fire serpent 1/3

49-65

-Which is more important to you  in this point of your life, self involvement or contribution to those around you?

I think that self involvement is most important to me as a person. Whilst I know that I must maintain relationships within my community, I find myself that keeping myself entertained is much better for my overall mental health and stability. The older I get, it feels harder for me to keep myself happy in the place I live and work, and I feel that this really comes with age, as this feeling has gotten stronger as I’ve gotten older.

-Do you feel that you are accepting of yourself with all of your weaknesses as well as strengths?

As I’ve gotten older and learned from my past experiences and mistakes, I have learned that you have to roll with the punches. People will always be able to pick apart flaws in others, and exploit these flaws to the most of their abilities. These people just want to drag you down and make you feel bad about yourself. Throughout my life, I have learned to bring myself back up by the seat of my pants when I’m down, and that there will always be people in this life that want to hurt you. This is why you should never let anyone else get you down, and why I’m accepting of my own flaws.

-on a scale of 1-5 do you feel you are making the best of the time you have left, and are leaving a positive influence?

On a scale of one to five, I would rate myself a four. I feel like I’ve made the best of the earlier part of my life, and have made many important decisions throughout my life, and have stuck strong with them. My friends from the time in the military are friends for life, and my wife and children do, in fact love me dearly, and I’ve provided well for them.In my life, I have made a good life for myself and feel as though I will leave a respectable legacy when I do pass on.

-do you feel that you are settling into more realistic and rewarding relationships

When I was younger, I took my relationships for granted, and as I’ve gotten older the people that have stuck with me have become only better and better friends as time has gone on. I originally had a rocky relationship with my children, but as both they and I have matured, it has gotten much, much stronger. The one relationship I regret not tending to more in life would be with my first wife, whom Divorced me and is incredibly happy with her new life. I did wrong by her during my stint in the army, and really wish that I could go back in time and apologize to her for my behavior. Overall however, my relationships with new and old friends has greatly improved with age.

-do you find yourself less driven, and more productive with friends, family, and community?

I do feel that I’ve had a dip in drive in the last few years of my life, and I really truly long to settle down into retirement. My career has gone incredibly well, and As a whole I’m generally happy with how my life has turned out. I can also note that I have become more active in my community, and in general do better when surrounded with friends and family. Surrounding myself in them helps me with the problems I developed in earlier parts of my life.