Introspection

i mentioned that a very good friend died last week. that event has had me doing a little introspective musings about life in general, and my own in particular.
some things i know;

• i've had an almost blessed life.
• my kids are healthy and as far as i know, don't have the cops out looking for them.
• i had a really cool childhood. i was an army brat, and got the chance to see a lot of the world before i hit puberty. it was a little dicey living in france during the late 50's and early 60's with the algerians blowing up americans whenever they could. our school bus was armored and carried a couple of soldiers, but to kids, that was not cause for concern. it was exciting. we weren't smart enough, or worldly enough to realize the implications.
• i had great parents. i never doubted for one minute that my folks loved me. my stepdad was a rock, the anchor for our family. he worked several jobs, just to make sure the 4 of us kids had what we needed. we didn't always get what we wanted, but we lacked for nothing. need new shoes for wrestling? got them. a lot of kids i grew up with didn't have that luxury
• growing up in podunkville oregon was one of the truly great things that happened to me. i had freedom like very few kids growing up in urban areas experienced. every adult was a surrogate parent, so if i did something stupid, my folks usually knew before i got home. that equates to incredible freedom. seriously. we were allowed to find our boundaries, and they were pretty far out there.
i had it good as a kid, and didn't know it. when i joined the navy at 18 (in 19 ermm, uh, 72) i met a kid from somewhere back east, from the ozarks, i think. he actually cried when we were issued our uniforms the first day. it was the first new coat he'd ever had.
• any and all health issues i've ever had have been so minor as to not be remarkable enough to talk about. mostly just age related. i've used this body, and don't intend to end up a good looking corpse.
• i met and married the love of my life, after a practice marriage. i learned how to be a mate rather than a roomie with privileges on the first go around, and i'm determined to grow old with the woman that shares my life.
• there aren't too many "let's wait" issues in our lives. entering into my fifties gave me an appreciation for the tenuous nature of life, and i don't want to miss the chances to experience everything that opportunity lays before me.

there's so much more i can say, but i'll just leave it at: life is good.