My younger self. I need to go back and whip my butt until I learn enough not to screw up so many things in my life. Maybe sit down and reassure a younger me that things will get better and slow down and enjoy the little things that will never come again.

My Great Grandfather. I want to thank him for being so strong an influence in my life.

Sam Clemens. If anyone can help me laugh about the state or our current political mess, I think it would be him. I really need to find a way to laugh right about now.

Daily writing prompt

Who would you like to talk to soon?

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I remember all the booms, pet rocks, beanie babies, cabbage patch kids, G.I. Joe action figures and Star Wars stuff. It goes on. We are a nation of hoarders. If you don’t believe me, explain crypto currency. Nostalgia collections are pretty lasting, cars and motorcycles. Gun nuts I understand, I mean can you really stop at one? Then you have to talk about them, usually at length, well past the point of interest of non-collectors.

I was more interested in memories and experiences. I traveled with the Army and the memories and experiences grew, broadened my horizons. I still travel, trying to experience other cultures and food. Especially the food. It’s kind of hard to carry food back on an airplane though. So, I started collecting money from everywhere I visited. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and when I sort through them, I get to relive where I was.

I have my memorabilia from the Army and police, patches, badges, medals and uniforms, enough to fill footlockers and duffle-bags. Also, artwork from local artists or unique pieces that I could turn into art. Strangely, I don’t keep many photos, no time to stop and pose.

Daily writing prompt

Do you have any collections?

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I remember when winter was magical. The first time I saw snow, I was three. I stepped off the front porch and fell through a drift that was taller than I was. Winter in the Finger Lakes was excitingly different from Mississippi. The childish delight of getting cold and wet from snow and staying out until your cheeks and ears were numb. We lived by a dairy farm and had the run of the fields while the cows were kept close. It could also be deadly, like falling through the ice on Canandaigua Lake and walking home before hypothermia set in. Our family dog saved me, that’s another story.

Now, it’s a little more painful. Jumping out of airplanes was fun but tore up my knees and back. Fighting took my hands with arthritis. Even living in Pennsylvania for nearly 25 years hasn’t made me immune to the cold. As much as I love winter sports, I can’t take the exposure much anymore. It hurts too much. Under forty degrees, my hands stop working well. By the time it hits the twenties, my legs don’t want to keep up their end of the whole body working together concept. It’s sad really.

I admit that I still enjoy the cold weather in small doses. I’ll sit in the lodge and drink something to warm me up until everyone else gets done skiing or until it’s not a good idea for me to try to ski. Whichever comes first. Raw fall weather with leaves changing color and the wind whipping around is exhilarating. But it’s painful now, so I’ll take it in smaller pieces and limp through the memories.

(Not me in the pictures, my wipeouts were much worse.)

Daily writing prompt

How do you feel about cold weather?

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Live an interesting life and you have interesting stories. I spent a while kickboxing. It’s a lot of fun if you like collecting bruises and broken bones. Ask any fighter and they probably can’t tell you how many times they have broken bones in hands, arms, ribs, the occasional jaw. Kickboxers can add toes and shins. My right hand has fingers that are different sizes and shapes. After a while, I stopped going to the emergency room unless I needed the bones reset. The worst bone I broke was a vertebra in my lower back and didn’t get it checked. A couple years later, I realized that was a mistake. A training accident in the Army and I was lucky it was that lite.

One thing I learned was that there is a difference between hurt and injured. If you’re hurt you can keep going, accomplish the mission, keep fighting. Injured means you need to stop. I never quite knew when to stop. Pain means you are still alive. Stay in the fight. Do something.

In hindsight, it may not have been the best mantra to live by.

Daily writing prompt

Have you ever broken a bone?

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A good movie isn’t the one you talk about right after you watched it, a great movie is the one you talk about years later. I want people to have stories about me after I’m gone. When I retired from the Army, I kept in touch with guys I served with and found out they were still telling Sgt Monahan stories. The kind that people would use as examples of how hard or weird things were. The “No shit, there I was”, version of fairy tales. Same thing when I left the police department, with a little more “he was crazy”. My daughters have grown up being embarrassed by me in public. I admit that I enjoy telling those more than they do.

I just want to leave good stories behind, memorable for years after I’m gone.

Daily writing prompt

What is the legacy you want to leave behind?

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I’m retired. I don’t have to balance anything except golf and housework. Of course, even when I was working, I didn’t balance things very well. Being self-absorbed, narcissistic, asshole doesn’t help.

Free advice: You will never miss the time you didn’t spend at work.

Daily writing prompt

How do you balance work and home life?

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I started with insects, mostly using a magnifying glass. Then I moved up to frogs and small birds. I stared on larger animals, like deer in my early teens. I mean if you want me to count everything, we’ll be here all day.

(BTW, this is sarcasm. It’s a genetic trait.)

Daily writing prompt

What sacrifices have you made in life?

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The abusive alcoholics, child abusers, liars, thieves and fake friends, thank you for teaching me what I don’t want to be. Thank you for teaching me that I am strong enough to expunge you from my life.

I am better because you were an asshole. So, thanks.

Daily writing prompt

Share a story about someone who had a positive impact on your life.

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I have old clothes, some dating back decades. A US Army OD green over coat from the end of WW II. My riding leathers are at least 20, tattoos date back nearly 40 years, and uniforms at least as old as my ink. To my daughters’ dismay, I still have shirts that I wear they remember from their childhood.

It’s the scars that tell the tail. The big one in my calf comes from basic training and doing dumb shit with the other guys and earning a trip to the hospital. We hid the knives after that. Three more from Iraq, four if you count the ones from my body armor wearing holes in my sides. One my elbow. More around my eyes from fighting for years. And the oldest, in the middle of my forehead that is probably fifty-five by now, from playing with my brothers. There are dozens more that have faded away, from work or play.

Yep. It’s gotta be my scars.

Daily writing prompt

What’s the oldest things you’re wearing today?

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Trust me it’s funnier with the Mexican accent.

I’m semi-retired and like it that way. I’ll probably pick up something to keep busy, but I’ve already had two careers, thanks. To those just starting out, you’re going to have to do the time anyway, just find something you don’t hate.

Daily writing prompt

What is your career plan?

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