So why the title?
It isn’t that I can’t accomplish what I set out to do. I’m an underachiever because I’ve always taken it easy. Up until now I’ve settled for what came my way, and I’ve had a pretty good life. But I’ve never pushed to be extraordinary. Instead, I’ve settled for mediocre. Today that changes. I’m challenging myself to be extraordinary, and I’m starting this blog as part of the challenge. I suppose that doesn’t sound like much of a challenge. It might not be a challenge to you, but I’ve already stalled out on two blogs. My goal is two-fold: to work on self-discipline by forcing myself to keeping the blog up to date and to put together a collection of my memories for my family — and anyone else who might be interested.
I got the idea for this journal because of a couple of lunches I had with my classmates from the Air Force Academy. They gave talks about their careers and what they had accomplished. I realized as I listened that I’ve done a lot of things that would be interesting to others, especially my family. My kids have all asked for their grandparents to write about their experiences, but none of them did, and now they’re gone. That part of the family history is lost forever. I’m writing this to salvage a little of mine.
I’ve always been a bit of a wordsmith, and recently I decided to turn that talent into being a novelist. I completed and published my first book, Peacemaker – The Corona Rebellion 2564AD. When I set up my webpage, I also set up this blog and quickly found that there wasn’t enough time in the day to keep it up to date.
Okay, take a look at that first paragraph again. In reality I don’t have too much to do on an average day. I have enough time to keep a blog up to date. I just don’t try hard enough. Keeping this journal current is the first step in changing from mediocre to extraordinary. I’m using it to tell my story and to work on my self-discipline.
I’ve lived in interesting times: World War II, the assassination of President Kennedy, the Cold War and its end. My life so far has been interesting — not as dramatic as many of my classmates’ lives, but it has had its moments. And that’s what I want to write about. This journal is going to be a hodgepodge, which I will try to keep in some kind of chronological order. Along the way I’ll try to throw in some lessons I’ve learned. If you find it interesting, spread the word. If you find it boring, tell me.