Life's Been Good

 

I grew up (before high school) in Alexandria, Virginia - actually we lived 4 miles outside the city limits of Alexandria towards Mount Vernon.

There were several rural suburban communities around us that were separated by heavily wooded areas which made it perfect for young males.

There were two shopping centers on either side of our community about a half mile to a mile apart where we spent lots of our time in the drug stores drinking cherry cokes.  We would catch the bus into Alexandria to take in a movie, especially on Saturdays when they had cowboy movies in the morning.

High school was spent in Cairo, Egypt because my father worked for the American Embassy and when I graduated, there were only 28 students in our class from 14 different nationalities.  In the summers we would travel through Europe in groups buying Eurail passes for a month.

College was in North Carolina and after three years I left to join the military.  I joined the Navy Reserves, so my active-duty time was only two years, just like getting drafted.

After college, I worked locally until being offered an opportunity that could not be turned down in Tennessee and remained there ever since the relocation.  I prefer TN to NC because it is more akin to my simple lifestyle.

Kids today whether in Northern Virginia, the Piedmont of North Carolina, or the East Tennessee Valley, do not really have the same opportunities that we had in the 1950s and 1960s.  I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing but what is different today than back then is that we spent most of our time outside - this is no longer done.

So far, we have not been bothered by ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, but I am sure that this will change very shortly.

Most of the people around us in our community are retired but the only time we see each other is if we happen to be outside at the same time.  We don't make a point of going over to each other's house.

Financially, my wife and I are secure for the rest of our lives even if inflation continues.  We are lucky in that regard as there are many others in East TN that are not that fortunate even though they are still working.  Mainly it is because of their lifestyles that they are not yet, willing to change or modify.

Each day above ground is a good day for us and we try to enjoy it as best we can.  We stay busy and seldom sit around with nothing to do, except maybe when we got out for lunch or dinner or go on vacation.

Speaking of vacation, we are currently in St. Agustine, Florida and while we have never been here before, it is nice, but we like Myrtle Beach, SC better.  Still, it is a vacation, and we are making the most of it.