I feel life is is full of sacrifices, some are good others not so much. As a young man, mid teens or so, my mind was full of dreams of a life filled with travel and adventure learning new and exotic cultures in which I wouldn’t have a mailing address just kind of roaming around the world until I got to where I wanted to be, wherever that would be. I had a plan it was most likely unrealistic at best, I would enlist in the navy or Air Force and stay for maybe two re-ups learn a trade or skill that I could hone and master and begin to think about settling down in my mid thirties or so, I would know when I got there. Instead finished high school found a job and stay in town, which made my parents very happy to the point where my father hired me to work for him as soon as he could. I would spend the next 16 years there, it was a wood shop and I would become a craftsman in skills I still use today. I would get married have children just like my parents and all 3 of my brothers, unlike my parents and brothers I would throw it all away after being married for ten years I was done living a lie, living a life someone else wanted me to live a life I had no control over. I divorced which was the worst experience filled with anger hatred and resentment, but I had been dying inside myself for so many years it was worse than having cancer and one day I just died inside there was nothing left I was a shell of a human being. So I sacrificed the love of my family altered both of my sons lives by leaving not knowing how nasty my ex had become. So I left with no plan I was too old to join the service and had zero resources because I lost everything in the divorce, a friend invited me to go live with them in Florida and I did and I have an amazing life, but it came with a huge amount of sacrifice the kind that gives me nightmares even today 27 years later. The journey has been filled with ups and downs but isn’t that what life is?!?! You bet it is.