So much has changed

May 9, 2014.

My partner Andy and I often talk about how much has changed since we were little, and he'll often say he's annoyed he wasn't born now, because kids today are spoiled with technology, not to mention a more progressive world.  And my response is always the same: I'm so happy I was born when I was, so as to really appreciate all these changes!

When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, there was no Internet, at least that we knew of.  There were rumors that the modem we saw in the movie War Games was slowly becoming available, that we'd eventually all have phones that could connect us with other people's computers.  But it was a far off dream, and I was just happy to have a Commodore 64 computer.  I didn't realize at the time that really just a few years later, I'd have a computer the size of my wallet, one I could take pictures with and make phonecalls on, and its memory would be so much bigger than my entire computer. 

Nor did I realize when I got my Nintendo that not only would tons of much better gaming systems come out eventually, but I'd never love any as much as that Nintendo! ;)

In the 80s and 90s, I didn't think I'd ever be able to tell anyone I was gay, let alone find the guy of my dreams in my mid-twenties, and be with him for over 12 years already.  I didn't know that technology would advance so much so quickly, or that we'd have a black president, or equal marriage rights spreading all over. 

So much has changed!

I didn't know I'd lose my dad when I was 24 years old, or my mom when I was 29, or my sister when I was 37.  I didn't know the twin towers would be knocked down by terrorists when I was 26, or that I'd lose a friend to suicide when I was 33.

So much has changed.

I didn't know I'd publish books, or write articles that would be read by people around the world.  I didn't know Anne Rice would write to tell me she enjoyed one of my articles, and then share it with her hundreds of thousands of fans.  I didn't know pastors from churches would share my words from their pulpits, and leaders from organizations would enjoy my writing enough to share my reflections with their communities.


There are a million different good and bad events in my life, and they have all changed me so much.  So much has changed in the world around me, in my family, and in my personal life.  So much has changed everywhere.  And so much of it has changed me forever too.  So much of it has changed the way I look at things, the way I interact with people, the way I aspire, the way I work, and the way I enjoy my life.

So much has changed. 

Approaching any "big" birthday is really just like reaching a small bend in the path, and you can't help but look back at where you've come from.  It helps you put things in perspective, to truly understand where this new moment was born from, and how far you've already walked.  I'm grateful for every step in the journey so far, and I know everything now behind me has helped me to understand the part of the path I walk on today.

So much has forever changed.  And so much has forever changed me.