Hi. This is my blog.
This is a blog about life.
...Actually, it’s about my life.
That, in itself, may cause you to ask the question, “Why would I read this blog of this guy’s life?” Well, it is my hope that by blogging, I will offer a new perspective on life’s experiences for anyone struggling with… well, anything, really. An artist has a unique way of seeing things, and that can often offer encouragement. Wait, I am getting ahead of myself.
If you’ve browsed my site, you already know my name and my artwork. So, let me fill in some other details, and give myself some credibility. That IS, after all, what you are looking for right now, right?
I am in my 50s, single (never married), no children, no pets. ...Sounds pathetic, huh? Well, in reality, I have gleaned much from the experiences of others. For example, as far as “no pets,” that just means “not now.” I did have pets. I have had a total of 13 pets between my childhood and now. So,…some experience there.
As for "no children": over the past 30 years, I have been a mentor to several at-risk-youth, volunteered in various youth programs, worked in children’s summer camps, vacation bible school, youth camps, and am currently a 3rd grade teacher. I have taught in a title 1 school and in an upper/middle class school. This is my 11th year in a classroom. So, I have more experience with kids than anyone could possibly imagine.
Single? Yes. Alone? Never. Over the course of the last thirty years, I have lived with people in every stage of life (actually, 53 "roommates" in 33 different homes, if you want to get specific). Since college, I have lived with single college guys, single middle-aged guys, two engaged guys (they were not engaged to each other, in case you wondered), newlyweds, a young couple with pets, a young couple with a newborn and 4-year-old, a couple with five children (newborn through 9-years-old), a couple with three teenagers, a divorcee with no kids, a single parent with a 5th grader, a senior couple, and an elderly widow. SO, while I may still be "single," I am not void of experiences from nearly every stage of life.
In fact, being a single man in a "couples and families" world has not been all that bad. Sure, there are times it would be nice to have a little one-on-one companionship. However, I would not trade my experiences for anything. What I see through my artist’s eyes is always a “work in progress.” And that is what I want to write about: my life experiences. My life is a grand landscape in which I am always a work in progress. I want to share with you about my ambitions, goals, hopes, dreams, failures, and successes. I want to write about changing attitudes, discoveries and new perspectives. I want to write about my family, friends, work, hobbies, and (again) life.
So… I challenge you to follow my blog, and see if I may offer you any golden nugget of wisdom, or “ah-ha” moment, that could make your life a bit more bearable, if only by seeing that you are not alone in your journey, whatever stage of life you are in. And so…it begins. Blog post number one? Check.