Stuff, stories, and memories

The theme of my life right now is cleaning out stuff as we are preparing to take the longest way possible to Kansas. I first noticed this theme when I was slowly going through my desk while getting ready to retire. I was passing important working-stuff along to co-workers, taking other important non-working-stuff home, and throwing other junkie-stuff out (why had I saved that stuff, anyway?). I also had a lot of pictures and toys around my desk that had been in my space for many years, and were, in a sense, old frinds of mine.

At the same time, I was approached to give a little ice-breaker speech about myself, and I realized that the stuff on my desk could help me tell my story. Well, the ice-breaker speech went pretty well, so I think I will take the same approach in the blog as I clean out the stuff that has accumulated over the past few decades. You can learn a lot about someone from their stuff and the stories that are attached.

I had a picture of my mom pinned to the wall of my cubicle. It was taken when she was about 17 or 18 years old. She was really beautiful. Our relationship when I was a teenager was pretty typical. I didn’t think she knew anything, and she didn’t think I knew anything, and we pretty much disagreed about almost every topic. However, as we all know, moms are really pretty smart. When I think about what some of the best guidance or advice I ever got from my mom, one of the many things that sticks out in my mind was when I was in the eighth grade and she made me take typing in school. I had already filled out the forms to take homemaking. "No," she said, "take typing. When you can type, you can always get a job. Then, you won’t be trapped in a situation only because you can’t take care of yourself."

So I took typing.

Our family moved around a lot when I was little, and I believe that’s why I have the wonder lust now. However, by the time I was in high school, we had pretty much settled down to where we live now, and adventure was everywhere except where I was. So, as soon as I was old enough, I joined the Navy, and saw a small bit of the world. I was stationed in Okinawa, Japan for a few years. It’s really hot and humid there. Really hot and humid. I worked outside as an electrician for fighter jets. It sounds really fun and exciting, right? No. It was really hot. Really, really hot. And humid. And, being a fair-haired girl, I was pretty sunburned all the time. So, one day, I just happened to mention that I knew how to type. Most of the fellows, probably all of the fellows at that time long ago, did not know how to type. So, I was miraculously whisked inside (into the air conditioning) to keep track of all things that needed to be typed.

Thanks, mom.