10 Experiences that Shaped Me (1 & 2)

These are not in any order related to importance - it's all chronological. Oldest to newest. They were posted (for quite a while) on the right side of the web page and I was going to write a story about each but that seems to be taking more time and I'm going to change the list so I thought I would do a quick summary of each.

01) Student Body Vice President (High School) - I figured out a great deal about how people operate and what some of the magic around "the popular" kids as college was starting but I was really not in that crowd in high school. I was probably one of the best known and more popular kids in college (small college) and I think the transition to that point in time started when I ran for student body vice president.

02) Climbing Devils Tower - I'm actually working on that story now and it will likely post before too long. When I was in the 3rd grade my father took me to see the Devils Tower and I said "Some day I'm going to climb that". My dad simply said "No you aren't".

My Sr. year of High School I began growing a significant new self confidence and the summer following graduation my friend Dennis Clark and I decided to climb the tower. If was July of 1976, I have a horrible fear of heights and let me tell you, that fear did not go unchallenged.

There were two things that made the tower climb significant in my life (looking back, it is one of the most significant events - probably #1 or #2 on this list).

First, since that climb I have never considered something to be out of reach (my father believed it was and that's the reason he said I would never climb the tower). The transition from group think with all the sane/reasonable folks to this "nothing is impossible" attitude has made me a completely different person.

Second, I learned that the best accomplishments in life cost you. I mentioned earlier that I have a fear of heights. I'm talking nausea, light headed when I get up 25 feat kind of a fear. This was probably the most terrifying thing I have ever done. Every step and hand hold required discipline and concentration to help swallow the fear. Since that time I have jumped out of an airplane (with a parachute of course) and gotten an FAA Instructor rating but I've never experienced fear like I had climbing the tower. At the time I was just dying to finish the challenge and get the nightmare to end but since than it has become one of my fondest memories. Since that time the experience has been the inspiration that has led me through some of the darkest times of my life. Every thing that is hard has a payoff at the other end. Everything. Learning that gives you the ability to become so much more that you were destined to be.