Why you need to try everything you can, at least once

Growing up I was always one of those kids who had to do just about everything, and I did. My first memories are on the back of a horse, since we grew up on a small Ranch, this only made sense. With encouraging parents I went about doing just about everything I wanted. They bought me art supplies and I did lots and lots of drawing, which went from stick men to later drawing for a friend who wrote a comic.
I would take Piano lessons, play in recitals, go on to join Orchestra, played the Violin until Junior High when a Bass Player was needed and I would take that up as well.
I would go fishing, shooting, hunting and lots of bicycling. I got a Mini Bike early on which helped with my Motorcycle passion later on in life.
The Parents loved to travel so many of my early memories are traveling around in our old Delta 88 or Camping, lots and lots of Camping. I wrestled, took Gymnastics and built a car for racing, lots of swimming and snorkling.

When I was 18 I would sit down and figure out just how long it would take me to try new things, and I determined that if I won the lottery then and lived to be 84 I could not do it all.

I would continue trying new things, immersing myself into Martial arts where I did a bit of Kickboxing. That passion taking me to Europe where I would take a couple fights then spend the rest of my time traveling around on trains seeing all that I could see.

Id come home, get into Paintball, competed in that, took motorcycle track days and tried some medieval warfare for awhile. I got quads and played with those for a bit then A few years later I decided I wanted to learn to fly, I took a helicopter lesson followed up with fixed wing lessons. I would stop a few hours before I got my license not to do a lack of passion, but do to the only instructor close by being a total jerk. Later life just got in the way, I will hopefully finish it and I do not care how old I am when I do.

The swimming and snorkling would lead me to have the opportunity to Swim with Whale Sharks and free dive sunken ships in SE Asia.

Now I am sitting around having traveled a small chunk of the world with way too many hobbies than I can afford wondering why people do not try more things.

I work with a man who has a very good retirement income but insists on working as "I can only fish so much"

It seems this is a common thing I hear, "If I retire what would I do?"

I think it comes down to far to much focus on work and not enough living.

Plain and simple folks, you need to try things, and I mean lots of things, see what works and keep doing it. When you get bored try something new. Your only on this planet for a short time so may as well give it all a go. The alternative is sitting on the couch wondering what everything else is like. If you do not try things as you are living your life, by the time you finally do retire, you will not have that urge to attempt anything new.

Not me, I already tried lots and plan to try a lot more. Right now I got a drone and been tinkering with that, if I can get the move I want I plan to do some Drone Racing which I figure will be a good hobby to share with my kids, same as Cycling which is a huge part of my life right now. Since I have Mountain biked with a guy in his late 60s, I see no reason why I cannot keep doing that as well.


Go live and have no regrets.


Update, Since this piece the man I referred to about working for a second Retirement has since died, ten months before his final retirement at 64.
Dave had talked about taking a trip I always wanted to do, motorcycling to South America.
That never came to pass, however, he did die doing a job he absolutely loved, that is something.

 

The recent open carry laws are going to make things worse, not better, and a cry for Concealed Carry.

I have been trying to figure out how to word this one for a couple of weeks now, which is unusual for me as it usually only takes me about ten minutes to complete a Blog, but here goes.

Over the past few years there has been a huge push for open carry in public. With that push has came something which I never thought I would see, people walking around with not only a pistol strapped to their hip, but a semi automatic rifle in a single point sling hanging in front of them.
To make matters worse, these people are walking around with their hands griping the weapon with their finger lay alongside the trigger guard.

The aspect of this which is the most troubling is anyone actually thinking they are in such danger they need to walk around as if every single person is a potential enemy invader is indicative of someone with a very low IQ, which makes it even scarier.
These are people with some very dangerous fantasies, people who have fell for some repugnant fear mongering which has elevated a level of hatred in this country I have not seen in my lifetime.

As these people walk around "Exercising their" second Amendment rights, they make a hard job for police nearly impossible. Imagine being on a patrol with all the mass shootings going on and seeing some yayhoo walking down the road with an AR 15 strapped to him, what is he supposed to think?
First of all it is out of the ordinary, something they are trained to look for, second it presents someone who is most defiantly a possible threat.
Whether that person is or not at that time the police need to find out. Now you have a situation where a possible unknown shooter is being investigated, and the police rightfully so are a bit on edge. The vast, vast majority of the time the Police will find out said person is only "Exercising his constitutional right" and indeed not an immediate threat, nor likely one in the future. However that time with that stop has taken the officer away from his task of locating the bad guy, which after last nights killing of five officers in Dallas, makes his task all the harder.
Now that officer cannot simply look for someone with a firearm, now he/she has to look for anyone wanting to live out some bazaar fantasy, unreal.

Right now you may be cheering, or pissed, and I seriously hope both groups are reading this post right now, so with that I will delve into the Second Amendment real quick to clarify something important overlooked by both sides.

The Second Amendment reads "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed"

Both sides take this post literally, with the left placing the right in the hands of only the State, and the Right placing that statement in the hands of civilians. The Truth as always lays a bit in the middle with both somewhat correct.
First off it is nonsense to think that the Amendment was written to protect the governments right to have arms, do you really think that needs to be written in? Second it is nonsense to think that it refers to every Tom, Dick and Harry allowing them to carry a firearm, it does not.
Key words which need to be focused on are "Well Regulated Militia" This infers in every historical context that a trained GROUP of people shall hvae access to weapons for the purpose of defense. It states clearly that Militia should be REGULATED. SO that does not mean your right is to own any damned thing you want and to act in any manner you deem ok. SO lets continue with the trained and regulated aspect of this.
What in that statement do you think applies to Joe Cowboy who thinks walking down the road with an AR 15 at low ready is part of this statement?
It says regulated and trained. Thus far there are zero requirements in that regard for anyone purchasing a firearm, so I sure as hell do not want Joe Cowboy who saw a movie and passes the few legal requirements to own a firearm walking around the streets acting out his fantasy.

What I do want are actual trained people acting in a responsible manner which is where the CCW comes in.

When a policeman stops someone who has a CCW (Conceal Carry Weapon) several things happen, first off an announcement is made as the officer approaches the car. The Driver is to state he has a CCW and is armed, the officer now knows you are armed, but more importantly you took a higher step then most people. You have at the very least (Something I will cover in another blog) taken a safety course and more extensive back ground checks. He knows at that point that likely, you are not a threat. For this aspect alone it is a major win for both sides. I noticed being treated far differently from police after I gained my CCW in a very positive manner.

Having a CCW also keeps the firearm out of view and does not require the Police to stop you walking down the damned road wondering if you are a lunatic or not. It also keeps said people in public from panicking, which right now they should indeed be a bit on edge with anyone walking around openly armed. Ask yourself if you are a supporter of Armed Open Carry, how are other people supposed to know your intention? Are they magically supposed to read your mind?

In the end CCW only makes sense, it allows some basic training to be implemented, it takes away some burden from rightfully on edge police and quiets a panicked public.

Support it, and push for higher standards, all people should be allowed to carry, once they show they can do so in a safe and responsible manner to protect not only themselves, but everyone.