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| Mitch at age 26 |
Favorite place on earth?
Without a doubt, rafting through the belly of the Grand Canyon with family and friends. My seventh trip will be this May 30th. An amazing spiritual place! Here you can seen the magnificent wonders that Mother Nature has created!
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| Mitch jumping into a nice warm pool in the Grand Canyon 2009. This waterfall is called Elves Chasm. |
Biggest challenge?
Overcoming a lonely, neglectful childhood. Fighting abandonment, depression, anxieties, and anger brought on by alcoholism in my family.
How you overcome that challenge?
There came a point in time when I could not function rationally in my life. I was lucky to meet a family counselor who gave me the tools to over come my past. It took me about one year of therapy to finally understand myself and to get on with a new life.
Philosophy on life?
Enjoy and live each and every day. Make sure you tell the people in your life that you love and care about them. Let them know how important they are to you. Be a humble and forgiving person. Do not be afraid to take chances and to challenge your self.
Why do you train?
At this point in time, as opposed to when I was younger, my ideas and feelings for training are quite different. When I was young my ego was a lot different at that time. Like a lot of young men I wanted to be big and strong. I did become fairly big and fairly strong. Now, in the twilight of my years on planet earth, I train so that I can be mobile and somewhat strong, but mainly to live! Training in Martial Arts or in any other endeavor gives me tools to do any physical thing I wish to do. Getting older does not bother me in the least. I just have no intention of ever becoming an old man sitting in a rocking chair on the porch, watching life pass me by! Another plus for the Martial arts is the fact that the people I workout with are educated, kind, funny, and make me feel like I am just one of the guys!
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| Mitch with his Grand Kids in 2002 |
Wow! It's been so long I have forgotten most of it. When you are a young person the world has no end and you feel invincible. Remembering back, I never thought I would be an older guy. I still feel that way. When is it going to happen? The things that were important as a young man, no longer exist in my mind. Being young is a gift that does not last for long. Enjoy it, embrace it, and grow! Lots of impulsive things happen in youth. Not a lot of thinking going on and having fun was the priority. Social avenues that were important in my youth are not any more.
What it means to be old?
I prefer to use the term "mature." In my eyes, being a senior citizen is a lot better than being young. It is nice to have everything paid for. It is nice not to worry about who likes or dislikes you. The social stresses no longer exist for me. I have never been a very materialistic person and am even less so now at this age. Living a simple, trouble free life is wonderful! Having been retired for over 13 years now, I can say that it is a great time to live. However, if in growing up you did not take care of yourself, then I believe that being an older person would not be too much fun. As for me, yahoo!!!
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| Mitch with his Air Force Pal in 1959. He wasn't always a BIG guy. |
As I look back, I wish I had listened to my gut feelings when it pertained to decisions concerning relationships. Your gut feelings in situations are almost always right! I learned that approach in my therapy sessions years ago and apply that knowledge in my everyday life. When talking to my adult children and grandkids, I try to get them to understand that feeling in their lives.
Any role models growing up?
As a child and through my younger years. There are two people who stand out in my mind. First is my fourth and fifth grade teacher. Her name is Delores Spindler. At that time she was the only adult in my young mind who paid any attention to me and who gave me lots of positive strokes. I never forgot her and looked her up and visited her when I was 25 years old. We were her first class as a teacher. She remembered all of us kids at that time. A great person in my mind! My older brother, Jerry, was another role model when it came to self defense and not letting any one bully me. Jerry, entered the Navy at the end of World War ll. He was only 15 years old. He was a very physical person and was a boxer in the Navy, having had 18 fights in what they called "smokers." He was ten years older than me. Like I told you, I had my first boxing gloves at age 11. I won them in a Cub Scout coaster race in El Cerrito, CA. I still have a photo and article of that big event. Jerry took me to a boxing gym in Oakland when I was 14. I'd just sit and watch him work out. However, he instilled in me to not be afraid of bullies and that thinking helped me on more than one occasion. The boxing issue made me think about self defense. So in the following years of my life I took a year of boxing in Jr. College. I followed that up a few years later with some Kenpo Karate. Like I told you before, always tell the people you love and that you care about them. My brother had a mental break down at age 35. He ended up in a state hospital and never worked again. Before his death six years ago I was visiting him. Before l left his home, I told him that he had been my hero and how much I loved him. He passed away four days later. Sure miss that guy!
Anything else you would like to add?
Ya, I'll give you a picture of my 2002 400 XR Dual Sport Honda. You know anyone that would wanna buy it?
Anything else you would like to add?
Ya, I'll give you a picture of my 2002 400 XR Dual Sport Honda. You know anyone that would wanna buy it?
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