2) Start 1st grade in one school, begin at another right after Christmas, meet the person who has been your closest friend for 37 years, settle i9n to the house where 47 years later your mother still lives. start playing hockey.
3) continue with school hockey and those type of activities until you are 13, join Air Cadets, and meet some of the people who to this day make the short list of friends that have remained. Start High school, struggle to fit in, meet the teacher who who help, listen and keep me going, even though some of us tormented the crap out him constantly.
3) In the last year of high school discover Punk music, adopt the punk style of dress, partially alienate your brother, pierce your ear, wear lots of black, graduate from High school, and realize you have no clue what to do next, decide to go back to high school for more credits.
4) Never finish that extra year, leave for basic training with 7 days left to the year, start a career that will take you away from home, move to Nova Scotia, reconnect with old friends , spend some time at sea, meet your future wife, move in with her, pack everything up and move with your now wife to Northern Alberta.
5) meet new friends, have first son 1 year after moving here, second son 19 months later, 3rd son 23 months after that. wait 10 months , have mild medical crisis with 3rd son, get through it, and then 7 months later pack up family and move to BC.
6) Get to BC fed up with career, request change, get change, 11 months after being in BC move to Ontario, begin training for new military occupation, family begins to settle into new home. Finish training, cracks begin to appear in marriage ignore, and hope for best, deploy overseas for 6 months, come back home, some things appear better, career progress nicely, accept posting to new location without consulting wife, cracks appear again.
7) Father passes away. Move to new city, tiny city , kids unhappy, wife very unhappy, F**k it nobody happy, wonder how to fix it, 1 year later, get removed from house, move into 6X8 foot room, realize that the end of marriage is nearing, try to stay in area, concession made prepare to move 4 hrs away.
8) Move away, realize marriage is truly over, miss kids terribly, lean on family for support, much chaos ensues, older brother steps in and helps, older sister helps, little sister helps, brother in law proves to be true friend, kids begin to adjust. Me not so much.
9) sign agreement, fell depressed, buy new car and begin to get better feeling about life, move on, start new life(somewhat), realize I could be all right. get out of debt. Begin over.
Any questions? If you get lost, ask I'll come find you
TAKING THE LONG WAY ROUND--THE DIXIE CHICKS
My friends from high school
Married their high school boyfriends
Moved into houses in the same ZIP codes
Where their parents live
But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow
I hit the highway in a pink RV with stars on the ceiling
Lived like a gypsy
Six strong hands on the steering wheel
I've been a long time gone now
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
But I've always found my way somehow
By taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around
I met the queen of whatever
Drank with the Irish and smoked with the hippies
Moved with the shakers
Wouldn't kiss all the asses that they told me to
No I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow
It's been two long years now
Since the top of the world came crashing down
And I'm getting' it back on the road now
But I'm taking the long way
Taking the long way around
I'm taking the long way
Taking the long way around
The long
The long way around
Well, I fought with a stranger and I met myself
I opened my mouth and I heard myself
It can get pretty lonely when you show yourself
Guess I could have made it easier on myself
But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow
Well, I never seem to do it like anybody else
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
If you ever want to find me I can still be found
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Married their high school boyfriends
Moved into houses in the same ZIP codes
Where their parents live
But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow
I hit the highway in a pink RV with stars on the ceiling
Lived like a gypsy
Six strong hands on the steering wheel
I've been a long time gone now
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
But I've always found my way somehow
By taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around
I met the queen of whatever
Drank with the Irish and smoked with the hippies
Moved with the shakers
Wouldn't kiss all the asses that they told me to
No I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow
It's been two long years now
Since the top of the world came crashing down
And I'm getting' it back on the road now
But I'm taking the long way
Taking the long way around
I'm taking the long way
Taking the long way around
The long
The long way around
Well, I fought with a stranger and I met myself
I opened my mouth and I heard myself
It can get pretty lonely when you show yourself
Guess I could have made it easier on myself
But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow
Well, I never seem to do it like anybody else
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
If you ever want to find me I can still be found
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around
