Victory and Defeat

Over the last 17532 days, I have had many victories and defeats. Editor's Note: Updated the list in Top Ten Defeats, #2, to include cause of death on 12/4/2019.

Top Ten Victories

1. Embraced God's love for me
2. Married Karen - mentioning specifics would take too long and fill up the Internet
3. Welcomed my two kids into the world & have been honored to watch them grow
4. Made many friends that I cherish - not a complete list - and I capped the list @ 10
1. Brian Gravel
2. Serbi
3. John Rath
4. Kevin Herren
5. Jim Schepker
6. James Goodrich
7. Todd Eadie
8. Matthew Helmke
9. Jeremy McCollum
10. Ken Schmitt
5. Quit drinking booze
6. Found employment doing a job I love
7. Bought a house I am proud of
8. Learned what my passions are:
• drums
• Metallica / Bayside / Count the Stars
• writing - both technical and personal
9. Passed high school math
10. Played drums on Beale Street in Memphis, TN

Top Ten Defeats

1. Started drinking booze & had many mistakes caused by it
2. Haven't laid my mother to rest after 3 years, 11 months, 5 days (1436 days) & lost or buried many friends and family  - not a complete list - and capped @ 10
1. Lee Knutson - cancer
2. Tracy Carstensen - accidental fire
3. Grandma Simons - she was tired and had done enough
4. Alan Jackson - Alzheimer's
5. Stella Bietzel - she was tired and had done enough
6. Randy Kaneally - prostate cancer
7. Susan DeSotel - was riding her bike and was struck by a vehicle - she shared my birthday
8. Andrew George - suicide
9. Senora Richardson - deer > car
10. Caitlyn Abben - she didn't wake up
3. Ceased working at the Unnamed Hellhole in southern Iowa; was laid off from Pearson
4. Student teaching in fall 1991 was a failure on the surface because it taught me I didn't want to be a teacher as a career
5. Not giving 100% to my athletic career - high school swimming & basketball
6. Ratio of 'jobs I interviewed for' to 'jobs I was hired at' is skewed not in my favor
7. Relationship with certain family members - in-laws included - may have not been what they should be over the years
8. Graduated from high school & from college, which you'd think would be a victory, but I have many regrets about the choices I made during both of those times in my life that I can't go back and change.
9. Losing things - such as the Christmas tree base leg (November 2017) & Karen's papers (September 2017) are the most fresh in my brain, but by no means the only things.
10. Failing strangers, friends, and yes, my family, when I did not do what I should have done, solely because doing what I should have done was a more difficult choice than what I ultimately chose to do.