Chapter 28 The Final Chapter

Well, this “never ending story” has to end someday. When? Where? Who knows? I only hope that it doesn’t end for a long while. With that said…

I’ve always felt that my life was simple and rather boring. After reading the previous chapters in this book, people have told me that I’ve had a rather interesting life. I will admit that I have met so many wonderful people and learned so much from them. I have so many great memories of the people I’ve met. I have forgotten many names, but I still remember them. There are others whose names I will never forget, unless of course I become senile.  I could write a few more chapters of my experiences, but I think that I’ve written enough. I don’t want to bore you any more than I already have.

I want to write something profound, but that isn’t me. What I will say is that I believe people make life difficult for themselves sometimes. Some things that I believe in are living a simple life.

That reminds me… When I was still in the Air Force, as the Superintendent of the Munitions Branch at Yokota, I often had to draft letters for my commander’s signature. The commander’s secretary would type it up and give it to the commander for his signature. He once thanked me for writing so simply and straight to the point. Other sections chiefs would use “big words” that just make it more difficult to understand. From that time, my favorite motto has been “simple is best.” I digress…

“In every life we have some trouble, when you worry you make it double, don’t worry, be happy.” I try to live by these words. If something bad happened in your life, it is over, finished, done, past tense and you can’t change it. You can feel down or depressed, but that will only make you into a negative person. Another old German saying, “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.” Which basically means that if you survive a difficult time in your life, you will be stronger when facing more difficult times in the future.

This reminds of when my brother, Jack, had cancer. When he was first diagnosed and was told that he had about six months to live (he lived for about 18 months from then) he was angry inside. He was angry with God, “Why me?”. He said that he was rather negative for a while, but then he accepted it. He realized that being so negative and depressed was hurting the people around him. I was overseas during this time and when I came home and was finally able to talk with him, he was positive and accepted the fact that he would die soon. He prepared everything that needed to be done when he passed away. He even arranged his own funeral ceremony – who would speak, what music would be played, etc.  While talking, it was like we were talking about the weather. It was so calm and casual. Talking with him about his experiences has made me stronger. I will probably get cancer someday. I am prepared for it. I hope to be positive from the beginning.

One word that I have strong feelings for is “respect.” This word is lost to too many people these days. It seems that nowadays, when one person disagrees with another, they will hate that other person, call them bad names, and even threaten them. I learned at a young age to respect people: parents, teachers, elderly, … everybody. You do not have to agree with them, but you can respectfully disagree. I will not dislike nor disrespect a person because of their opinions. Of course, I believe that my opinion is correct, but the other person feels the same about their opinion. Opinions are just that – opinions. Life goes on. Get over it.

I hate the word “hate.” I have used the word more than once, but I try not to use it, especially when talking about people. (When talking about “natto,” it’s ok.) I hear people say that they hate Russians, Chinese, etc. I grew up hearing that the Russians were our enemy, the people are evil, etc. Then I saw a video of US college students and Russian college students had a huge video chat about everyday life in each other’s countries. They all had the same likes and dislikes. From that I learned that people are pretty much the same in every country. The governments and political leaders, well that’s another story. A few years ago, I read online where one on my family members said, “If you vote for “____,” I don’t ever want to talk with you or see you again!” I still like this person, but I was shocked to hear it. I feel sorry for this person for having so much hate inside.

I have talked with some people that no matter what the topic is, they will have something negative to say about it. I have had negative things happen to me. When I start feeling negative about it, I remember that so many other people have much greater problems. As I have mentioned before, what has happened in the past can’t be changed. Learn from it and life goes on. If something bad is happening in your life now, change it. If you can’t change it, learn to live with it in a positive way. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” It’s your choice to make changes to think more positively.

I have been asked that knowing what I know now, and I could go back to my childhood and change my life, what would I change. I always answer, “Nothing.” If I made one small change in my early life, I would have my children, grandchildren and the many good people around me today. I am very happy with my life today, well maybe except for this COVID 19 problem, but hey, life goes on. I will find ways to enjoy it.

As I write this, it is January 1, 2022. I am looking forward to good things happening in the future. As I mentioned, this will be the final chapter for this book. I am sure that my life will have many more chapters, but I guess they will be a mystery.