Paul,
Thanks for letting us in on your life. This is one of the best threads I have read in a while. Kind of his home. I want to tell you about my best friend Dan.
We grew up in fairly well off Palo Alto CA during the Hippie era. My folks were were educated, well to do and straight as an arrow. Dans folks split up when he was3. His mom was heavy in to the the drug scene and hung out with the band members from the group Grateful Dead!
We had food and nice clothes and Dan did not. He ate most meals at our home. Dans mom spent every dime she got on booze and pot and lsd etc.
Dans mom was in one abusive relationship after another and Dan watched his mom get beat for many years. The odds were truly against him.
Dan did manage to keep up good grades and also got a baseball scholarship, but an injury ended his life long dream.
I had a fancy car as soon as I turned 16 and Dan was bound to his bicycle for several years out of high school. HE NEVER ONCE COMPLAINED!!
WHAT DID Dan end up doing while I was away at college?
Dan mowed lawns and did yard work 7 days a week 12 hours a day all summer long. He purchased an old JUNK pick up truck with a DUMP bed.
Dan ran an add in the local weekly newspaper " I HAUL JUNK"!!!!!!!
He spent the next several years sifting through peoples crap, taking crap from all the wealthy folks and continued to work very long hours doing very hard work for little pay! He was a Super Small Time garbage Man!
He still never complained. By the time I was out of school, round one, Dan had managed to purchase a beat up old Bobcat Tractor and junk end dump truck. You can probably see where this is going, I hope.
Still continued to work long hours doing back breaking work for several more years. By this time most of us had graduated college, had good paying jobs and drove fancy cars. dan did not. He worked his *** off and saved EVERY PENNY HE MADE.
We all got real nice pads and Dan insisted on living in a trailer for super cheap and never wasted a penny while we all lived large for that time period.
Dan had saved enough to put a down payment on a new Bob Cat Tractor and End Dump Truck after about 10 years of this. Were talking 100,000
in equipment. He got his contractors license as well and had the BEST reputation in town and the BEST work ethics of anyone I know, still does.
He was now able to charge 75.00 per hour which in 1990 or so was very good money. He continued his frugal lifestyle and soon had saved enough CASH for a house on the "other side of the tracks" in a pretty bad neighborhood. He bought an 800 square ft house in EAST PALO ALTO
for 85K and we all thought he was crazy for doing this.
Dan continued to manage his business and his money very well for the next 10 years. Got married and had kids and built his business up to 4 Bobcats and 4 end dumps in the mean time. Still worked very long hours doing very hard work and still NEVER complained.
FAST FORWARD:
Dan owns and operates a Commercial Engineering Firm and has a fleet of Tractors, Trucks and a thriving business and is very happy and doing very well today! Did his childhood suck? YES! Were the odds against him? YES!
Make your own conclusions here paul! Hope this hits your heart a bit and help in some small way.
BTW- Dan sold his 85K home in the hood last years for, get this...
1.2 MILLION and bought a beautiful RANCH an Ashland OR for CASH and continues to work his butt off, manage his money well and lives the life that he alone created for himself...
