This year I turned fifty, which I expect is about the half-way point for me. I have had my share of pain and struggles and failures and disappointments. But on balance, I have had a rich and rewarding life, with great friends and a loving family. And hopefully I have given something back along the way.
As I wrote recently, some of what I have achieved has been under my own steam. I have worked reasonably hard (though not as hard as many people); I have a decent brain (though it's not the biggest around); and I am a fairly nice and thoughtful person a lot of the time (those who have seen my temper will snicker, rightfully, at this).
But I have also been lucky. And in particular I have had many wonderful family members, mentors, colleagues, and friends along the way, and I have gotten at least one big lucky break for every several bad breaks. For all of these, I am grateful, since they are in large part responsible for whom I am, and for the rich life I have lived.
So I want to devote a few posts - one hundred of them - to recognizing some people and things that have made a big difference in my life. This is an experiment that may fizzle out fast. Or it may go on beyond one hundred, who knows. (In any case, I am sure that I will miss many people and things that have made a difference, and for that let me apologize in advance.) There will be no rhyme or reason to the order in which the posts come.
