I have lived a good life. A simple life, for the most part. I have experienced a greater share of the norms associated with what life is suppose to look like as a human being living on planet Earth. I went to school, played sports, graduated, got a job, got married, and raised a child. I have gone to church, to weddings, and to funerals during my lifetime. Pretty basic stuff.

Maybe not so basic is the fact I married my high school sweetheart after four years of dating, and we’re still together 37 years after saying our I dos. Maybe not so basic is when the missus and I decided to uproot our lives by following our son out of state so he could attend the college of his choice. (Go Sun Devils!) And when he moved back to Iowa, we stayed in Arizona. Maybe also not so basic is that I have floundered in the job market, never really finding my niche, while my lovely wife was passionate about her career choice even before graduating high school.

Although I really haven’t had a career, I have enjoyed trying my hand at numerous occupations. I have been a janitor, a grill cook, and a maintenance man. I have worked in an office, and I have stocked books and magazines. I have filled in as a garbageman (qualified) and as a land surveyor (absolutely not qualified). And I even dabbled in the entertainment industry – getting myself a headshot and signing with a talent agency. I was in a few commercials and workplace training videos, mostly as background, during my brief “acting” career.

I have also owned and operated a fairly successful small business. Overseeing Mac’s Compact Disc Shop for five years was by far my favorite occupation. My passion for music on a quality format was evident by my extensive personal CD collection. (I have 1,216 CDs to date.) My lofty goal was to eventually have a chain of Mac’s stores, but then I saw the writing on the wall. Digital downloads were becoming a thing. A big thing! So I got out while the getting was good.

However, now without the overhead of a brick and mortar store, I was able to remain in the CD game by offering a free delivery service to my loyal customers who hated to see me go. Instead of delivering pizzas, I delivered compact discs. I would say my Mac’s CD Delivery Service was quite innovative for the times because entities including Amazon did not offer delivery way back when. I continued my unconventional business practice, for many years, until our move to Arizona.

Because of Mac’s, I have spoken at a city council meeting. When a teen curfew was being considered by the city of Newton, I knew it could possibly affect my sales since I sometimes held midnight events for highly anticipated new releases. And the teens of the town were mostly the ones to show up to those events. Newly recorded music was not to be sold until its specific release date, so I’d occasionally open Mac’s at midnight, for an hour or so, to get a jump on the competition. As an independent business, I had to offer something a little different to go up against the mighty Wal-Mart and other chain stores.

Hence, I went to a city council meeting and voiced my concerns. While at the podium, I addressed the city’s leaders and several others in attendance. Of course the city’s gonna do what the city’s gonna do, so inevitably the 11 p.m. teen curfew was enacted. The funny thing is, the new law did not seem to affect my business whatsoever. The teenagers continued to show up at my midnight events – some with a parent – and some “illegally.”

Back then, actually speaking in front of an audience was big for me. I used to believe I was shy, so public speaking terrified me. This reminds me of a Jerry Seinfeld bit. “According to most studies, people’s number-one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two! Now, this means to the average person, if you have to go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” I, personally, wouldn’t be willing to go that far.

I am now nine paragraphs in, and akin to the Carpenters, “I’ve only just begun.” I have a vast memory, an overactive mind, and a tendency to be a tad long-winded at times. (Obviously.) Therefore, I have decided to make this blog a two-parter. Please look for the continuation of “I Have” coming soon to a screen near you.