What are you amazed at in your life?

[marc26]

most of us are either mid 30's or up

is there anything in your life or the way it turned out that amazes you?

me, coming from the Northeast of the United States, I ammazed that i live in the Pacific Northwest, and Canada, no less!. we are very ignorant(believe it or not 5555) in the NE about the Pac Northwest and I dont know if i would want to live anywhere else now!! it is just so beautiful out here. i do catch my self takign a moment here and there and thinking how lucky i am.

also, i had a moment in August when i was sitting on the balcony at my gf's house in her village. i just had a moment where i said to myself "in a million years if you told me i would be involved with a Thai girl and be sitting in this post right now i woudl never have beleieved it!!"

[nelsonone]

yeah.....that I started out as an English Literature Major (then honours then PHD in Poetry) at university and ended up as an architect with an MBA 12 years later

[MrDK]

Some of what has amazed me the most too is the great west. I lived in Southern California for 10 years and traveled 13 western states and 3 western provinces. It is amazing country, in particular Seattle and North and the Rockies.

In the winter I would usually travel on business trips with my skis. I remember one year I managed to ski 10 different mountains in 7 states/provinces. I had the same kind of moment as you ... just looking at my surroundings in some state of disbelief. .... Had I only had a Thai GF then ....

[pablo]

It amazes me, that as I get older and wiser (supposedly), I still steer my life, mostly with my "little head"????? 5555

[The Loop]

I`m amazed i`m still alive.

After 20 years of motorcycle competition and countless high speed crashes,and still fit and healthy.

Amazing~~

[IRISH JONNY]

im amazed without proper eduacation that ive done well for myself....i know in this day and age it would be rather difficult to achieve what ive done and got in life without 3rd level ed !!!!!!!!!

[JayBee]

Originally Posted by The Loop;

I`m amazed i`m still alive.
After 20 years of motorcycle competition and countless high speed crashes,and still fit and healthy.
Amazing~~

I'm amazed I'm alive, too, when I think of some of the crazy things I've done, some of the tight spots, narrow escapes, and dangerous people I've got involved with in the years of my misspent youth. I really never expected to see my 28th birthday. I was reckless, almost like a death wish, or at least, what they call self-destructive tendencies. But what I learned, was that each time reckless behavior brought me close to death, all of a sudden, something inside me popped up and said, "No, you bastard, you want to live!"

I struggled through those years, but the love of a good woman helped me through it, and eventually, I settled down and built up a modest fortune as a successful businessman, living a fairly humdrum normal life. It was great for a while, living on a big estate, lovely family, etc. But it became boring, and a gradual sense of dying every day by inches settled over me. My behavior became erratic, my health and finances suffered, and my marriage soured. The divorce was rough and financially devastating, but slowly I got back on my feet again.

Still, it was good to be on my own again. Over the next few years, I went to the gym, got in shape, got my health back, and learned to play guitar. Although there were some good times, each year the dating scene seemed a little more daunting, and harder to make a full-fledged effort, since I am a person who does not find it easy to compromise on what he likes.

Then after 9/11, catastrophe struck me, a ruptured disc in my back. Now I am really amazed that 6 years later I feel almost as good as I did in my youth. I really thought maybe my time was over, and that the rest of my life would just be a gradual slide, a painful, invalid's life, that my best years were behind me, and there was little left to life, but the bittersweet memories of my crazy youth.

Thinking it was maybe my last chance to do it, I impulsively got on the internet that New Year's Eve, sitting alone and miserable, contemplating a dreary future, and bought a ticket for a flight to LOS leaving in 7 days. Less than 4 weeks later, I woke up one morning in bed, having an unbelievable time with the greatest TG, and it was really one of the most amazing moments in my whole life, totally surreal in its' perfection. And I knew I was back in the game, and there would be many good times ahead, and that the time of my life was not in the past, but in the present. And that is the way I always want it to be. It's kind of a similar feeling to my near-brushes with death in my youth, the closer it got, the more I wanted to live. Now, the older I get, the more I cherish the good times, and the more I want them to go on for ever.

LOS!!! Here comes JayBee!!! Booked my ticket! Taking off in 10 days!! Yippee!!!

[Nanook]

I am amazed that I am still alive after beating cancer some 12 years ago.
I am amazed that I can enjoy small pleasures in life.
I am amazed that I have a real nice job without having the exact education for it.
I am amazed that I was able to bring up my daughter to become a nice smart young lady with a good future.
I am amazed that I am about to rebuild my own life with a nice Thai lady who brought back the pleasure in my life again.

[The Loop]

Originally Posted by JayBee

LOS!!! Here comes JayBee!!! Booked my ticket! Taking off in 10 days!! Yippee!!!

Good story JB.
I too came close to death once and was forced to give up my chosen sport from a hospital bed.Just like a junky going cold turkey.I use to run on pure adrenalin at my peak.

Did the working for the man,living in the suburbs thing,and felt like i was sitting around waiting to die, up until 1 year ago when i chucked it all in.
Now i am pretty much free and spent 3 months in Europe and 6 months in LOS this year,and hopefully more next year.

My new lifestyle has certainly given me a new lease of life.

And LOS has a lot to do with it.

[JayBee]

Originally Posted by The Loop;

Good story JB.
I too came close to death once and was forced to give up my chosen sport from a hospital bed.Just like a junky going cold turkey.I use to run on pure adrenalin at my peak.

Did the working for the man,living in the suburbs thing,and felt like i was sitting around waiting to die, up until 1 year ago when i chucked it all in.
Now i am pretty much free and spent 3 months in Europe and 6 months in LOS this year,and hopefully more next year.

My new lifestyle has certainly given me a new lease of life.

And LOS has a lot to do with it.

Seems we have a few things in common. When I read Marc26's question, immediately I thought, "I'm amazed I'm still alive." Then I was surprised to see that you had already said it! Guess I'm not the only one!

[marc26]

Originally Posted by IRISH JONNY

im amazed without proper eduacation that ive done well for myself....i know in this day and age it would be rather difficult to achieve what ive done and got in life without 3rd level ed !!!!!!!!!

what is the equivalent of 3rd level ed in states?

and you are correct, a lot more jobs require degrees than even 10-15 years ago

[IRISH JONNY]

Originally Posted by marc26

what is the equivalent of 3rd level ed in states?

and you are correct, a lot more jobs require degrees than even 10-15 years ago

college..............

[seafox]

I am still amazed at the following things.

That at 76, my Dad is still alive after multiple heart attacks, being at least 60 pounds overweight, multiple bad car accidents, and heavy drinking for 50 years.

That I am still in 1 piece after a wild ride of 47 years.

That, while I have travelled extensively for most of my adult life, scuba diving around the world, that I still have so many great places to visit.

I am amazed by the friendly attitudes of people in Indonesia, LOS, the Philippines, and many other countries where they obviously do not have the financial resources that most of us have but are able to enjoy themselves way more than we ever would with that little. Maybe we could all learn from them.

That I have not died in bed yet!

[whuakito]

I am amazed about the fact that I spent the best 5 years of my life in grade 5 and now I speak 4 languages, well at least I try55555

[ub2yoo]

I'm amazed that being 36 I'm still not rich, or better phrased - financially independend. All my life I was convinced that I would be around my age now and always thought that I eventually would come up with that one great idea. Well, lot's of thinking and ideas, but bad execution.

Turns out harder than I thought and I admit - I've put the joys always first.

I think it's time for me now for a real wake-up and shake-call. So many hours working for someone else certainly will not make me rich.

I'm also a bit amazed that I'm actually married now and very much like it. Whole my life I was preaching the opposite.

[JayBee]

Originally Posted by marc26;

what is the equivalent of 3rd level ed in states?

and you are correct, a lot more jobs require degrees than even 10-15 years ago

Although we don't use the term 3rd level in the US, if you think about it, we do refer to elementary schools as primary education, and high schools as secondary schools, so it just makes sense that college would then be 3rd level of education, although we usually refer to it just as "higher education."

[sundancekid]

Have to say I’m most amazed at the fact that I’ve been able to reallocate to the country of my choice and still being able to earn a decent salary. Took some guts too I guess to leave a comfortable and predictable life behind.

I also (like nels) started on a different “career” path (I majored in Philosophy).

Still, it’s interesting to look back on seemingly insignificant choices I made in the past --- coupled with purely accidental occurrences of course --- which eventually led me to Thailand. On that basis, I have no idea what’s in store for me next… My guessing (and hope) is that I’m still gonna be amazed as to how my life has turned out five years from now.

[Crustasian]

I am amazed that Aussies can read and write.

Only joking Easyrider.

[Thin White Duke]

Observing nature amazes me.

Watching the sun in the sky or a full moon with millions of stars.Wondering what it all means and what's my role in it all....

Thinking waaaay too much I know.... 555

[easyrider_au]

Originally Posted by Crustasian

I am amazed that Aussies can read and write.

Crusty, what was it they said about people, who live in glass houses?

Late Arrival In Port is doing her birthday patry in Faulty Towers after the run on Saturday 10th November.

[dawsey]

I'm amazed Mav has joined the Hashers.

[JayBee]

Originally Posted by dawsey;

Is Mav now batting for the other side??.

Perhaps so, but not entirely, as I think he still likes girls.

[Mav]

l'm amazed that so much drivel can be contained in one thread.


















....... and that Bono's sister still asks me to use protection.