I'm New To This

Hello everyone! I randomly stumbled across this social media platform and thought I would give it a try. It seems like a decent concept. More simplified/streamlined, whichever you prefer.

Anyway, I'm not much of a "tell your life story" kind of person, so I'll keep this short:

I was born and raised in North Carolina. I was your cliche troubled kid through elementary and middle school. I was the bully, always angry and never new why. I have two wonderful parents who dealt with me during those times. I had a great home life. So if people tell you a bully is usually from a bad home life, that's not always the case. I don't make excuses, it's just a part of my past that I can't change. At the end of my freshman year of high school, something "clicked," and I sort of, grew up I guess. I wasn't perfect (still not), but I realized my actions have consequences on other people, good and bad, physically and especially emotionally.

Fast forward to junior year, I meet who would become my first girlfriend, Wendy, at work. She was five years older than me. We dated until shortly after I graduated high school when she passed away from malignant melanoma skin cancer at the age of 23. I'll never forget that day. I had come back from showering at home, as I had been at the hospital the past five days straight. Her sister was there, crying. I asked what was the matter. "She's holding on for you," she said. As and 18 year old, I wasn't ready for that responsibility. Nonetheless, I walked into her room. She was hallucinating, her body rejecting the chemo. I put my hand on her cheek and she calmed down for a moment. I hugged her tightly, Wendy embracing me as well. Tears in my eyes, I whispered, "it's okay to let go, I love you." I held her for one more moment then said goodbye. I was told I shouldn't be there when she passed, as a body changes once a soul leaves it. They put her on a morphine drip when I left. She passed away 12 hours later, at 7:45AM.

I focus on that part of my life because it shaped who I am as an adult. I still take life, friendship and love for granted some times, but at my core I know that life is fleeting. No one is invincible. No one will live forever. You have to cherish every moment you have with loved ones, as you never know when you won't have that time again.

My second girlfriend wasn't exactly the greatest, so we'll skip past her. Fast forward to my current girlfriend, Amber. She is amazing. She is the woman you marry. Not because she's beautiful, funny, caring, passionate, kind, and strong, but because she works on our relationship with me. We're way past the honeymoon phase (4 1/2 years in), so our relationship takes work. Especially since I travel for work. I am on the road 70-80% of the month, depending on how busy things get. Or life is a whirlwind of phone calls, video chats, texts, Hangouts, and the occasional cuddle on the couch when I am actually home. Unfortunately when I'm gone, the work doesn't stop. She still has to work full-time and hold down the house. I'm admittedly lazy and tend to procrastinate, but I get things done around the house when I'm home...eventually.

On a different note, I help grow the charity my brother founded 10 years ago called Dynamic Water [insert shameless plug] www.dynamicwater.org. It is a clean water project for developing countries. We find places that have a real need for clean water, and build wells in those communities. We have completed projects in Nicaragua, Swaziland, Kenya, and India. It is tough to keep up with it and work full-time, but we do our best.

I just turned 30 a couple of weeks ago, but I feel like I'm just learning to live. While I don't enjoy sacrificing so much of my time to my job, missing out on important life events with friends and family, it is rewarding in it's own right. I enjoy what I do and I'm good at it. I don't see myself doing it for another 10-20 years, but it's good for the time being. I just need to keep the strength to be away from home, knowing that I am doing my best to provide for my family.

I guess I skipped over the part where I describe me, although a lot can be inferred. In fact, I don't really like describing myself, as I feel like I come across as a little ego-centric. I'll leave it to the inferences.

I hope that I never stop learning and changing. I do strive to be a better person than I was the day before, even though I don't accomplish that every single day. I hope that I can at least do a little good in the world each and every day, and make a small positive impact on those around me. Thanks for reading.