The Backstory
I was born and raised in the small rural town of Mott, N.D. I am the oldest of three with two younger sisters close to me in age. My father was a truck driver and my mother was the front desk person for the power company's local branch office and eventually a bank teller. With mom and dad working full-time, my sisters and I were latchkey kids. Growing up this way held some advantages, one being that I was given a level of freedom to understand myself and the world around me. I developed a very strong imagination and an inclination for creative activities, such as drawing.
I was a poor student in school throughout elementary, getting reprimanded for clowning in class and, occasionally being held in from recess for turning homework in that was incomplete, the margins filled with sketches and drawingsg. Many of my report cards stated "stares out the window too much."
High school was not much better, childhood self-reliance had developed in me a fierce adolescent individuality and stubborn resistance to what I regarded as arbitrary social hierarchies and norms.
My life after high school started shakily, I had no firm direction or goals, and I spent a lot of time holding menial low-skill jobs. But I did discover some things about myself in this difficult period that continue to pay off for me today. I expanded my desire for creative endeavors by teaching myself the drums and playing original music with friends in a band. I also did a lot of drinking, but that's not a very good story.
The Resume'
I've been :
A gas station attendant
A convenience store food preparer
A telemarketer
A grunt in a factory that made farm and construction equipment
A certified diesel equipment technician with extensive experience in both construction equipment and agricultural equipment diagnostics and repair
A small business owner
A farm hand
The Person You're Reading Today
I am better for the experiences of my past, in spite of how hard they were when I was living them. This has afforded me the ability to look at people more compassionately and to see my position in life as one in which I help others find their true selves. I am happily married to my wife of nearly 20 years. We've lived in Fargo, N.D. for a season and now reside on the prairie outside of our hometown, being close to family and close to the land. My hobbies include, writing, playing music(drums), cooking and grilling and making art, especially welding scrap metal sculptures.
