THREW Mikes EyEz

Original Writings, Images, Video and Artworks of Mike Hartley

Built a fort

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Built a fort with my grandchild today. We learned about making foundations with blocks. And of course play and laughter. So much play that it’s going to be early to bed to recover. The unbridled joy of a child breaths life into me, but only for so long when the body realizes its age.

Dad showed me the proper grip on a football a month before he passed. Photo by Shirley Hartley

An interesting writing prompt today. If you could, what year would you time travel to and why? I would go to 1966 the year the picture above was shot. I would ask my father about all his life and experiences and then I would ask a thousand and one questions and seek his guidance about growing up and life.

I never got a chance to do those things. And I think about those things a lot. How would life have changed? Would I have followed his career in the Navy? Would I have had a lot more confidence? Would I have avoided a lot of mistakes?

Not that I want anything in my life to be different because I’m one of the happiest guys around with the way things are turning out. But getting here was difficult at times. It’s a void in my life that was never filled. So I would like to go back and learn about the man I missed so much and to tell him I love him.


Random Thoughts of the Day

  • The smell of bacon cooking on a Friday morning with a grandchild on the way to our home is a great start to the day.
  • There is cold and then there is WTF.
  • I have some great friends who remind me often to be thankful for all we have been given and I hope I do the same for them.
  • Thankfully I don’t get headaches often. But when I do it makes me appreciate the suffering that those who do suffer from them.

Author: Mike Hartley

With a lifetime and a half in the Newspaper industry I'm preparing for my retirement career as an Artist, Writer, Photographer and Video content provider. I'm a proud father of two wonderful children and I'm still married to the first girl I fell in love with and probably only one that would have me.

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