I think there was a poll when signing in @ D.T. recently. I’m sitting in Burger King and happened to think about it. I have lived with depression since the age of 7. A living hell, all of my life. I always dreaded getting ‘old’ because depression was bad enough, but being ‘old’ with depression would be unbearable. or so I thought. I considered suicide, a million times, but the one thing worse than suicide would be my brothers and sisters fighting over all the ‘good stuff’ that their coo-coo brother left behind. So I made a pact with myself that I would stick around ’til the ripe old age of 60, and at that time I would figure out a comfortable way to ‘exit’ my miserable life. 

     Well, when 60 came around, I had a ‘towing / repair / scrap / used auto parts business, that besides paying the bills, was fun. But a ‘pact’ is a ‘pact’ and my depression was still with me, so I started to ‘downsize’, decrease inventory, pick up less, scrap more, and generally just go out of business. I was almost done when one day I checked my mail, and the bunch of bills, junk mail, etc, had a familiar looking manila envelope rite on top. It was my first social security check. Oh I paid into it for many years, and even applied for it when they sent me the application when I turned 62, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise..But when I opened the envelope and looked at the check for $768.00 I couldn’t believe it…..These people were going to send me a check for $768.00 every single month for the rest of my life….Wow! I couldn’t believe it. No time clock to punch. No setting the alarm, to get to work on time. No clean clothes. 

     All I had to do was stay alive, and spend the money! I couldn’t believe it. I must have stood there looking at that check for thirty minutes, going over in my mind how my life was going to change. I was going to start exercising, taking vitamins, eating more fruits and vegetables, lose some weight. I completely forgot about my depression and my ‘pact’ with myself..

      That was five years ago. Since then, I have lost 25% of my body weight, cured my depression, {accidentally}, gave up junking cars, ended my sworn oath to stay away from women {I made to myself in 1992 the last time I got my heart broke} upgraded my wardrobe, being more concerned with my appearance, and most of all, no more winters in Minnesota!!!!!….. 

     Well I’m still sitting in the corner booth at Burger King in Faribault Mn. I’m done with the rough draft of my first blog. I don’t exactly feel like Ernest Hemingway, but at least it’s a start.                  the burger king blogger….