Steemit - A Place to Share your Dreams and the Chance to Create a New Future

Hi everyone I'm John and I have found this place that they call steemit and I really like what I have seen so far. I grew up in a small rural town (actually its really one of those many New Zealand townships that if you closed your eyes for a minute you would miss it). Below is the house that I grew up in and I can tell you that it was never in the condition it is today and certainly was even smaller than it looks now)

LIFE MUCH SIMPLER
When I was a child I was poor, not that I knew that at the time I just knew that other people had things which we never had. Yet life was actually pretty good and while we never had much my Mum (my dad died when I was 12) always made sure that there was food on the table and love in the house. I am one of 6 boys and being boys we didn't show mum the due respect she so richly deserved but she knew we loved her and would do anything for her if we could.

During the summer months we would be out all day from first morning right through to dinner time. One of our favourite places to go was the river and a spot called the Glen

The Glen was about 6 miles (10 kms) from home which made it a big walk there and an equally big walk back but at the time no one was worried about things happening to us and we of course thought we were invincible . Life was indeed so much simpler and looking back life was good even though the things others had were never owned by us.

It was us against the world and together we brothers (and mum) could do anything and dream anything because we didn't know that we couldn't.

LIFE NOT SO SIMPLE
Now as we grew past our teens and into the "real" world we found out that life actually was not quite as simple as we thought it was and both hard times and good times came all of which had an effect upon us. My younger brother died when he was 21 as a result of an accident and suddenly life was not as we had hoped it would be. As brothers we scattered all over the country for work . I ended up in the lovely city of Napier New Zealand

I have lived here for the last 30 years (yes I don't know where it has all gone but to my kids I am now considered old) and have been married for all of that time and though I at times don't deserve it have found in my wife a person who loves me (I'm sure many times in spite of myself) but I hope I never take it and her for granted.

LIFE A CHANCE TO DREAM AGAIN
Life as I have stated above is not always as we expect it to be and sometimes it is downright just plain unfair but I have always said my current situation whether on the mountain top or in the darkest valley does not dictate who I am or where I am going. I have been blessed with abundance and I have also suffered great loss BUT what I possess does not dictate my state so I have never been poor (though often without) and my mindset will never accept poverty for in my mind all that I need is available when I need it and it has always arrived on time (even if God and I have had some serious disagreements on when that exact time is).

So I am taking this opportunity now that I have found steemit to begin to dream again, begin to celebrate all the things I really enjoy (especially my 5 children and my wife of course , oops nearly forgot to include her). My encouragement to us all and maybe you in particular is to stop look back at the journey so far and pull up them pants and get ready to run again. You are not dead, you are not forgotten and your future is about to explode on to you right now so go on get ready to DREAM AGAIN.

Finally I leave you with one of my most favourite of images - a lighthouse shining out its light in the darkness and fog of a winters night. You see that lighthouse brings hope to those who look for it and protection for those navigating the dangerous waters of life below it. So look to your lighthouse and let its light shine into your life today.

I plan to write about this nation I call home New Zealand, about how special this nation is, how beautiful it is and I will celebrate with you about the nation that is the first to receive the sun in the world and that has raised some of the most extraordinary people who have changed the world, some you will know others you will have no idea who they are.

Thank you for reading this if you have got this far through this much longer than expected post.

Your New Friend

John