"It was a tiny place, just north of something not much bigger. But later on my world would grow considerably."
Early on my world consisted of a tiny trailer park in the sleepy little census-designated place called Castle Hayne NC. Even today it's not a town. We had a railroad crossing, a Piggly Wiggly and John's Minute Mart. John wasn't always around so you could pick out what you wanted and leave the money on the counter. Those were the days. We had the largest lot though, right beside the road, and people driving by would throw things out into the yard — trash, coke bottles, food — just like the rest of the world in the 70's (it's directly related but I'll skip the story about why I dislike mustard). Almost nothing changed until I hit 17. That's a bit of a stretch because my parents had divorced, but we still almost never went farther away than Wilmington or Wrightsville Beach.
At 17 my mom remarried and moved what seemed forever away to Cincinnati. That lasted for six short months until she and my step-dad Wain moved even farther away to Turkey. Wain, a skilled mechanical engineer, worked for General Electric and took an assignment to help build jet engines over there. My first flight wasn't to see the grand Canyon or Disneyland. It was a huge jump over an ocean and a little past Europe. Scared? Definitely. Best trip ever? Absolutely. Everything about my world changed rapidly after that: traveling around the world, going to college, moving to another state, starting my first real job, corporate life, etc. It was a lot to take in and very difficult for me.
Nowadays many of my friends think I'm an extrovert, but I've always been an introvert. Back in those early days I was a very shy introvert, but these days I'm an outgoing introvert (which is why I always fail those personality tests). Some will be baffled by that idea. Isn't introvert the same as shy? Not really. As an introvert I need to pull away to recharge my batteries. I love to go out with friends, but it leaves me exhausted, especially if I go too often. It's worth it because of how I've learned — or more accurately needed — to put aside shyness to enjoy relationships with others and also to keep up with my changing world. Instead of the quiet wallflower I now arrange and host the party. Instead of the shy guy I'm always game for adding something new to the bucket list. So what's next for the former brooding loner? Any more challenges left?
The next changes will be the biggest to date and I'm as nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I'm getting married this year and we're discussing having a baby next. Despite the nerves I can't help but look at it as the greatest adventure yet. I've climbed mountains, run marathons and jumped out of airplanes, but none of it compares to finding my one true love. Soon I'll hold her hand and look into her brown eyes as we say I do. Afterward I'll hold her hand when we look into our baby's eyes. I hope they're the same color as my brown-eyed girl.