"One of the most important thing I have learned is that change can
be a difficult concept to accept by people who refuse to embrace
changes." -Ron Fujihara
"I suppose ... the value of individuality. Some of my life experiences
have been truly remarkable and I believe that many of those experiences
have come about because I was more interested in experiencing
life than conforming to a 'norm.'"
-Wendy Harrison
"I have found that 'We are all captains of our ships.
Which way we steer our ships through the oceans of life is up to us.' -Lon
Daugherty
"In answer to your question,I learned this from my Dad when I was
in my late 20's....Only worry about the things in life you can physically
do something about. For everything else just be prepared for it by
having an open mind, and you will be able to del with anything that
comes up. I've followed that train of thought throughout my life and
it has done me well!"
-Arturo
Marquesz
'With wisdom, comes age' and also I've learned 'patience makes life easier' -Bruce Springer
One of the most important things I have learned is the value of patience. Somethings in life are meant to be part of the development and progression of our lives as we left the teenage years in 1968 to develop into adulthood. Mistakes I made and the choices I made to try to grow up to fast taught me many good reasons why I should have let life take its course and not have tried to grow up too soon.Bad decisions made without the guidence and blessing of GOD caused me to suffer some adverse results that could have been avoided if I had used patience and not went headstrong into bad decisions I made on my own. Thanks for asking.
-Freddy Truitt
Ron, seems like you asked a few days ago about things we've learned or philosophies we've adopted over the years. Here's the life philosophy that I have displayed on my office wall that I have tried to live by over the years. I think it's a good one:
"RESOLVE TO:
Be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace
Make all of your friends feel there is something special about them
Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true
Think only the best, work for the best, and expect only the best
Be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own
Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future
Wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile
Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others
Be too large for worry, to noble for anger, too strong for fear, and to happy to permit the presence of trouble" -Tom Davis
"Dad was right - I have become him. ...and the corollary subtheme, Don't get fixated on whatever you are worrying about today because it will shortly be supplanted by something else to worry about." - Dennis Beringer
The biggest lesson for a while was that Walt Disney lied. You do not just "live happily ever after." Was anyone else as naive as I?! Years later, when my daughter was born, I realized that without that early tragic "lesson" I would never be holding this beautiful child in my arms or living in this great place...... That has become my frame for life's experiences. Somehow, down the line, things seems to always work out. Life is a roller coaster. There are just ups and downs. Enjoy the ride! -Barbara Chestnut
That I really needed Jesus Christ in my life. You can have all kinds of goals and make all kinds of plans, but things change... stuff happens! He's become the anchor that holds me as I weather the "storms of life". -Jacquiline Howard
"Life is short and full of suprises. Always be there for family and friends." -Charles Peysar
"One of the most important things I’ve learned is if it moves & shouldn’t, you need duct tape. If it doesn’t move & should, you need WD-40." -Tim Landuer |
“During my lifetime I have always pursued my interests and curiosities. This has placed me in different compartments (incarnations) each and every time. From higher education, the military, working with troubled teenagers, restaurant manager, and a return to school has given me some wonderful learning experiences. It was not until I worked as a restaurant manager that I experienced one of those, aha, moments. When I started to reflect on all my past experiences, there was one trait that I was always involved in and something I enjoyed doing. I seemed to always end up training or teaching other people. This, aha, moment sent me packing for school and to pursue a teaching career. I have been steadily happy ever since. Technology was another, aha, moment for me too!” –Ron Fujihara
"Incarnation? Sure. I had to reinvent myself after the first marriage and the change of employment. I had to learn to transcend." -Dennis Beringer
"Ron, probably the most exciting incarnation that I experience in my life was when I spent just over a year living aboard a 60-foot ketch based in the Mediterranean. Actually, Muir graduate, John Riise and I were shipmates on the voyage. It was in the summer of 1973 that we flew to the Spanish island of Palma de Majorca in the western Mediterranean where the boat was based. There, John and I were to serve as both boat crew and film crew for the captain who was making a feature-length movie about the boat’s adventures in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey.
At the end of that summer we nearly went down in rough weather on our voyage back to Majorca when the anchor worked itself loose and smashed through the hull. After hours of trying to keep the boat from sinking, especially when the pumps failed and we had to bail by hand, we finally managed to reach the island of Malta where we spent the next couple of months in dry-dock making repairs. By the following summer we were once again plying the islands of Greece and Turkey in search of more adventure.
As you might guess, it was the adventure of a lifetime. The movie we were making, “Way of the Wind,” was eventually released on HBO and is still available on various auction sites to this day." -Tom Davis
I really like that quote! I lived for a year in a traditional Native American camp run by a Cherokee Medicine Man, Rolling Thunder, with his wife, Spotted Fawn. It was a great existence. -Barbara Chestnut
"I was assistant to the president of investment services at Union Bank for 12 1/2 years then they downsized and I began to do temp work. Severe arthritis set in from a car accident, then I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel and trigger fingers from eons of typing.
After two surgeries on both hands I was broke, bored and somewhat desperate. While waiting to be approved for rehab training, I took the grueling training (who knew???) to become a school bus driver. Currently, I drive special ed kids in Glendale. Though the pay caused major culture shock and dismay, it's the most interesting and rewarding job I've ever had!" -Jacquiline Howard
For about 20 years my life was pretty much filled with horses and the family of friends
that surrounded that. A great group of friends - like an extended family really.
A very diverse mix - ages from 12 thru 55 and a wide variety of cultural backgrounds
as well. A daily routine - meeting at the stable, riding locally and also trailoring out
to ride. Lots of camping (w/the horses) both locally as well as non-local horse-designated
campgrounds, telling "lies" at a campfire, sharing our successes as well as failure to
people that genuinely cared. A great time with many warm memories! -Wendy Siewert
In the fall of 2005, I joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training for cycling. Each of us had to raise $2400 and train to ride 100 miles in a single day. The training was well planned, the goal to find a cure for blood cancers and riding in the name of family and friends who have died or are stricken with these diseases was soul-strengthening. I had never bicycled much as a kid or adult, but to really learn this skill at the age of 55 at first seemed laughable. But, I can say that I accomplished all the goals for myself and maybe helped a little in the fight against non-solid tumors.
-Irene Fujimoto, RN, OCN
"No, not really." -Charles Peysar
"Probably the most prominante incarnation in my life was being hired by IBM in 1979. Up until that time I worked mostly dead-end jobs that allowed me plenty of time to "play", which meant trips on my motorcycle all over the country. I would work to keep my bike running and money for gas and food and that was it, I didn't even think about what the future had in store for me. Everything I knew about fixing cars and bikes I learned from my Dad, and that kept me going for awhile. Along about 1979 I started realizing I wasn't getting anywhere and I felt like I needed to do something more meaningful. My basic understanding about electronics is what got me into IBM, and here I am 29+ years later with a career that I'm very proud of. I've had the chance to travel around the world because of it, and I've had a chance to help a lot of people less fortunate than me because if it as well. It has given me opportunities that I'm not sure I would have gotten otherwise, so I'm very grateful for the chance to do this, but also I feel very good about myself for recognizing the opportunity and taking advantage of it." -Arturo G. Marquez
"Easily the most rewarding “incarnation” has been being a father. JorJa & I raised 2 boys. They didn’t turn out the way we expected (I guess our parents would say the say thing about us), but they turned out good. We love them both." -Tim Landuer
"Going from being a GI Joe, to being a civilian with a wife and a kid and no job,overnight." -Lon Daugherty |
"Where to begin? Although academics should be the highlight of my years at John Muir, what I remember most vividly are the athletic/team events and the thrill of winning. So, being selected as one of the semi-finalists for the 1968 Flag Girl team stands out the most. I was incredulous, happy beyond belief, and feeling that people actually liked me for being someone other than on the academic track. These are the memories of a teenager - when fitting in was so important. I didn't get to be on the final team, but the memories of that experience has always stayed with me." -Irene A. Fujimoto
"In light of the differences between now and then, what I remember most was how we all got along. I remember vividly the many relationships I had from so many different cultural/religious/social backgrounds. We seemed to all get along and enjoy each other, and I miss those days." -Ron Fujihara
"I'm not sure if I can break down my memories about Muir into one or even two events or experiences, whenever I think about my time at Muir I just remember that my 3 years there were all pretty cool ! From going to the football games at the Rose Bowl like the Turkey Tussle, to the rallies, the friends I made throughout my time there, the great (and not so great) teachers I had, it all plays out in my head as one period of time. Even my first year (1965) there was an interesting experience - we had just had the Watts riots that summer and there seemed to be tension everywhere.....except at Muir. Everybody got along so good, I don't remember a single incidence of trouble or problems associated with the riots !
I would have to say my whole Muir experience is one that I will never forget, I think about those days often and always with a smile on my face !"
-Arturo G. Marquez
"In my years at john muir high, my memories were more good than bad. I enjoyed the chances to meet and befriend new people from the different junior highs from which we came. I salute all of you that I had a chance to enjoy as my friends. My best memories was being part of the varsity track team that set the state record for the most consectutive wins and the graduating exercise and the prom, Love Ya'll, Freddy Truitt."
"Up until the time I began attending John Muir High School in 1965 I had pretty much spent my life as a wallflower. I had never had a girlfriend. And, if it weren’t for my second cousin in Utah, I would have never even been kissed.
But in the very first week of school, I met an electric guitar-playing free spirit, Coral, who, when she learned that I also played the electric guitar, immediately threw herself into planning our rock and roll future together. Good band members, in those frenetic, post-Beatle invasion days of 1965, being even harder to come by than good boyfriends.
Unfortunately, Coral and I didn’t last. My new-found success with women went immediately to my head. Before Coral and I had a chance to produce beautiful music together, I fell in love with another girl. Her name was Deana and she was the fairest creature I had ever seen. Petite and feminine, she wore skirts and form-fitting, pull-over sweaters to school nearly every day.
At first we just “noticed” each other a lot. Though my success with Coral had given me some confidence, I was still so shy I could barely speak to any female without having my tongue lodge irretrievably in the back of my throat. Long years of appreciating girls from a distance had made it almost impossible for me to talk to them directly. I remember one incident during the “noticing” stage. My best friend, John Riise and I had the following conversation while sitting in John Muir’s auditorium waiting for the weekly assembly to begin:
“John,” I said. “Look down over there to your left and see if Deana’s looking this way.”
“What?” John looked perplexed at first, but soon caught on. “Oh, okay.” He craned his neck in the huge auditorium trying to see the first few rows stage left. “Yeah, she is,” he said. “Sometimes. But most of the time she has the girl next to her looking up this way.”
“Well,” I said, keeping my eyes riveted straight ahead. “Tell me when she’s looking so I can look and catch her looking.”
“Oh jeez,” John said, “why don’t you just leave me out of this?”
Fortunately for John, after a suitable period of “noticing” each other, Deana and I became a couple, and for the next three years we were inseparable. I came to know her as a real lady. She dressed like a lady. She spoke like a lady. She certainly smelled like a lady in her Tigress perfume. She, in turn, demanded that I act like a gentleman, which was darn hard for me at the time as I had spent the first sixteen years of my life in the sole company of males.
Unfortunately, Deana and I broke up just before the senior prom, but to this day if I pass someone on the street wearing Tigress perfume, I turn and watch her until she disappears from sight.
Thanks, Deana, for some very lovely memories." - Tom Davis
"The best was going surfing every morning before school with teacher, Gary Stellern." -Charles Peysar
"Being able to graduate on time, with everyone." -Lon Daugherty
"I still remember sitting in a science class daily and each day trying not to fall asleep. I'm sure that the
actual subject matter was very interesting, but unfortunately I could barely understand what that teacher was saying. When
she spoke it sound as though she was speaking with her mouth full....or maybe had a "few too many?" In any case
it was quite memorable (oh boy!)." -Wendy Siewert |
