Greetings,
Since you’re on my sight I’m assuming you know that I’m Jon Laurie. I’m supposed to tell you about ‘me’ but, I don’t necessarily enjoy talking about myself. So, allow me to tell you about my life circumstances, instead of who I think I am and you can make an appropriate judgement as you go. I blame my sociology course for opened my mind to new possibilities, I immediately thought of the irrelevance of my ‘name’. Anyway, I grew up in Americas oldest seaport; Gloucester, Massachusetts. Being exposed to the ocean at a young age sparked a passion for being outdoors, out in the sun, and wading in the water.
My parents devoted a lot of time trying to highlight the importance of responsibility. Not having the funds for my siblings and I to get we want, they strongly encouraged us to get jobs if we wanted anything other than the essentials. Making money as a teenager was a long and tedious process. Although it wasn’t always fun making the money, it sure was fun spending it. I am incredibly grateful for my parents making me work at a young age, now as an adult (kind of) I appreciate the importance of hard work and can be confident in my abilities.
Approaching the end of high school meant my days of living debt-free were coming to a close. I feared if I got myself into debt by going into college blind (having no idea what I would do afterwords) that I would dig myself into a whole that wouldn’t be easy to get out of. Around that same time of confusion and anxiety, I made a friend who was going into the Marine Corps who encouraged me to attend one of their workouts. I was hooked. The ‘go getter’ mentality was definitely something I could relate to. I decided to join the U.S. Navy instead, after arguing with my father about what the future held.
Being away from home taught me many things about myself and the world we live in. I traveled to many different countries and got exposed to many (too many) uncomfortable experiences. To cope with some of the stress that was put on me I developed a strong connection to reading and writing. Reading allowed me to get to mental stages that I wouldn’t have been able to achieve without having guidance from the text. Writing allowed me to articulate my intricate thoughts onto paper. Both were forms of creativity, Which was something that the military is deprived of. Developing these skills over time was immensely enjoyable and I’m not sure I would be writing this article here today if I hadn’t adopted that habit.
Upon finishing my contract in the military I had a strong desire to travel, ‘the bug’ if you will. My pursuit of knowledge was only amplified with the amount of free time I had. While traveling, it was essential for me to have a notepad or a journal nearby to account for my experiences, to me it was way more useful than taking a photograph. Continuing to read and write is something that is essential in my college career, and everyone’s for that matter, but I’d love to reach a greater level of understanding and be able to translate my thoughts into words. It’s such a beautiful form of art and I think it deserves more attention.
Lastly, and most importantly, I failed to mention the influence that people have had on me throughout this lifetime. There are few things in life more important than making genuine human connections and I’m hoping this post elicits a response. Reading and writing will continue to amuse me and I look forward to meeting people with the same interests.
Be courageous,
Be courteous,
Push the limits.
Thanks for reading!
