Fifty years.
Today, I celebrate my fiftieth anniversary of entering the world and find myself reflecting on all the wonderful people I've encountered and things I've experienced along the way. Most people have a hard time getting older, looking back at their lives with regrets or dwelling on missed opportunities. Oh, I have my share of those as well -- roads not taken, things still unfinished -- but I try not to dwell on them too much. I'd rather focus on appreciating the roads I did take and the things I did achieve in life.
As some of you reading this know, I almost exited the planet at the age of 26 thanks to my colon becoming toxic during New Year's Eve in 1995. After finally getting an initial operation that saved my life, roughly six hours from my colon rupturing with built-up toxins that would have poisoned my already-weakened system, I spent the first half of 1996 recuperating and having two more reconstructive surgeries to rebuild my colon using remaining tissue.
It was a frustrating and emotional time for me, adjusting to the new set of cards life had dealt, but the experience taught me to focus on more important things. My wonderful girlfriend Lori and I became engaged, and as I recuperated, we spent the next year planning our wedding and our the rest of our lives together. My parents, Harold and Wilma, proved yet again how loving and incredible they are, welcoming Lori into our family and trusting her with their only son.
In the 22 years since Lori and I were married, I've been so fortunate to share my life with her and do so many things I never imagined as an only child reading comic books in his bedroom and growing up in the small town of Medina, Ohio. Living in a small condo with our two beloved cats, Tamaya and Keiko, we forged a life together, grew our professional careers, enjoyed the company of our wonderful family and friends, and every so often, traveled the world to see the wonder of it all.
All those places, all those experiences...everything that almost didn't happen if I didn't make it off that first operating table at the dawn of 1996. If you've survived a similar experience, you probably get what I'm talking about here.
So, to everyone who's been a part of my life, however how important or how small, thank you for sharing the planet with me as we spin around the solar system. I hope you're enjoying the ride as much as I am.
-- Charles