I was thinking just the other day about a few things in my life and how all of them relate to 20 years. Twenty years is a long time. It is a little less than half my life at the moment, but there are few things that people do for 20 years. And so as I was thinking about them I decided to write them down. There are a couple things I have in my life that have been in my life longer, but really 20 years is quite a mark. And the fact that 3 major things in my life are at the 20 year mark (or happened for 20 years) is cool to me.
The school year 22-23 marks my 20th year teaching in the Maricopa County Community College District. I have always been a teacher at heart and practice, and so it is no surprise to me that I have now been doing it longer than anything else in my life as a job. I love seeing the looks on people’s faces when they finally get something. I love hearing their thoughts on why they think something happens the way it does whether it is right or wrong. When it is wrong, I enjoy trying to talk with them, and my entire class, about why it is wrong and what the right answer is. If there isn’t a right answer, then I love talking about where society (and possibly them in their future) can explore those ideas and try to solve them.
I worked for 20 years for my father’s business as well, K. B. Canham Cameras, Inc. as well. I loved working for the camera business. I started off sanding wooden camera parts in a garage, eventually assembling complete cameras, traveling to Germany for trade shows, and doing electronics as well. I learned how to setup a basic website for the business also. I will write more about my experience there at a later time. The thing is I loved it. It got me hooked on photography for fun. It allowed me to work with my hands. It allowed me to get to spend time with my dad. And so much more.
Finally, and most important to me is that this year will be 20-years of marriage. Technically not until May, but it has been more than 20 years of being with my wonderful wife. Not everyone makes it to 20 years. I am not a proud person, but that is something that I think is very special. My wife has taught me so much over that time. She has certainly made me a better person over that time. I think more about others, I exercise more than I ever have, I eat better than I ever have (vegetables aren’t that bad), I have been more places in the world than I ever would have imagined. All these things I will write about more of in the future as well. The thing is I love being married to her.
So – three things that all represent 20-years of my life. All of them great in their own way. All of them deserve more detailed writing on. So keep your eyes open for that in the future as well.
What about you – are there things you have done for 20+ years that you are happy about or sad about?