Punking a group of guys causing trouble at the local watering hole/cafe when everyone in the community thought they were hardasses was fun. Doing it without violence is something I am still proud of.
My buddy owned the place and told me later he was so glad I was the one the leader of the group chose to confront because I was the only person in the room that was coolheaded enough to end the tense and potentially deadly situation without killing anybody. To me, it was simply punking some bullies, with a minimum of fuss. But to have comrades who had known me for years and been through quite a bit with me, be amazed that I could end the confrontation without violence, felt really good. People kept telling me after the fact that they were sure something bad was going to happen and couldn’t believe I made those guys tuck tail and leave without a fight. It still feels good to have shown the whole community that their bogeymen weren’t nearly as hard as anybody, including themselves, thought they were. They were just bullies. And I put a big dent in their bluff without resorting to the violence everyone thought would be the only way to get it done. Given my past methods, that was a huge change for the better, and one I am still proud of.
Other than that, all I’ve done is not bring shame to my family, marry a good woman, and give an honest day’s work for the money I charged, every time. And been loyal to my friends always. I would love to brag about the kids, but while they both got their education and have good jobs, my measure of success is seeing them become good solid people, and be happily married and raising good kids(if that is what they choose), and they are young, so it remains to be seen how that will turn out.
