A fool for a client has a lawyer worth fighting for; and other moments of self-denial-realizations.
In an attempt to shore up some AMA questions, I pumped Facebook a couple of times and really… Yeah I need to work on my crowd sourcing; I got a few, which I will answer in this post but for the most part, nothing. Almost didn’t write the blog but decided, to hell with it, I’ve done dozens of interviews – I’m just going to interview myself for the sake of humor and amusement. Hey, maybe I will learn something, right? I’m hoping you will too. Hopefully this doesn’t come off too… Sad. 😀
Interviewer:
So you have lived a bit of a … Well, an unconventional life, when hearing bits and pieces of your past; was there anything specifically that happened that lead you down this unusual path or do you feel this was a matter of fate?
Me:
Heh. I think I was born to be a skipping stone and had the fateful outcome to be picked up and chucked down the chaotic stream of existence that is life. It was as much nature as it was nurture; I grew up with ADHD during the late 80s and early 90s and ADHD back then was considered a part of the oppositional defiant disorder spectrum and not actually its own configuration. The Education system treated it as such, at least it did in the Midwest, so I was written off quickly.
In all fairness, I was quite oppositional in my own way because I knew I was different and feared getting ground out into someone else. I even had some lovely people from the State Department tell me that I would likely never make it as a functional adult and offered to help me investigate applying for Disability. I politely told them to fuck off. I set my own path when I was 17 and I’ve been living it ever since, guided by life and my own heart.
I was never going to live a normal life; if there is even such a thing. But it sure as hell hasn’t been dull.
Interviewer:
That couldn’t have been easy, cutting your path like that. You have mentioned semi-seriously about a ‘master plan’ on your posts; is that genuinely real? Do you feel that you have been successful?
Me:
It’s the downside of such change and going your own way so to speak; the ‘lines’ as often described by anyone discussing life are there for a reason – they offer security, direction, and at least the presence of some stability, as much as one can have in life. Going my own way, I met a lot of interesting people and I had some extremely unusual experiences that I wouldn’t trade in for the world.
It is real; I have set a series of milestones for myself on a fluid time frame that I have been observing to the best of my abilities. It isn’t set in stone for a reason; good plans change and adapt to make the goal work – THAT should be set in stone. How you get there needs to stay flexible, so you don’t lose sight of the outcome. It’s easy to get lost in the details, just as much as not having enough details – you have to keep balance.
The goal of my life is to live genuinely and honestly, share my experiences with those who want to listen as to improve or at least entertain their lives. The next step for me, is hopefully starting a little community wherever home turns out to be, start a small business or two on the side, and grow with my friends and loved ones. But hey, I’m doing my best to hit my 50s in style in the next 8 years or so.
Interviewer:
Speaking of style, you seem to have different aspects throughout your own personal style – wear a lot of suits and keep a clean, sharp look one moment but then bust out the craziest pieces out of nowhere. And the handkerchiefs of course, not to mention your raging patch collection.
Me:
Heh – so I have this personal little rite that I practice; when someone passes onto the next life, I take something that reminds me of them into my life to remember them, to incorporate their lives into mine as a matter of respect and love. The suits and the handkerchiefs come from my Grandfather Ralph Harder, who always wore a suit to Sunday Services and no matter if he was in a pew or in the field working as a farmer, had his handkerchief in a pocket. He was always prepared that way so now I am too.
The patches come from my Grandmother Joyce Harder. She was an avid sewing artist; did quilts, pillow cases, dresses, everything you could think of. I almost took a job as the Operations Manager at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln thinking of her because it was so important to me. When she passed, I asked my mother for a black denim jacket so I could make my own quilt with patches – so I could incorporate aspects of my own life into a personal “quilt” and it kinda became a thing. Heh.
Interviewer:
Speaking of a thing, so writing – I know that this is an important part of your life; how did you get into it and what do you plan to do with it if I may ask? What part of your life do you see writing in?
Me:
I grew up an avid reader and writing for me was putting back into the literary world what you got out of it – you were contributing. I wrote my first “novel” as a kid about a kid who feel asleep and awoke to the smell of a baked apple pie; and carefully left it for my mother to find. It was self-serving as Hell but man that pie was something to write about, I have to tell you that much.
I wrote a novel in high school after I had thought about running away from home and decided to see what it would look like if I did. It took a life of its own and frankly helped me level out a lot. Filled a good dozen college ruled notebooks by hand, both sides of the page, and several drafts of it. It currently sits in the basement of my rental space, and it still calls to me now and then to see it through.
Mentally speaking, I have about three different novel series cooking in my head but that’s just it, they are in my head, not as words other people can see. I put down my writing after high school because my writing was flat; the characters were limited, the dialogue stilted. I needed to live. So I did. Now I am working to make the time to write again, really write, and not make excuses not to.
It’s why I started blogging again; I needed to cut my teeth and get back into putting SOMETHING on paper, even if it’s all digital. To see if the engine would turn over, so to speak. I wrote some drafts, got really hung up on some critical commentary about my writing being… really purple and let it get to me. I regret that now; I used it as an excuse to stop. I’m going to try again in the next few weeks, we’ll see.
Interviewer:
Speaking of the blog, what is it that you want your readers to take away from your work?
Me:
I want people to know that they are valuable, worthy, and I hope take away something interesting and thought provoking. I’m not the authority on anything but my own fucking experiences and perspectives. I hope you enjoy what you read and it helps you either laugh, smile, think, or hell fart – anything is good man, it really is. Just know I’m never going to tell you how to live your life, just how I lived and saw mine.
Interviewer:
There was one question from Facebook: “Who put the bomp, In the bomp bah bomp bah bomp, Who put the ram, In the rama lama ding dong?” Do you have an answer for this question?
Me:
Absolutely – Eris, the Greek Goddess did all of that. If that doesn’t explain it, I suggest consulting your local crone for further information. 😊
Gilded Gibberish. 