I’m 30 days into my “40 Things I Learned As I Turn 40” series on Twitter (X), Medium, and Substack.
I’ve been branching out with different stories, tidbits, and articles, across multiple social media platforms.
The goal has been to express and push my writing mind as I turn 40. Reflect on what I have done, where I am now, and where I plan on going for the next 40 years.
Today, I’m covering ages twenty through thirty. 2004 to 2014. My third decade of life.
One year after graduating high school, it was time to get a job and attend college. I enrolled in Milwaukee Area Technical College, attempting an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. I thought I’d join SWAT.
I also got a job as a Pizza Hut delivery driver, earning $6.20 per hour plus tips. I pulled in about $75-100 per shift in tips alone.
By 2005 I managed to save enough money and move out independently, due to getting a second job delivering the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper every night (or morning) at 3:00 AM.
I could do this because I was young enough and stayed up all night regardless.
My summer of 2005 went like this: Work 8 hours at Pizza Hut during the day, then chilled with Matthew, Dan, or Josh, until it was time to deliver newspapers. Sleep came after my paper route, which typically lasted an hour. I made good money for a soon-to-be 21-year-old.
I didn’t get much sleep, but I didn’t party back then, either. While in high school, I never tried a cigarette, a drug, or a drink of alcohol.
During my second year at MATC, I fell for a girl who looked good but was ultimately bad. She was involved in things I wanted no part in, but fell to the dark side in time.
By early 2006 I lost everything. Money, my apartment, all of my movies and video games (hundreds and hundreds), my jobs, and the worst: trust and respect. I also dropped out of college. Twice.
Ultimately, my friend Matthew saved my life by teaching me the game of poker. It consumed me. It also kept me clean.
I was a winning player in 2007. Matthew and I both traveled around Wisconsin, playing in live poker tournaments. Live was fun. Online play is where we excelled, taking in $100 a day or so playing online.
From 2008 to 2010, that’s all I did. I rebuilt my life through the game of poker. It’s all I cared about, pulling in a few hundred dollars a day.
By late 2010, I succumbed to the pressures of a woman (again) and gave up poker. It was her or the poker felt. I found a job as a metals finisher and welder. Within a month of taking this new job, I found out she cheated on me.
In 2012 I went back to college. The third time was the charm. I would attend class during the day and work second shift at night.
In September 2014 I turned thirty years old. Come December 2014, I left my metals finishing job.
I owned a condo. I had my dream car (Cadillac CTS). I was debt-free. A long way from the guy in 2006 who had given up. I did what I was supposed to do. It was now time to give funeral service a try…
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Life, Death, and Everything in Between. 