Day 19

In the world of problem solving, my biggest problem at 18 was just the hell did I want to be when I grew up? I had a girl that I thought I loved but was way too young to marry and hated to give her up. I started college but didn't register for with the Selective Service as a student. At Wichita State in the 60's you had to take ROTC and that was an immediate deferment but I didn't care.


Yes, Boys and Girls, I knew there was a War on (or an armed police action where they shoot back) I didn't do anything to stay out of the draft and the result did cause me to be included. As a baby boomer, I grew up in a world where almost every one's Dad had gone to WWII and I couldn't figure out why not. Looking back, why not might have included the line, "War is a darned good way to get yourself killed stupid!" Go to OCS and learn to be a forward observer to go out with the infantry would greatly increast those odds - even more stupid.


Problem solution - Do Nothing and let luck sort it out. I was lucky in that - The girlfriend met and married some poor sailor. I was lucky (That was the sailor's nick name) that I got drafted and qualified to go to Office Candidate School. I was lucky that I went and I graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant (And I am lucky I can spell Lieutenant) I was lucky to have met Barb and damned lucky she would marry me. I was lucky to have gone to war and survived. I was lucky to get to go home all in one big piece. I was lucky that Barb wanted me to get my degree and darned lucky to complete it in 10 years. (I started in 1965 and graduated in 1975) I was lucky to find a career where I loved almost every day of it. I am darned lucky to still be alive today.

So, one way to have your problems solved is to do nothing and let luck sort it all out. You really have to do a little bit of doing but it was the planning part I said "do nothing" about. One warning is the old maxim, "Do what you did and you will probably get what you got."


MUD