Breaking News: I just opened up my royalty statement from iUniverse, and discovered I sold another book in July:) Wow...5 more to sell before I get another royalty check:) Maybe the signing next month will help...
I learned something yesterday.
Before you keel over in shock, it wasn't something intellectual; it was about my HS principal.
He and his college roommate at Purdue, right before graduation, were sitting in the Student Union, discussing their future plans.
Dennis Blind said he was going to turn down the contract from the Pittsburgh Pirates, because he and his young sweetheart were going to get married, settle down, and start a family.
"I'll have my teacher's certificate, and we'll have a good life, making a difference in the lives of other children." He later went on to become one of the best principals at Lafayette Jefferson High School. He encouraged my mother (high school nurse) to start several programs, such as education for teen mothers, better sex-education in the entire school district, and even supported her decision to get her master's degree in Health Education.
He hired Richard Miles, the man who took our lowly marching band and turned us into fierce competitors. My sophomore year, we placed 17th in the state...no finals for us. My jr year, we not only marched at the World's Fair in Knoxville, TN, but we placed 10th in state and 10th in the nation at the National Competition in Johnson City, TN (we called it The Land of the Little People, because we stayed in an elementary school, and the toilets were only as high as our shins!). My Sr year, we did even better, winning MBA (Marching Bands of America) at Joliet, ILL and completely losing our composure on the nightly news (correction: The Brass and Drum lines were jumping up and down; us girls in the Color Guard stayed at attention...although we were screaming, We won! We won!); we placed 5th in the State (in the new Hoosier Dome!), and 5th in the nation. And somewhere, there is a tape with my close-up as I'm tossing my flag into the air and catching it, in perfect harmony with the others!
Back to the conversation in the late 50's/early 60's...
Dennis Blind looked at his roommate and said, "What do you think you'll do?"
The roommate said contemplatingly, "I think I'd like to take a walk on the moon..."
Any guesses who the roommate was?
Neil Armstrong.
4 comments:
That's pretty cool. We can do what we set out to do. Determination makes all the difference.
Another book! Woo hoo! Just think how well you will do at the signing
That's amazing! Think how many lives would have been different if he'd signed with the Pirates.
One of my favorite Star Trek TNG episodes is where Q gives Picard the chance to go back in time and change one decision...and when he saw the outcome, he was able to return to his own time. Imagine...one decision had him going from Captain to 'safe ensign'!
Sometimes I wish I had that chance...and the choice to choose which outcome I'd want to keep:)
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