One thing I don't regret, was at 18 years old, I told my boss, at my $4.00/hr lumber yard job, that I was leaving to go see my Grandpa in the hospital because he went into a coma.
He yelled at me and told me that if he's in a coma, he won't know you're there anyway! After a heated discussion, I told him I'm leaving and I don't care what you say.
See, I used to take care of my grandparents yard as a youth and me and Grandpa always played "mercy" (where you lock fingers and try to bend the others backwards until they say mercy).
Being an old farmer that thrashed, He ALWAYS won but said he wanted to see how strong I was getting. He chuckled the whole time while I was trying my hardest.
Anyway, I got to the hospital where the family was sitting around crying because they knew it was close to the end. They said he was gone but still breathing.
I went up and grabbed my Grandpa's hand and told him I was there. He squeezed my hand so hard my fingers turned white. I could hear his chuckle even though he couldn't make it physically.
The family saw this and he passed shortly after.
I'm SO glad I wasn't too intimidated by my boss to not leave that day.
Wow, hell of a story Rooster! Glad you got to be there.
I told a boss to pound sand and went to a concert.
Not the same.
Except telling the boss to pound sand.
My grandpa didn't like heavy metal so he wasn't there.
Good on you Rooster7. I had a similar experience sans the job conflict. Greatest Generation is no bull.
Good on you Rooster7. I had a similar experience sans the job conflict. Greatest Generation is no bull.
No doubt Boom. I used to love waking up early on Memorial Day and walking or riding my bike up to the Church to see the Vets (including Grandpa) march down the road to the Church and do the 21 gun salute with the M1's over the cemetery.
I was always the only kid there it seemed...
Living my life now instead of serving a sentence being somebody's wage slave counting the days till retirement.
Rooster... lost my grandfather recently and yours is a great story so thanks for making me smile.
When I would see my grandpa at the top of the steps upon arriving at his house, there was always the shake hands hard and see who would cry uncle first type of game...
In the early years he always had the edge but faked the struggle to give us hope...
Then the days came when us kids had the advantage and squeezed his hand so hard he had to concede.
As the years went on our hands got bigger and stronger and his got smaller and weaker..
But the game never changed. Your story reminded me of that game we used to play, and for that I thank you.
Thanks Certifiable. That makes me feel good.
The thing with Grandpa though, his eyes gave out, his ears gave out, his knees gave out and he was pretty much confined to sitting in a chair.
But the one thing that didn't give out were those old farmer hands. I was in football, Tae Kwon Do and lifted weights. Even after all that, that man would just laugh at me when we played mercy.
My grandfather was 5'8" or so... I was a skinny 6'4" at 14. He made me understand what strength was (dairy farmer) but he lived very, very long and healthy. Never touched a basketball himself but made me understand how to intend to keep one away from everyone else.
Taking off three months to care for my dad at home after he was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. My children have many fond memories of dinners and jokes and stories sitting around the kitchen table with their Grandpa during that time. My two oldest and I were along side him holding his hands when he passed.
Playing high school football. Paying for it now, knee hurts a little. Best days of my life.
Not moving to Vegas.
My wife had been a blackjack dealer in Sin City in the 1980's-early 90's. Took me out there on our honeymoon, hoping I'd want to move there. I had three job offers for armed security there, but I explained to my wife that Mom was in N.J., and being her only son, I had a very real obligation to be there for her as she neared the end of her life. Six years later, after mom's doctor told me that she didn't have two weeks left, I was there for her every step of the way, and held her in my arms as she passed just ten days later. As painful as it was for me, I wouldn't have been anywhere else. My wife understood. She loved my mom more than she had ever loved her own mother.
Things I don't regret:
Skin/scuba diving
Flying choppers in Nam
Telling Bell Helicopter I would not train pilots in Iran
ATC career
Retiring
Gun Loony Certificate
Topping 90 mph in 3' seas in one of my old boats
The drop on a 20' wave
Banzai Pipeline
Flying a DC10
Sailing a 12 meter boat
Deanna Wadkins
There's more...
Yup. That and enlisting in the Army. Actually, marching in Uncle's legions set me on the path to being here and what was to follow.
Leaving south Florida. And moving back to Florida to help out with my dad who's 93 and starting to show his age.
Day 1
Ft Benning
July 12th 1983
Pretty comical toliet bowl flush Puerto Rican " drill sgt " faking the
funk at the reception center.
Incompetent types need that type of self satisfaction in front of unfamilar trainees.
LOL!!!!
I don't regret walking away from that beautiful young girl 40 years ago that all she had to offer were looks.
There are women with looks and brains.
Marrying my wife and having 2 fantastic children.
Started to read the bible at 50. Better late then never.
Going to college. Waited 4 years after high school.
Giving my Dad a 222 Remington he always wanted but wouldn't buy. He & Mom moved to northern WY and after seeing all the P-dogs there I found what he wanted. He gave it back to me just before he passed in April. He used it hard judging by all the dings and copper fouling.
I DON'T regret spending the last 2 years caring for my dad through his dementia! It was a blessing my siblings will never get to experience as they had little to do with dad. Dad passed on Monday morning at the age of 88 years old. The 15th of next month would have his and mom's 67th wedding anniversary. Dad was an electrician for 42 years before retiring and as a kid worked on dairy farms in NE Wisconsin. He was 5'-7" and about 175 pounds, I'm 6'-4" and about 240, I used to stand over him and call him shorty, he'd reply I might be short and skinny, but so is dynamite! LOL! He was a character and my mentor, started me hunting over 50 years ago, see ya dad!
One thing I don't regret, was at 18 years old, I told my boss, at my $4.00/hr lumber yard job, that I was leaving to go see my Grandpa in the hospital because he went into a coma.
He yelled at me and told me that if he's in a coma, he won't know you're there anyway! After a heated discussion, I told him I'm leaving and I don't care what you say.
See, I used to take care of my grandparents yard as a youth and me and Grandpa always played "mercy" (where you lock fingers and try to bend the others backwards until they say mercy).
Being an old farmer that thrashed, He ALWAYS won but said he wanted to see how strong I was getting. He chuckled the whole time while I was trying my hardest.
Anyway, I got to the hospital where the family was sitting around crying because they knew it was close to the end. They said he was gone but still breathing.
I went up and grabbed my Grandpa's hand and told him I was there. He squeezed my hand so hard my fingers turned white. I could hear his chuckle even though he couldn't make it physically.
The family saw this and he passed shortly after.
I'm SO glad I wasn't too intimidated by my boss to not leave that day.
Good for you buddy. My dad taught me to always bust my ass at work, no matter the pay. But he also taught me that family is more important than any job. You did the right thing by a long shot.
Thanks Certifiable. That makes me feel good.
The thing with Grandpa though, his eyes gave out, his ears gave out, his knees gave out and he was pretty much confined to sitting in a chair.
But the one thing that didn't give out were those old farmer hands. I was in football, Tae Kwon Do and lifted weights. Even after all that, that man would just laugh at me when we played mercy.
They were tough. They needed to be. They'd be laughing at all these pussies and their complaining about minimal schit these days. They are the Greatest Generation for a reason.
Allowing Lord Jesus into my life, that had everything to finding my lovely wife.
I loved living in Alaska for 35+ years. But never once regretted moving to Tennessee almost 5 years ago. I do however regret the wife and I didn't move out to the bush in Alaska and live that lifestyle for at least a few years.
I don't regret Marrying the gal I married (Bad choice on her part)
I don't regret spending 3 years taking care of my mom, a lot of memories were made in those 3 years.
There are a lot more.......
Walking back into church in 2007. I’ve done more to help others in the past 13 years than I did in the previous 35. A LOT more!
I forgot to mention that Grandpa milked cows as well. That probably explains the stronger than average hands.
Dropped everything in February to take care of my dad. He passed on February 28th. I've been with my mom ever since... Stage 4 plus pancreatic cancer since October 2019... her day is coming soon.
I will have zero regrets... and then I will get back to the other things I was doing before.
P.S. 24HC has been a phenomenal distraction... I think I would have gone out of my gourd without the community to laugh with... and the commies to fugh with.
A life lived with few regrets is a great life.
A life lived with no regrets is perfection.
My life has had many regrets, but I hope to add no more.
Joining the Army in 1965 and volunteering for Vietnam after graduating from OCS.
Neil
Going into O’Reilly with a mask on
Eloping... and avoiding the wedding circus between my controlling father and her uncompromising mother.
Still together 29 years later.
My great grandfather took me under his wing when I was young. A hell of a man, veteran, county sheriff, blacksmith. Took me fishing, built whatever I wanted in his wood shop, gave me my first 22, and a long list of many things. We weren't even related by blood, but that didn't matter. When I was about 22, I went back to my hometown to hook up with my buddies for some BS, ended up visiting with him instead. A thunderstorm rolled through and we lost electricity. We sat in the dark for an hour or more, not talking a lot, but that didn't matter much. Never found my buddies that night. I'll always be glad I saw him that summer, He died soon after while I was gone to the Colorado mountains on my motorcycle, no cell phones then, I didn't find out for over a week. Thanks for jogging my memory, Rooster. God Bless
I have often thought myself a selfish man for choosing to live where I do.
Moving to Colorado in 77 & buying a 30/06
Cool story Rooster, thanks.
Things I don't regret.
I quit a good paying job at 20 years old, $3.10 an hour when min wage was about $1.85 Boss wouldn't give me a 5-6 week leave of absence to leave SoCal, take a bus to WA, spend 8 or so days crossing the Olympics from Quinalt to the Elwah drainage, then busing and ferrying over and spending a week climbing Mt Rainier after a record snowfall year. As the Wonderland trail was still mostly snow covered we bused south to Tahoe, went in at the Desolation Wilderness, and hiked another week+ down the John Muir trail (No Pac Crest at the time). What doesn't kill one makes one tough, right? Postholing in the drifts with a 45-50lb pack over the pass in the Olympics, being lowered into a crevasse on Rainier, surviving 60mph windstorms, lightning storms that required pulling the center pole out and tossing it out on the glacier, freezing rain, whiteout blizzard, igloos melting on a down bag when the storm passed in the night, helping drag a guy down to the lodge after he tore his knee up in a snowbank, such fun should not be allowed.
Surfing, boogie boarding, and body surfing for years. ( I sure miss it here in the desert)
Learning to scuba dive in cold water, made diving in nice places that much nicer.
My college education and career afterwards. I worked with cool animals in cool (and extremely hot!) places. Sometimes with cool people too, but I'm not a fan of most folks.
Meeting and marrying my wife...............mostly........some days though
Being a dog person, I've had a bunch of wonderful ones.
A weeks vacation in Hawai'i. on the Big Island. If rich I'd move there.
Being a partyer when younger...............worked it all out before I was too wore out to enjoy the rest of life.
Having a taste for "exotic" foods, or ethnic, or more than meat and taters if you will.
Rooster, nice of you to start a good thread about things other than politics and the crap going on in the world today.
I was making $3.10 an hour at Johns Manville Asbestos, division of Dan Halen International.
I was making $3.10 an hour at Johns Manville Asbestos, division of Dan Halen International.
Did you get your check yet?
The one from the sheister (apologies in advance Remsen) lawyers advertising on the TV that "Time Is Running Out"
Gotta be at least a dollar two ninety eight.
Thank you for sharing your stories. I miss my Grandpa every day even after all these years.
He taught me so much as a kid. You don't realize it at the time but their stories and actions groom you into the person you are as an adult.
I also don't regret making up to my father for being an A-hole kid and forgiving him for whacking the crap out of us. It allowed for a more adult relationship later in life, until he passed.
I was making $3.10 an hour at Johns Manville Asbestos, division of Dan Halen International.
Did you get your check yet?
The one from the sheister (apologies in advance Remsen) lawyers advertising on the TV that "Time Is Running Out"
Gotta be at least a dollar two ninety eight.
I used my mesothelioma money and bought a house in New Mexico. Then taught school for another 62 years, still do transmission swaps on the side.
Not bad for 93 years old eh?
Being the first person in the entire world to kiss my daughters, minutes after being born, with happy tears streaming down my face in front of everybody there
Having the strength to go claim my Dad’s body, climbing in his crushed and crumpled truck cab to retrieve his belongings just hours after my wife handed me divorce papers after 14 years of marriage. It taught me how strong I am and also how I ain’t afraid of a thing in this world.
Putting myself through college. Took me 7 years, but I did it and didn’t owe a dime to anybody nor took anybody’s money to do it.
I was told by several - including my ex-wife, that I was the best parent they had ever seen. There were many sacrifices to do that, but I don’t regret it one bit.
Having the strength to go claim my Dad’s body, climbing in his crushed and crumpled truck cab to retrieve his belongings just hours after my wife handed me divorce papers after 14 years of marriage.
Damn. I feel bad for ya’. Awful some of the stuff people have to deal with.
Having the strength to go claim my Dad’s body, climbing in his crushed and crumpled truck cab to retrieve his belongings just hours after my wife handed me divorce papers after 14 years of marriage.
Damn. I feel bad for ya’. Awful some of the stuff people have to deal with.
Geezus, no doubt.
Having the strength to go claim my Dad’s body, climbing in his crushed and crumpled truck cab to retrieve his belongings just hours after my wife handed me divorce papers after 14 years of marriage.
Damn. I feel bad for ya’. Awful some of the stuff people have to deal with.
Geezus, no doubt.
That’s a series of whacks for sure. But,,,you came out the other side stronger for it.
Thanks Certifiable. That makes me feel good.
The thing with Grandpa though, his eyes gave out, his ears gave out, his knees gave out and he was pretty much confined to sitting in a chair.
But the one thing that didn't give out were those old farmer hands. I was in football, Tae Kwon Do and lifted weights. Even after all that, that man would just laugh at me when we played mercy.
Had a friend 6' 4" tall and 180 ibs. His grandpa was an old farmer and former state champion wrestler. Grandpa was 5 foot 5 maybe 135-140 with his boots on. When they would wrestle around in the yard Grandpa would turn us all into a pretzel with ease 1 at a time. He was strong as an ox and his technique was flawless.
Never regretted that my wife and I changed our entire retirement plan and lives to assist our parents in dying w/ dignity.
No regrets for assisting lots of commies and a couple of career criminals in visiting the boatman
No regrets for getting a SS 3-9 hd and learning to dial.
No regrets for not being troubled by a pesky conscience.
mike r
No sense in having any regrets. Move through life with purpose, looking ahead, not behind.
Getting dumped by a younger girl that turned out to be bonkers. I would have ended up in a huge mess if I had gotten my way at the time. Sometimes things that seem terrible in your life, turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to you. All women are a little bonkers, but this one was off the graph. I wish I had seen the "Hot Crazy Matrix" in my youth.
I have tried to live a good, and virtuous life.
I cant think of many examples of regrets or non regrets.
I have tried to live a good, and virtuous life.
I cant think of many examples of regrets or non regrets.
Saint Big Jim.
Grins
I have tried to live a good, and virtuous life.
I cant think of many examples of regrets or non regrets.
Saint Big Jim.
Grins
Hahaha!
Yeah....grandpa told me not to be a dipschit.
So I never did.
I tell my employees that we work (and work HARD) so we can provide a living for our families; we don’t have families to create a need for work. Therefore, when a member of the family is in need, we keep our priorities straight and take care of them.
I remember when my boss insisted I take care of my father and my family when he was in hospice in my youngest daughters bedroom. I got to be with him the last week of his life, at his side when he died, and my loyalty to that boss and the company we worked for was greatly increased as a result.
Family comes first good call Rooster that’s wisdom
Especially for a young man.
Sure, I've made my share of mistakes that I'd like to correct, but I've learned to always look forward and to never look back at what could or should have been, it's counterproductive.
Great story Rooster! My grandpa was my best and closest friend and after his heart attack I stayed by his side all night and into the morning at the hospital wiping the sweat that pooled around his eyes and talking to him about all our adventures together until he took his final breath.
I've had a few but then again too few to mention.
Leaving my ex wife 33 years ago....
otherwise I wouldn't be alive today...
Joining the navy and staying in for 21 years,
Voting for Donald Trump, Twice.
I don't regret watching over my bed ridden / blind mother for 28 years before I buried her....I don't regret some of the sacrifices a single dad has to make to raise a son in the proper way... My boy is a well adjusted, respectful young man who is currently in the police academy. I don't regret all of my scars, they have made me a better man in so many ways!
I don't regret buying a 270 forty years ago.
Or, a 6.5 Creedmoor five years ago.
I looked, I see I already posted, same answer.
Lots of heart warming stories!
Getting dumped by a younger girl that turned out to be bonkers. I would have ended up in a huge mess if I had gotten my way at the time. Sometimes things that seem terrible in your life, turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to you. All women are a little bonkers, but this one was off the graph. I wish I had seen the "Hot Crazy Matrix" in my youth.
That’s putting it nicely. The Hot Crazy Matrix is 100% fact boys, look it up.
Two things - joining the US Navy, and leaving the car biz to become a self-employed person - available at home for my son when he was growing up.. Best thing I ever did.
I don’t regret anything but I do wish the education I gave myself over the years wasn’t so damn expensive.
Having my son early
Divorcing my ex
Joining the Navy
Buying the Harley(s)
Trip to Pictured Rocks
Every second I've spent with my grandparents
Working both blue and white collar (perspective is important in one's life - too many don't have enough)
# 1 my divorce
#2 telling the boss I quit and never working for another man
Good thread.....for me, anytime horseback.
also, my years as a Big Game Guide, some Rodeo, my trades, my Business and my extraordinary wife & our get.
When I was younger hunted Northern BC several times, Solo. I simply put a pack on my back and walked in off the Alaska Highway to parts unknown....Sheep hunting.
As I get older, my Christian faith strengthens, my appreciation for life does also.
Carry on, folks!
Quitting my first job because my boss (my dad) decided to pay a less experienced man more than I was being paid because he had a family and I didn't. Went to work the next day pulling 27s off the round table at Boise Cascade. Made more money and found out what independence was all about.
Working my first full time job, starting at 17, for 38 years and earning a pension so I could retire at age 60.
Virgil B.