The Book - Reflections

I thought I would give you a glimpse into the first Chapter of my book. It will be awhile before it's completed, since I only have 100 pages so far. I wasn't sure if I should continue because I didn't know if people would find my adventures interesting enough. This blog along with the wonderful comments and emails I've received have helped me see that there are many people that can grow, learn, and be entertained by my life experiences. So, I push on in hopes to better the lives of those who find interest.

REFLECTIONS

Effortless this used to be, traveling to exciting destinations and losing myself to new adventures. A restless night as usual this one begins. A chauffeured car arrives to whisk me away to the port of planes. As much of my life has been, this venture is with the privileged. Increasingly more grueling with each day that passes, this one no different. Ever since I was told I would die, living just gets harder.

First to board I sit comfortably against the soft supple leather. Drinks offered and pleasantly accepted. In flight I look down upon the Earth and ponder. I often lose myself amongst the clouds as they roll by. But this time it’s different.

The clouds float like cotton balls suspended in air so peaceful and serene. The ground below reminds me of when I was a child, playing with my matchbox cars in the dirt. I’d build roads and homes and highways. Always progress, and if it rained there was a large roll of construction paper, 4 feet wide to satisfy my never ending need to design and build. I’d draw, always green full of life, lakes and rivers flowing blue.

But today I don’t see the world as I did when I was a child. The world has aged and so have I. It stares back at me, the surface below. Wisps of brown surround the cotton and no hint of blue in any of the water. Brown, almost dead, and I begin to lose myself in the sadness. I remember the first time I flew as a First Class passenger so many years ago. It wasn’t as many would expect. It was one of the hardest moments of my life with many more to come. It was due to the death of my father. This thought spins the cotton into a tapestry of my life and I begin to reflect.

At the ripe old age of 22, I was finishing up my last year of college when my father asked me, “What are you going to do with the rest of your life?” A question every good parent must eventually ask. I guess it’s time to figure that out. At this point, in High School I’ve been the editor of the school newspaper, photographer for both paper and yearbook. I set up my own private darkroom in the school to make that easier. I had a lead in the senior class musical. I was the Business Manager of the choir, raising the funds and orchestrating a 2 week US tour that would entertain from Michigan, to Denver, to Houston, and back. Appearing on local talk shows on our way to compete in a World Competition, where we clenched a silver medal. After which we cut an album.

After High School I modeled a bit, sang in night clubs, tended bar, had a lead role in a college theatrical production, worked on a major motion picture, The River, starring Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek. I spent a summer at 20th Century Fox with Aaron Spelling Productions in Hollywood, California filming Love Boat, Hart to Hart, and Charlie's Angels and still managed to travel the country. There were so many paths to choose. The answer to Dad’s question wasn’t going to be easy.