My memory bank is still operational and clear, and I continue to make withdrawals. Most of these memories are positive, and I view some of them as crossroads where choices were made. Some were mine, and some were not. Along the way, many events and people played essential roles in the directions my life took.

A brief example: I took and passed a test in high school to be placed in the Navy V5 program, which meant the possibility of being a fighter pilot and 4 years of college. It turned out that I am red/green colorblind, which kept me out of the program, so I joined the Army. My desire to enter the war dictated my actions, so I quit High School and left for basic training. The rest of the story I’ve told.

All humans are subject to the pull and push of life. Some of us are lucky enough to be born and raised where the environment and our parents allow us opportunities galore to be what we choose to be. I grew up during a full-blown depression, living in tight quarters shared with my family. My siblings and I all looked forward to getting out of school, finding a job, and earning enough money to bring home with some left over to spend on small pleasures. The 2nd World War brought an abrupt end to the depression, and opportunities exploded for most of us born in the U.S. Still, I could have been born in a little village in Ukraine—but that’s life and the luck of the draw.

Now, as I age well into the nineties and continue to withdraw from my memory bank, I conclude that I am, and have been, a very lucky pup. I hope you feel this way about yourself.

Memories of past–Some good and some not so good-so life is lived.

Sy