Dad winning a satellite dish from the 1st national bank in Natoma -
Compared to the other farm kids around us we had culture, sure it was pop culture but it still counted for something. We had MTV at a very early age and that really affected my brother, and anything that has really affected my brother has ended up really affecting me. I am pretty certain my dad won a $100 dish and then had to pay subscription and equipment fees on top of that. Without that link to the large world I would be different, for certain.
My Mom deciding to run in the Hadley Stampede and encouraging me to run with her -
This also happened while we lived on the farm and I don't remember much about how it came up. I just recall that mom was doing a lot of walking up and down the county roads near our house at this time and that she was entering the 2 mile time trial at the hospital in Hays, Kansas. I wanted to do it also. I believe I did it 2 years in a row. I remember going out and training really hard the night before running up and down the hill by our house. I guess I assumed that since Rocky got in shape during a one song montage that training one night for an athletic event was totally sufficient.
Lack of training or not this was my first introduction to endurance sports, which suite me just fine. This is really when I remember first learning to love running long distances.
Mom and Dad letting us run wild with a video camera -
Farm life is wonderful for children but it can be stifling to social creatures. Luckily there was always enough for me and my siblings to do that we overcame the isolation. When Mom and Dad gave up on the idea that the video camera was not a toy we suddenly had an outlet for expression that was limitless. We learned to be creative with what we had, which is still how I create anything today.
Mom and Dad moving us kids off the farm and into "the big city" -
I was 12 when we moved from the farm to a town of 17,000 - 25,000. The school's were better and all my new friends were further along in their social evolution. It felt like an 80's movie. This single event was massive.
Dad taking me on Bike Across Kansas -
I was sick in the beginning and it was hard to not finish the ride on the first day. I got better by day two and had a blast the entire week. Riding across the state gave me something to be proud of, and a sense that the impossible was possible and that the world was big but not as big as I had previously assumed.
Devin buying a second hand guitar for me to play -
When Devin came home with a guitar and told me I would learn to play it and we would be in a band it was a big moment. Even at the time I knew it was a big moment. I still relate to music through the guitar, it was the first door that opened into a world that grows bigger every day.
Jason making reading books cool - I didn't think much of reading until I became friends with Jason. All the sudden I had someone in my life who was cool and he liked to read, henceforth reading is all the sudden cool. It was really that simple but as anyone who has read more than the books they make you read in high school can testify, this has a massive impact. I might have found my way to loving reading eventually, but I wouldn't have started in high school had it not been for Jason.
My Sister making me realize the value of being nice to people even when you don't have to -
I will admit I was a pretty rough brother to have for a lot of my life. My sister took the brunt of a lot of teasing. She took it and fought back where she could. It took a very long time, about 30 years but at some point I've learned to be nice to my sister and through that I hope to learn to be nicer to most folks.
Ronnie teaching me that writing your own songs is even cooler than being able to play them -
I'm not a great musician, but I can write a song. I can write them from just about any instrument or point of view. They are not all good, but that doesn't matter because when they are good it's totally worth while. Ronnie always told me that being able to write a song was the coolest. I took that bit and ran with it.
My cousin Travis made science and history cool -
Travis was an enormous influence on me as a kid. When he was excited about something all of us cousins were excited about it. He loved the unexplained and then the unexplained getting explained. A teacher can't make things like that cool, but the kid you admire most in the world sure can.
Devin asking/telling me that we would move to Los Angeles together -
It was rough moving from Kansas to Los Angeles. It was scary and exciting and humbling and empowering.
My employers believing in me -
I've changed a lot in the 9 years I have been at my job. I went from having no responsibility to a lot of it. There are times I want to walk out the door and never look back. There are times I walk out the door at the end of the day and I look back proud of myself.
Angela expecting more from me -
Angela has really helped me grow up. I can't get by on charm and the seat of my pants or standing still. I have to work harder to be a better partner always because she does and it wouldn't be fair if I didn't.
There is a bunch of other stuff too.
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