Sunday, June 27, 2021

I was always raised to be a very adaptable person

For example, my Grandfather, even though he was raised in Kansas where his father before he was born was a captain in the Civil war for the northern Army in Kansas  lived in many different states working as an electrician during his career like Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona and Texas. I also know that during the 1920s he spent a winter on a trap line in the Sawtooth mountains of Idaho because his children were little and he needed some space from that (because men usually were not involved in the raising of children traditionally in those years until they were above 5 years of age or more. 

So, though my father was born in Morenci, Arizona at a deep pit copper mine there while my grandfather was wiring up miner's quarters in this remote location in Arizona, he also lived before they bought a house in 1927 in Lake Forest Park, Washington in the Seattle area he had lived also in Arizona where he was born, Oregon, Texas and finally Washington where his father bought a house and land.

Also, this moving around a lot also continued after I was born so by the time I was 5 years old I had already lived 3 to 5 different places and even kindergarten I spent in two schools, one in Vista, California and one in El Cajon, California. Then at age 6 we moved again to Tujunga, California up against the Los Angeles National forest mountains. Then at age 8 we moved to Glendale where they had an excellent public school system where my cousin and his mother also lived then.

So, When I married my present wife when I was 50 years old I could count about 50 different places like I had lived in Washington, California, New Mexico and Hawaii. So, when things are better somewhere else I have always either been moved or have moved myself, individually or with my wife and children after I got married.

However, since 1952 I have lived in California the majority of my life even though I spent the first 4 years of my life in Washington living in the Seattle Area.

This made me very adaptable because this was just what was "NORMAL" for me. There is this "The grass is always greener" aspect to how my father and then I learned to think. Nothing is permanent regarding where I live.

However, owning a home was always important to my present wife, so the last 27 years of my life I have lived in only two homes which is quite a difference from my previous life of moving quite often.

And I still travel a lot (which is a part of my previous life) but I always have somewhere to come home to also which is nice. (now that I have gotten used to this over the last 27 years).

The point is that to be adaptable is helpful in your survival in many different kinds of situations.

However, stability can also come from people who sink in roots and stay in one place forever. However, if something bad happens to these people you might need to help them like they likely helped you along the way as you were growing up.

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