The 40th Fort Collins High School reunion was an interesting experience. I just assumed, (in error) that our generation was never supposed to get older than say, 30ish, even that seemed old at sixteen. I regret not having made an effort in high school to get to know more of my classmates – at the reunion, some of the people I talked to felt the same. In order not to have future regrets, here goes.
For me, coming from a foreign country accompanied with the baggage of a different culture, high school was tough. At home, my family spoke Serbo-Croatian and as with every teen, being different wasn’t exactly a desirable trait. I still keep up with my native language, e-mailing or talking to my cousins in Croatia on a regular basis. I managed to graduate without too much trauma and went on to college where I met my future husband, Neil McLaughlin. We share the same sense of humor, which has helped us conquer 35 years of marriage and raise two kids. Having two children has been a blessing and certainly a humbling experience -- there’s nothing quite like children to make a person feel inadequate.
Our son, Kevan, is 26; and our daughter, Katie, is now 17 (the picture is of the four of us at Kevan’s wedding, Oct 2008). Kevan is a tax law attorney, married and living in the San Diego area. As Katie plans to study genetic research/engineering, we still have a ways to go. . .
Over the last 30 years I have worked in the technical publishing business. Now that Katie is a senior in high school, I decided to make a career leap. Years ago I became a vegetarian, approaching the issue of health through more holistic methods. According to my family, I woke up one morning and decided to study Chinese medicine. THAT is not true, the idea had been occupying my mind for years. With the aches and pains that come with getting older, including the problems of an aging parent, it became more of a motivator. We live on a small ‘ranchette’ south of Denver. So commuting to Boulder 2-3 times a week to work and learn the ups and downs of Chinese medicine at a Chinese clinic has been an indescribable experience. As I work on patients, I don’t have the guts to tell anyone my ghastly fear of needles and ‘are they crazy for letting me work on them’. My teacher thinks I have potential as he thinks everyone has potential, so I plug away.
Besides going to all our daughter’s athletic/school events, my husband and I ride our horses in long distances races. Over the years my mare and I have traveled to different endurance races in different states. Some of my friends are really hardcore athletes, forcing me to be much less whiny when faced with being tired, hungry, wet, cold, hot, sore, hurt, irritated, etc. For a couch potato this is a real accomplishment – sometimes we do well and sometimes not so much, or worse. I am aiming for a 5-day ride in October at the Grand Canyon. This is certainly optimistic on my part as keeping 3 horses in condition is always a challenge.
Now days my husband and I are trying to simplify our lives, wanting and needing less, translated into purging our accumulation of stuff. There you have it, my sense of humor prevails, I am amused, bemused, and intrigued by everyone and everything, and still a work in progress.
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