Forty years ago...could you envision yourself today?

[Gary Fowler]

40 years ago, I had been married a couple of years to my first wife, just bought my first brand new house,1750 sq. feet with attached garage. Had a 74 Mercury Marquis with notes on it also + a new ski boat. House note was a whopping $395 per month which included taxes and insurance. I was just promoted to Welding Supervisor so live was pretty good. I was easily paying all all my bills and could afford about anything I wanted (no kids) plus putting 10% of my gross income into a company sponsored 401K. Sure glad I started doing that at 24 years of age right after I got married.

I remember at the time saying that if I had $250K plus all my bills paid off, I would quit work, boy have times changed.

But I stuck with the same company for the most part for 45 years and was able to retire comfortably at 61. NO REGRETS.

 

[Ed of all trades]

I was 15 at the time and had been farming for 5 years. Dad got sick when I was 10 and he would tell me what to do when I got home from school. We had about 102 to 106 angus cows plus calves and 2 bulls. Did most of the work myself and school was a bother. Cut pulpwood on the side for spending money. Did things tun out as I planned? I thought I would still be farming and deer hunting every day of the long central Va season. Now I am a caretaker for someone in my family and would not trade place with anyone anywhere. Have not had time to hunt for a few years,but life is good.

 

[joecoin]

I was a senior in high school with zero plans and no ambition. Beer got in the way for quite a few years after that, but I finally got turned around and life is good. Still don't have any plans.

 

[uglyboywith11fingers]

40 years ago I was a lot better looking than I am now... married 4 years, 2 little kids, big mortgage (20K) earning about 15K as a computer tech at Honeywell.
Life was good, but 20 some years later the computer business changed, I got laid off in 1996. We had no debts, wifey worked as a nurse, we got by OK until pensions kicked in. Things might have been better if I had a good job for 10 more years, but we're now in our late 60's, have our health... so all is well.
I remember back in the 1970's, getting my pension statements showing my retirement date as 2012... was hard to wrap my head around it back then.

Pete

 

[wotalota]

40 yrs ago, that would be during the great pig chase of 75.
View attachment 415515
I'm pretty sure, as I was pushing that pig along, I was envisioning myself 40 yrs down the road living 300 miles away from the farm. NOT

The scary part, is my dad, 30 yrs before this pic, was fighting in WW2. Wonder if he envisioned the great pic chase of 75?
View attachment 415516
still don't know what this picture is about, was it his helmet, or his target?

Got to be where he caught a bullet.

 

[SPIKER]

I was 8 so I was in grade school, shoveling sidewalks this time of year for sure. Buying Hot Wheels and Cartoons along the way with MAD and later CRACKED mags lol.

I also had not taken too much to thinking where I would be in 40 years but loved Wonder Woman and planned on making her my WOMAN

M

 

[Buppies]

40 years ago was 21 still in college and two months married. Still married to same girl one son about to turn 26. Figured would work in steel fabricating business until retirement but did not work out that way. Flood of 85 took all that away but still life is good just a different direction but still working for myself in construction. Figure I will work until health says no more.

Best change always had or been around boats but none now for nine years , passion now cars and tractors

 

[PILOON]

40 yrs ago I was married, 2 kids on my 2nd house and already owned 1 acre of waterfront property with no road access.
Got involved in the property owners association which led me to building our access road, later renovation and construction but that after owning an aviation business that evolved from my hobby of flying.
I almost have most of my dream retirement, the missing part is the float plane at my waterfront, but that's been replaced by other things.
(I do have moose, beaver and deer as daily visitors)
Close enough to Montreal that I drove down and back for a dinner engagement.
Health is still good and most important all immediate family is healthy and doing well.

To quote another TBN'r
I plan to live forever, and so far so good!
(mother passed at 98 and an uncle at 102 so I have about 25/30 to go)

 

[Big Barn]

To answer the question, absolutely not. Forty years ago I too was 23, having worked on the farm since I was ten. With the help of my parents I owned my own home and had no desire (or foresight) to look at the future.
Today at 63 I'm healthy, happy , have a thirteen year old daughter and can do pretty much as I please. Life is good....

Terry

 

[riptides]

Man some of you guys are old.

I never have made long term "plans", so the visionary thing never really materialized. I took the bounces and fortunes as they were presented, thrown at me, or as I was directed to do by those in authority positions at the time.