This is my personal diary of trials, tribulations, successes, victories, and the ongoing search for well-being of mind, body, and spirit.

The Short Story Version.

I was born in a small town in 1956 to a carpenter and stay-at-home mom. Your typcial middle class family strugging to make ends meet in a nice middle class neighborhood.

Most of what I remember about my childhood was good memories of playing baseball and other games with other kids in the neighborhood, listening to yankees/sox games with grandpa, staying overnight with grandma, visiting relatives, family outings, and trips to New Jersey to visit cousins. School was fun too. I always got very good grades and looked forward to it (for the most part).

Nagging in the background, that I knew of, was allergies to cats and losing my breadth when i played hard and feeling afraid of many things (a 4 eyed geek to all the cool kids and 'wimpy' to my military dad). That's the real short version. :)

Fast forward to High School at a Prep School in a nearby larger town, and then College at another Jesuit School near home. And then finally graduation and I could be 'off' into the real world.

My first job came very quickly - after 1 week out of college. I had to move to a very large town about 3 hours away and I was very excited. Finally I could keep my own hours, eat my own foods, just do everythign I always wanted. Little did I know.

9 months into my first job, I was sitting at my desk at work and worrying about giving a speech in the upcoming months and all of a sudden, my 1 eye started blacking out until I couldn't see out of it at all. I Immediately panicked and went to the rest room and tried to 'see' what was happeing with my other eye and tried to relax. Both futile attempts since this all new to me. I went into my boss and said I felt sick and went home. My new life of 'pure panic' started that day whenver I imagined something was happening to my eyes.