What do you live for? Fight for?

[USCG Cigar Newb]

Hey guys. So I, as many of you guys do, love this place for so many more reasons than cigars. It truly is a place for brothers to come together and talk about anything, always knowing that there are others out there going through what you are to help you...or to share in joys in life.

So my question is: What are you most proud of....most thankful for? What keeps you moving from day to day. What do you fight for?

For me hands down it is my wife, family, my country and most importantly my walk with Christ. There are so many things in this world that I cant grasp or understand, things that are broken, but I have to remember that for me I am called to put God and my family first and to pursue those things and stand for them. So what is it for you guys that you fight for in life?

There is no right answer, and this is not to judge anyone. It is just a chance to go beyond the surface and say what you believe in and pursue. So go ahead, you all should know that this place is not a place to come and judge, but rather a place to share and enjoy. Hope some people reply to this, I think it could be good to further

 

[Fourtotheflush]

My kids!

 

[avantgrade]

My wife, my family, and my future family additions ;-)

 

[orangedog]

My kids!

My wife, my family, and my future family additions ;-)

Funny... I think this all the time but I don't know if I've ever said it out loud or in writing, but family, and providing them with a life that the "odds" said they wouldn't have.

 

[The EVP]

My wife and the fact that I'm too stubborn to belly-up for the bastards that think they can hold me down or impede me achieving my goals. I try to walk with Christ as well but I also stumble along the way.....a lot. I try to learn something new each day and go to sleep at night feeling that somehow something I did made a difference. I also try not to go to sleep wondering, "What if....?" Actually, that's something that when I'm on my death bed and look back at my life, I don't want to wonder about..."What if...?" Finally, I try to treat people with the same respect I expect them to treat me with until such a time that they prove to me that I need not respect them anymore.

 

[USCG Cigar Newb]

My wife and the fact that I'm too stubborn to belly-up for the bastards that think they can hold me down or impede me achieving my goals. I try to walk with Christ as well but I also stumble along the way.....a lot. I try to learn something new each day and go to sleep at night feeling that somehow something I did made a difference. I also try not to go to sleep wondering, "What if....?" Actually, that's something that when I'm on my death bed and look back at my life, I don't want to wonder about..."What if...?" Finally, I try to treat people with the same respect I expect them to treat me with until such a time that they prove to me that I need not respect them anymore.

Awesome love it. Hit the nail on the head. Thats what it is all about though. It is not having passion for something that is necessarily easy or natural, but something that you have to work for, knowing that along the way you will stumble and fail but that each day you will pursue and fight for it. To everyone saying kids, someday I hope to add this to my list.

 

[Gravity]

My family, I would be a big nothing without my wife. The little one she is pregnant with is part of that, I've obviously never met my little one, but I would turn into a wild animal to protect both of them.

 

[SDShark]

My family. Learning to fight for myself.

 

[bballbaby]

Besides God, wife and my family, what I work, strive and set my sights on every single day is trying to get to that point in my life where I'm no longer dependent upon anyone in this world. I want to be in the position mentally, financially and with my relationship with my wife where we can both at any time look at each other and say, "Hey, let's pack up our stuff, or sell it, or give it away and let's go "here" and see what happens. Over the last 6 years or so my wife and I have been on some real roller coaster rides. New jobs, losing jobs, starting businesses, leaving businesses, going to afghanistan, being apart...it's like we never know what's around the next corner or what the next chapter is going to be. But what's more, is that each of those chapters over the last 6 years, has been started as a reaction to an event. I want to stop reacting to life and start being proactive with it. i want my wife and I to be the ones deciding that we're going to start a new adventure, not starting a new advneture because the last one ended on someone else's terms besides ours.

I want to be in control of our lives. Please note that I am a very God believing person and I too have been saved through faith in Christ, so that statement contradicts that theology, and that's not exactly how I mean it.

But regardless, to be able to decide that me and my wife an daughter are going to pick up and move to "X" city and do "X" for money becasue we want to and not because we "have" to, that's the thing I fight for.

Step one in that process is being 100% debt free, which I'm 2 months away from being. once we're debt free there will nothing keeping us tied down to any area of the world. While we love the finer things in life like cigars, art, wine, food and clothing, leather goods and so on, we can be simple people should we choose to be, meaning I can survive on cheap local wines and local food. (that was a funny). Seriously though, we've both come to the conclusion that we ahve to much "stuff". We don't need all the "stuff". We need food, we need a little wine and a few cigars and some clothes. Everything else is just "stuff".

Our current goal is to buy a sailboat and get her fixed up and sea worthy. Once my duaghter graduates in 6 years we'll hit the open seas headed for the carribean where we can live like kings on less than $1500 a month and sail the southern hemisphere.

That's what my wife and I talk about all the time. THat's what we live for. To wake up each morning and not know exactly what we're going to do or where we're going to go. and to not be afraid of that. to not be afraid of not knowing exactly how it's going to turn out, and knowing that if it doesn't turn out exactly how we had hoped, that it will still be OK. OK because we're together. OK because we've been through worse. OK because there's always tomorrow.

 

[Mickeymorris626]

For me, the obvious ones hold true, God and family. But my other passion is for firearms. Seems like a stupid or cheesy thing to list as a thing to live for, but firearms offer more than just an expensive loud toy. It's a conduit to better yourself. There's always a way to strengthen your skills when it comes to guns. Perfection is impossible to achieve, but a very rewarding thing to try for. Turning written knowledge into muscle memory takes time and dedication. And let's face it, they are just plain fun!

 

[ciggy]

For me hands down it is my wife, family, my country and most importantly my walk with Christ. There are so many things in this world that I cant grasp or understand, things that are broken, but I have to remember that for me I am called to put God and my family first and to pursue those things and stand for them.

Could not have said it better than this. Although far from perfect I try everyday to be a better christian and I must also add I am a true Libertarian and fight for these beliefs.

 

[Hoshneer]

My wife and my family/friends, my friends are pretty much like family and I would do anything for them. Those really are it. God and country are more complicated. I would fight for God if I really knew for sure what God wanted and I would fight for my country in a heartbeat if it was justified in my own head.

 

[vivalanation734]

Wife and Jesus.

 

[Mickeymorris626]

My wife and my family/friends, my friends are pretty much like family and I would do anything for them. Those really are it. God and country are more complicated. I would fight for God if I really knew for sure what God wanted and I would fight for my country in a heartbeat if it was justified in my own head.

Well said!

 

[Alwayslit]

My wife and my family/friends, my friends are pretty much like family and I would do anything for them. Those really are it. God and country are more complicated. I would fight for God if I really knew for sure what God wanted and I would fight for my country in a heartbeat if it was justified in my own head.

..........:thumbsup:

 

[Treinenwj]

I would like to say I fight for God, my wife, & my kids. But honestly, most days I lose that battle & end up thinking the only reason I keep fighting is because I'm too stupid and stubborn to know when I'm beat.

 

[smelvis]

I am most proud of my troop involvement I through my home board sent about 17,000 cigars and an equal amount of goodies to the desert the last three years, I finally got to sick to package the boxes and had to hand it off to four great BOTL to continue, I am now disabled and can't do much of anything which sucks because I was always the guy who could get anything done. I have 26 challenge coins and 8 Flags flown over bases and on helicopters two of which were flown on 9-11 all with certificates. I got a couple special tours by a COL at West Point and one at Norfolk that normal civilians don't get and that was special as are the flags and coins and other mementos sent to me from the desert. I am very proud to have been able to do that and sad that I can't do it now. I just wish I could do more!

The above was done throughout my life though not always military I liked to help the elderly so I could go on but won't, I just didn't want you all to think I only did good things for a few years it's just recent so fresh in my mind. I did have some bad years as we all have when I did bad things.

I am a Christian but am arguing with God now so That will remain private.

I hope to get a Motor Home and travel across America and stop by as many Bases as possible to smoke with all the troops and VFW Vets as I can and also as many BOTL as possible I will have a B & M size collection (almost) for this. Just me and my dog Elvis. I hope to find some kind of Charity I can participate in that doesn't require physical work since I am pretty limited.

I am a good man and would and have given the shirt off my back to many people though the snobs that get a kick out of taking stabs at me on this board pretty much make me want to quit this place as I am tired of them.

So that's about it I am most proudest when helping people I just wish I had known I would run out of healthy body before I ran out of healthy mind so I could have saved more money. I have enough cigars to last what is left of my life that was planned so I guess I can be proud of that. I tithed yearly even when not going to Church in person I made sure I gave 10-30% of my income many years I am proud of that though now that I am disabled I am guilty of wishing I had kept more for myself. I learned people take freely but help rarely and not trying to be sarcastic but most that claim to be givers other than a fiver of cigars pretty much don't. I am still brutally honest which is something not to be really proud of LOL.

I did the best I could for a kid who started working at 16 and made it last until 52 Doc say's I worked to hard and that is why my body is breaking down piece by piece.

That's what I am proud of I hope I answered it the way you wanted it answered, sorry I can't help the sarcastic remarks it wouldn't be the truth without them. I do ask if you don't like me or what I posted to keep it to yourself I didn't see that we would be graded by posting what we are proud of and I don't want to argue.

Dave

 

[Cigary43]

So glad to see so many on this thread that will speak their hearts about their true belief when so many will hide their "light" so that it doesn't create problems in their walk with God. I put God first in all things and because of that it sets the right standard for me to look towards. Jeremiah 10:23 pretty much says it all when looking for the roadmap in life. As with what others have said it's not always an easy road to walk and there are many times I stumble but the safety net that was put in place for our sake is one of the most humbling things I can think of. Not trying to make this thread a sermon there are things that we do in life that bring honor and character to our lives...that is what this life is all about.

 

[pnoguy]

Hmmm......what will I fight for?

My country............to the end.
My family..............to the end.
Your freedom and mine........to the end.

For me, there aren't too many other things I'm willing to fight about. I won't fight about or for religion or God, other than where it is necessary to protect your right and mine to practice or not practice the way we see fit, so far as can be done without anyone impinging upon the rights of others. The big bossman and I had a pretty major falling out a few years back, and we're still not back on what I would call friendly terms, and may never be.

What do I live for?

Aside from the love and well being of my family and friends, I live for peace. Worldwide, wholesale, everybody-trying-to-do-their-best-for-the-good-of-everyone-else peace. I know it will never happen in my lifetime, but I can actually envision the time that the whole planet realizes that all you have to do is be honest with everyone, and truly care about everyone, and that the only requirement is that everybody honestly cooperates for the common good of all. Unfortuately, we humans, as a race, have not figured out how to get beyond selfishness, and there is an awful lot of painful learning to be done between here and there. So, what do I live for? The un-hopeable hope of true peace. Oh yeah, and I also live for those few golden moments that I get to play music with a group of other musicians that are so in tune with the moment that everything else disappears. That my friends , is Nirvana, if a bit selfish.

 

[derwood]

Alot of things that have already been said I'd put in my list of things I'd fight for: family, my daughter, friends. Pnoguy really hit the nail on the head with everyone doing their best for everyone else. I'm a huge believer in not judging folks for what they do or how they live. As long as it doesn't infringe on my family, friends, and others ability to do the same, or hurt anyone, then great. Do I fall short?? ..all the time. I'd guess daily.

So, the thing that drags my butt outta bed in the morning is hoping to do some good for someone else. I'm not talking save the world huge, just something to help someone else out, make em smile. Doesn't matter, big or small...it's gotta be one of the best feelings ever to make someone's day. Do a little something that made things easier for them or helped them out. Actually the reason I joined BOTL after a while...seeing all the bombs and good things people were doing. Can't wait to build my cigar stash so I can do the same.