See what condition my condition is in

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I recently had to start taking blood pressure medication but for years I hadn’t taken anything and have felt just fine. I knew about the adage “the silent killer” but just ignored it and figured that when it was my time to check out I’d rather not know about it beforehand.

But if I could pick the time and place it’d be at one of my favorite breweries, performing with one of the bands I’m in, holding my guitar, singing the original song I wrote: “I Know Where I’m Going.” There’s no way of knowing if it’ll happen like that, but hey, there’s no harm in asking.

My BP appears to be under control now, and along with the medication I’m taking (hydrochlorothiazide) I think it’s also helped that I’ve begun to take charge of my temper. Do I have complete control yet? No, but it’s kind of easier done than said when you have a general idea of what ticks you off because you can kind of catch it before you lose it.

I think there’s too much anger in the world today and if everyone would try to rein in their tempers like I’ve been doing we’d probably get along with each other a little better. I should’ve started harnessing mine a long time ago!

Peace.

1956

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More specifically, Saturday, May 12, at approximately 2:00pm. It was probably a normal day for most Americans, except for one young lady and me. Of course, I had no clue what was going on, I can’t speak for my mother either, but I think she might’ve been a little excited. But by the time I came along she had already birthed three kids, perhaps she knew what to expect.

What was happening around the country the year I showed up?

The average cost of a house was $12,000. Monthly rent averaged around $90.Yearly wages averaged $4,450. A new car would set you back a whopping $2,000! And with the cost of gas averaging around 22 cents a gallon you could probably drive coast to coast on a couple tanks of gas while listening to Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel on the radio.

I think it’s very interesting that at the same time I came along IBM introduces the first hard drive computer – the IBM 305 RAMAC. Maybe that’s why I’ve always loved technology. Weighing in at around one ton and measuring 16 square feet it was a behemoth of a machine! Today’s smartphones have a thousand times more computing power! As Spock would say: “Fascinating.”

Fast forward 17 years to 1973, I’m in boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois, preparing for a 6-year stint in the United States Navy. I’m still a kid and don’t realize or care what course I’ve set for myself.

Another 17 years into the future and a 34-year old young man still doesn’t seem to realize or care what course he’s on. And by the time he’s 51 he begins to understand that the map he’s been following has led him on a journey that has no specific destination.

12 years later and I feel like I’m still using the same map I had when I was 17. Following a course that crisscrosses here and there and doubles back to a new starting point that really isn’t all that new, just different.

Pick a year, any year, 1956 was mine. But I didn’t get to choose it, had I been able to would I have chosen 1856? 1756? 2056? Some folks believe we are all predestined to follow a specific path, I’m not too keen on that belief myself. Take a look at my roadmap thus far and you can understand why.