tough times do not last, but tough people do

 

My parents were members of “the greatest generation”, which describes people who lived through the Great Depression and WWII. Both of them grew up on farms in the small town of Hastings. Minnesota, and both of them lived to their mid-80’s. There were siblings on both sides that lived to be 95.

Officially, I’m a member of the “baby boomer” generation. Although our issues weren’t quite as bad as what my parents faced, we lived through the 1960’s, a period of time that dramatically changed American society.

https://tohell-andback.blogspot.com/2015/03/4-dead-in-ohio.html

Like many people of my generation, I’ve had some setbacks. A job lass when I was in my 50’s was very damaging to my finances, and at one point, I owed the IRS $25,000. The stress of dealing with fixed expenses and diminished income caused my blood pressure to spike, and the only way to save my life was to move to China - so I did.

It was a great experience (except for the time that I got mugged by 3 guys on motorcycles) but I returned to America a much healthier person.

My wife and I are both cancer survivors. Although my cancer was not-life threatening (basal-cell carcinoma) hers was stage 4 disease that could easily have been fatal.

https//tohell-andback.blogspot.com/2011/07/

I’m practically guaranteed to get to heaven because I literally crashed on the way to Hell. Details of THAT story can be found at the link below.

https://tohell-andback.blogspot.com/2009/03/to-hell-and-back-on-bicycle.html

On the morning of October 2, 2022, I was on my way to school when I stopped at a local gas station to buy a couple of lotto tickets. When I went outside and started walking to my car, I did not notice that a white Ford pickup had  started moving in my direction. Before I knew what was happening, I was laying on the ground in front  of the truck, with bruises in three places. The school nurse patched me up, and this is what I looked like when I went to my first class.

I recently sent the picture to my old neighbor in China, who was amazed that I was still walking around after getting hit by a truck. 

 I am currently 75 years old, and my genetic background means that I have a  good change of living for quite a few more years. Since I have already suffered a few catastrophes, I guess that qualifies me as a “tough old guy”.

I did some research a while back and found (much to my surprises) that a number of people who lived to 90 or 100 had actually lived some hard lives, and some of the them had ties to slavery.

https://tohell-andback.blogspot.com/2013/01/

That sentence confirms the truth of the title of this article.

 Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.