What are your greatest life achievements?

[Acousticado]

There are a lot of threads in Open Mic where AGFers provide insight about their lives, but I’m seriously curious about what you consider your greatest achievement(s). I think it’s fascinating what “artists” (which as guitar players we all are) aspire to and achieve.

Of course, having a longstanding, happy marriage and a couple of great sons who are doing very well, with careers, wives and children of their own is my (and my wife) is my/our single greatest accomplishment.

For me, I’m happy that I learned to play guitar, sing and write my own songs (one that Ike Turner thought was pretty good) to a decent level of proficiency to entertain family and friends from time-to-time, had a long career within my field of college study (now retired), but the achievement I consider as the greatest is having built our log house 35 years ago and an organic swimming pond in recent years, essentially by hand and hard labor.

What about you?

[Reasley]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

There are a lot of threads in Open Mic where AGFers provide insight about their lives, but I’m seriously curious about what you consider your greatest achievement(s). I think it’s fascinating what “artists” (which as guitar players we all are) aspire to and achieve.

Of course, having a longstanding, happy marriage and a couple of great sons who are doing very well, with careers, wives and children of their own is my (and my wife) is my/our single greatest accomplishment.

For me, I’m happy that I learned to play guitar, sing and write my own songs (one that Ike Turner thought was pretty good) to a decent level of proficiency to entertain family and friends from time-to-time, had a long career within my field of college study (now retired), but the achievement I consider as the greatest is having built our log house 35 years ago and an organic swimming pond in recent years, essentially by hand and hard labor.

What about you?

I agree about the children -- that is a singular very difficult task to do and, given the extreme importance of childhood to the psychological development of eventual adults, I'm not sure that any parent is properly qualified for that huge responsibility.

Related, and, to me, this is a great achievement because so many parents cannot resist the temptation: I very purposely did not push my kids toward music because of a subconscious need to live vicariously through them with their music success. I was always there with anything that I could provide musically to facilitate them but never fromna pushy perspective.

Fortunately, both of them have pursued music -- not as their career but definitely well beyond a "passing fancy" perspective: it will always be an important part of their lives.

[Scootch]

Caring for my wife the last few years of her life.

[SMan]

Originally Posted by Scootch

Caring for my wife the last few years of her life.

Caring for my Dad the last few years of his life. Tough duty at times but so rewarding.

[Song Writer]

Late in life, long after his successful career of helping to save Great Britain and western civilization as we know it, this same question was posed to Winston Churchill. I'll take his answer:

“My ability to persuade my wife to marry me was quite my most brilliant achievement…”

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Song Writer

Late in life, long after his successful career of helping to save Great Britain and western civilization as we know it, this same question was posed to Winston Churchill. I'll take his answer:

“My ability to persuade my wife to marry me was quite my most brilliant achievement…”

I would not compare myself to the great Leader , but he has said what I was going to say.

She decided to marry me in 1990, so we got married ten years to the day after our first date.

She helped me cope with carving out a corporate career whilst caring for my Dad's dementia, and then ten years of my paralysing lymphatic sarcoidosis, and subsequent joint damage, and depression, and my heart troubles in 2005, and now, my cancer ..she's been great, although she tends to work herself to a frazzle.

Of course she's had troubles too - had a long "ladie's" illness and surgery that we now refer to as being filleted and cleaned, and caring for her mother until she died a few years ago.

Makes you realise what "marriage" is really all about.

Plus she gave me a step son, and he has given me two grandsons and a grand daughter, who has just given us a great grand daughter.

I never expected to find myself in a family like that.

[Fractal]

Its classified...

[Murphy Slaw]

I'm not done yet....

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Scootch

Caring for my wife the last few years of her life.

Sorry to hear about that Scootch but a great life achievement it is. Reading your words reminds me of the Kenny Chesney song The Good Stuff.

[6L6]

Family #1, of course.

Beyond that, flying as a USAF pilot in two wars (Vietnam and Desert Storm) and surviving uninjured. Best bunch of professionals I ever worked with in my life.

Guitar wise, I picked it up the day after the Beatles hit Ed Sullivan on 2/9/64. To this day I just can't wait to get my hands on my guitar when I get up.

Having the opportunity to co-found and play guitar in a successful 50/60's Oldies band for 27 years (1985 to 2012) was a real bonus. We started with what we thought would be a one night only gig!

[RP]

Companion to my ladyfriend for the past 13 years

Companion to my mother in her final years

Earned a BS and MEd

Brought a son into this world and helped raise him

Taught Special Education >30 years

Wrote/published three books on Outdoor Recreation

Former EMT/Volunteer Rescue Squad & SAR K-9 Handler

I hope that in some way, my activities over the years will leave this world in a little better shape....

[rokdog49]

Forum rules prohibit me from saying.

[fitness1]

In the midst of it right now - caring for my parents.

Secondary is having the courage to strike out on my own and start my own business 15 years ago.

Third, keeping myself in top physical shape since my early 20's. I'd love to know how many hours I've spent with a very elevated heart rate

[HHP]

Small thing, but I took my degree in English and after school, went into a business management position. Many years later I was between jobs and decided to see if my education had been worth anything. Starting from scratch, I was able to get several freelance jobs writing for national publications. Was even a guest columnist for one for about a 6 month run. My "magnum opus" was a history of the Linhof brand of German cameras that a high end photography magazine serialized over two issues. Probably made about as much money over that time as my college education cost me, so I figured I was even on the higher education front.

Got a lucrative offer to go back into telecom so I set the writing aside but I may pick it up again in retirement.

My greatest contribution to music was when I lived in Memphis and helped hide Jerry Lee Lewis' Cadillac Eldorado from the IRS.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by HHP

My greatest contribution to music was when I lived in Memphis and helped hide Jerry Lee Lewis' Cadillac Eldorado from the IRS.

I'm thinkin' that could be eclipsed by writing an upbeat catchy and funny song with that as the story line

For me ? I'll just say given my youth and young adulthood , my greatest life achievement is surviving to 67 relatively intact.

Wait !! what were we talking about ????