There are many types of success. I have one particular example in mind. There’s the success Steve Jobs had. He was massively successful as both a business man and in revenge. No. really. Think about it. He started Apple with two other guys. Built it up to be a major player in tech and then the company kicked him to the curb. What did he do? He started a competitor, watched in delight as Apple nearly destroyed itself, then when they were about to go under he came back and turned them into one of the biggest companies on Earth. That’s professional revenge at it’s finest. It’s not what I am going for in this post though.
How about Miss Swift? Her music makes me nauseous, but some how she has managed to become a galaxy sized success in an industry that literally does not exist anymore. The music business ate itself through stupidity and short sightedness and yet somehow she still remains as a giant standing above the ruins. How? Why? What does it all mean? It’s success on an unbelievable scale but it’s not what I am going for in this post.
Nope, the success I am thinking of is my parents. 55 years. My parents were happily married for 55 years. Yes, the last few were brutally difficult as my mother’s dementia progressed, but when she passed away in February they had been married for a smidge over 55.5 years. I call that success. That’s the kind of success I would like to have in my life, though if Jen and I are going to make it to 55 years I will be 93 years old so… yeah, not likely. Still, it’s a lovely goal, isn’t it?
So there you have it. When I think of success, this is what I think of. My parents’ marriage. May we all be so lucky.
Inside the Red Head's Head 