What experiences have made you who you are today?

For me, I don’t think there has really been one major one; it’s been a collection of smaller ones. Yes, meeting the girl I eventually married was a life-changer, but so were some of the things that happened to me in the Navy, being unemployed for over a year, getting my knee bent backwards by 1500 pounds of sheetrock, and quite a few other things that most people might consider “major” but that happen to me frequently enough that I consider them just another day in my life.

When I was 10 or so, someone stole something from a friend of mine. Her father called me up, and accused me of stealing it. I told him I didn’t.
He told me if I didn’t admit to it, I could never play with my friend again. I still told him I didn’t do it. He said it again, and I admitted to stealing something I didn’t.
He then said because I admitted to it, I couldn’t play with her anymore.
It taught me the lesson of never admitting to something I didn’t do as part of a deal.
That lesson served me well.

Okay, one more.
I was about 10 or 12 when I went to my dad’s shop, and worked for a day.
One of the things he asked me to do was to sweep up the shreaded rubber all over the floor.
I did exactly what everyone else there did, and got most of it.
My dad told me never to do what was good enough for everyone else, and to do the work until I am happy with the results. Another lesson that served me well.

Getting shot at. Changes everything.

@josie You’re right on that one. Whenever I was shot at, it changes your entire perspective on life and makes you appreciate every second you have left in your life.

“Completely?” Well, getting up out of bed every morning changes it completely from how it would be if I didn’t get up, so I’m going to say “everything” changes my life completely. Each new breath changes it, in fact, from how it would be… if I didn’t take that breath.

My mother killed my father when I was ten and we went to Mexico for about six months until she decided to turn herself in. That was surprisingly less hectic then watching my drunk father beating the shit out of everyone when he got home after work.

Okay, I’m going to flag my previous answer as completely irrelevant and meaningless now.

Not that it had a lot of either to begin with.

All of them.

A big one for me was my tenth grade history class building a reproduction of a 17th century Nipmuc village, and learning about village life. I went on to study anthropology in college, learn numerous primitive and wilderness living skills, and now teach them at a wilderness school. Taught me a lot about the utility of traditional skills.

The first time a woman told me she loved me. The first time I was ever shot at. The first time I jumped out of an airplane in flight. The first time I gave a speech that generated lots of applause. And the first time I realized that God loves me, and that I have as much right to be here as the stars and galaxies. : )

All of them, of course.
The most significant event that shaped my personality was spending my childhood taking care of my sisters (including one that was severely disabled), and then ultimately having my sister die in my arms. By far that string of events made me much of what I am today.

@josie I’ve been shot at twice. Hasn’t changed anything.

Having a wonderful childhood, the death of my father at 17, becoming severely over weight as a result of not know how to cope with the loss of my father, having gastric bypass surgery and loosing 175lbs, having a man I truly loved die of cancer, having 2 wonderful children brought into my life through foster care and then adoption, having 1 of the children have alot of medical illnesses, more than I knew possible for 1 child to be able to have. Not know if this child will ever live to adulthood. Leaving a job I loved with a company that I was with for almost 10 years to take care of the child. Finding a new career path to persue in order to be there for the kids plus be able to work. I guess thats the highlights of my ups and downs

I have to say every single one! Whether exciting or not.

The whole bally lot of them. A rich & varied tapestry leads me to where/who I am now.

Being sexually molested until I was 13 years old, by my mother’s brother. Realizing, years later, that my mother carried more blame (for letting it happen) than my abuser (who was mentally ill). Dealing with all of that has had a profound impact on who I am today.