I remember feeling sad for the space effort.
- 1986 was significant, not just because of the Challenger disaster, but also because of Chernobyl. I was having a haircut and, again, the radio was on and a news flash was announced that Norway had detected a large cloud of radiation drifting across from Russia. I had no idea what the cause was when hearing it, but the world became that little bit darker.
- And then, also in 1986, America bombed Libya. I can't even remember what it was about, but there was lots of talk about it being the beginning of WWIII. It wasn't, of course, but it was a scary time. (Wikipedia tells me it was all about terrorism. Isn't it all 'all about terrorism'…?)
- Leaving home in 1988, finally branching out on my own and moved to the big city, Adelaide. Vowed to never come back home to live, because I would never let the world beat me like that.
- Discovered spirituality, psychic abilities, and things that go bump in the night.
- Getting my drivers licence in 1992, and singing "I'm free, to do what I want, any old time…" That was a good song.
- Losing my virginity. I was a later starter. Been making up for it ever since. 🙂
- Moved to another big city, Canberra, the capital of Australia.
- Got together with Estera, who moved from Adelaide to be with me. She was someone I'd had a crush on for about 6 years before we ended up together. Some thing are worth waiting for. 🙂
- Started my own spiritual development group, but ended it after 6 months when I realised I was doing it for all the wrong reasons.
- Went for 5 years without a girlfriend. Wow. Found someone to be with after forgiving my father for his past wrongdoings. I'm sure it was all related…
- Moved to New Zealand in 2000. It was both a mistake and the best thing I ever did to start a new life.
- A holiday to London. Amazing to see 'the motherland', and the architecture of places a thousand years old. Wow. Just wow.
- Oh, I should mention – all my girlfriends or partners are significant throughout my life, but if I was to list them all, and why, this would be too long… they're mentioned elsewhere in this blog. Go look if you want to, and please don't feel left out if you're one of those I haven't mentioned. 🙂
- 9/11. Sitting at work while a tv was on in the background, watching people dying in New York, and having to politely deal with idiots calling up complaining that there was nothing more important than me helping them fix their Word application immediately, which wasn't working because they were a dumbarse anyway.
- Met Deidre, who I ended up being engaged to. We had some great years together.
- A month-long holiday through 3 cities around Australia.
- Moving back to Australia, coming home to all my friends, and a new life.
- Discovering that the world was my oyster, and my career was not a result of my skills, but of what I put my mind to.
- Dad dying. Attending the funeral, and being the only family member giving a eulogy.
- Splitting up with Deidre. All the hopes and dreams for the future, gone. Starting a new life. Again.
And now we're up to date. Those are all the significant moments of my life, that I can remember. I'm figuring that if I can't remember it, then it wasn't significant. (It feels like there's so many more significant moments, but I think the above list captures the best of them.)
I'd love to know a few things about what has been significant in YOUR life. You don't need to make a big list, but I'd love to know about one or two things that you'd like to share. Thanks!
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