Well, the Day of Reckoning has happened upon me - I have officially lived 40 years on this little insignificant blue and green marble known as Earth. It's been quite an interesting ride to say the least. I thought I'd go back into the WABAC machine (that's for you, Dan Jones!) and share the triumphs and tribulations, the good times and bad, the "Joy and Pain" as it were in the first 40 years.
August 10, 1970 - The #1 song in the country was (They Long To Be) Close To You by The Carpenters , Richard Nixon was the President of the United States, and in Kingston Hospital, Kingston, NY a little boy was born to James and Etta Winters. They named him William Michael. This was the beginning of a long ride.
I have always worn glasses as long as I can remember, since age 3. Because of this, whenever I see a child age 4 or under with glasses, my heart warms a little bit, because I was that kid. I was always a smart kid - too smart for my own good sometimes. I remember in 1st grade winning a big jar of jelly beans because you had to guess how many were there - I seem to remember staring at that jar for about 5 minutes before I wrote my answer down - and I was only off by 15. I was geek before geek was acceptable. The glasses only made it worse - see, in the 1970's, there were only thick black frames - and that was me!
I was always a gangly kid - skinny, with a bad haircut, and glasses that were too big for my face. I played baseball, football, and hockey as a kid, and because I was small, I had to work harder at them to be good. I did OK at all 3, but I loved hockey more than all of them. I played for my High School team - the F.D. Roosevelt Presidents. When I was a freshman, I suffered a pretty bad neck injury during practice that haunts me to this day when the weather gets damp.
My senior year, I had my first serious girlfriend. Thank you Christine. I am so happy to still consider you a great friend today. Your family is beautiful - you were my Winnie Cooper! Tell John I said Hi, then tell me how quick his middle finger goes up.
After High School, I started work immediately, thinking I'd take a summer job before going to college. I got a job working for Pawling Savings Bank, which is now through 10 name changes, TD Bank. I stayed in banking and finance for the better part of 20 years. More on that later.....
In my 20's, I had some terrible things happen. I lost my father on October 20, 1995 - and even though I was 25 at the time, I felt like a lost little kid. My Dad was the rock of our family - always driving us where we needed to go, coaching baseball teams, going to every game of every sport my brothers and I played. To this day, 15 years later, I think about him every day, and I talk to him every day. Thank you Dad for everything you did for all of us, and for teaching me how to be a Dad.
In 1996 I met who I shall refer to as Lord Voldemort - she remains nameless in this house. Emotions can be a strange thing, and timing can throw you off, and because of those two factors, Lord Voldemort and I were married in 1999. I remember distinctly hearing my brother say during pictures "This won't last 6 months." Well, he was wrong - it lasted 9. Everything about it was wrong, and everyone tried to tell me, but I was too stubborn to listen and didn't want anyone thinking they knew better than me what was right for me. Pride is a hard thing to swallow, but then again anything is hard to swallow when you take the equivalent of a kick to the groin. I was separated in 2000 and the divorce was finalized in 2001. Many of you know who Lord Voldemort is - if you don't, I won't divulge it. It's a part of my past that I regret. The only good thing about it was that it caused me a few years later to really make sure I found the right woman if I was to ever do it again. More on that in a bit.
My 30's were my reform and recovery period. I was angry, and depressed about what had happened to me so I threw myself into my work. I worked 80 hour weeks regularly for the bank, and I had good success because of it. That was my focus because up to that point, I had nothing more important to focus on. Then, I re-met Janel. Janel and I had met years before, but due to a lot of factors (mainly age difference) it was nothing that could go anywhere. Janel has always been the one who "gets" me - and I "get" her. I decided to hop back in the marriage saddle, and we got married on 05/04/03, so that it would be easy for me to remember. Janel had two sons when I met back up with her. Wyatt was 5 at the time, and Cole was just about to turn 2. They are now 13 and 9. I have had the joy and pleasure of watching these two grow up and play baseball and hockey, and I am proud of both of them. I may not be their biological father, but I would take a bullet for either one of them.
Emily was born in 2004 and she is my crown jewel. She's 6 1/2 now, and to think in 10 years, when I'm writing about turning 50, she'll be 16 1/2. I don't want her to grow up anymore - I didn't want her to grow past an infant, but I am so anxious to see what she will be. All three of these kids have my interest peaked as to what they're going to be. I hate the word "potential" because "potential" to me means "hasn't done anything yet", but the potential for all 3 of these kids to be much more successful than I am is very very strong. I just hope I can help them get there.
I got burned out of the financial industry, and I think it got burned out of me, so I went back to school in 2009 and now I am a Medical Assistant. It doesn't pay as well as managing a bank did, but I love what I do, I'm not working 80 hour weeks, and I actually feel like I'm helping people. Trust me, from being on the other side of it, when your bank says they want to help you, they only want to help you if you are viable to them in generating revenue.
As I think about wrapping this up, because in reality, this has gone all over the map and I didn't plan it going this way, there are so many friends I have made over these first 40 years, it would be impossible to list them all, but I do have to mention two by name. Jamie Robinson is the first. Jay, you have always been the guy I could talk to for 2 hours at a time about absolutely nothing and wind up laughing at everything. Nobody understands ANYTHING we say to each other - but if say "80 Penguins", you'll say "Snorting Cream Cheese" and we'll both get it immediately. You also have been instrumental in my love of music. I would never have discovered the sheer joy that is listening to Jethro Tull if it hadn't been for you. You never judge. You drink God-awful malt liquor. You are the twin brother I never had. Thank you brother. Mark Watt - you were the best man for me not once, but twice. You stand by me whenever I need it, as I do for you. We started as skate guards together at the Civic Center, and you are directly responsible for me meeting Janel the first time, and I can never thank you enough for that. You are also the twin brother I never had.
My family - thanks for sticking by me when I get stupid. Mom - thanks for everything you have done. You are the best - and it isn't even a close race. Judy, Tony, Rob, Jenny, Betty, Neal, Amanda, Lauren, Jim, Jo, Megan, Rob, Lisa, Katie (who I can't wait to meet!), Sandy, Seth, Adam, and Andrew - I love you all, and if it wasn't for you, this 40 years would have been unbearable.
All of you who follow this blog, thank you for sharing an interest in my ramblings. I would have shut this down a long time ago if I thought nobody cared what I had to say, but I appreciate every one of your opinions, and I consider each friend I have to be a cherished possession. Through 40 years, I have made quite a few, and I'm happy to say I've kept most of them. The Grateful Dead once sang the line "What a long, strange trip it's been." I can't wait to see where it leads.
See you around....
Bill
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