By Kenneth Stepp
My life has been a collection of stories I lived through. I suppose it’s that way for all of us. Can you remember the events that as they happened, you knew you’d always remember them? I will never forget them and a few I didn’t think were big deals until much later.
I recall as if it were yesterday, sparring with world heavyweight boxing champion, Greg Page. Famously known for knocking Mike Tyson on his butt while sparring with him. Greg and I were the same height and weight, came up in the same gym, and we’re friends until his death in 2009. For a split second as he missed me and I saw a chance to show him what I had, then 15 minutes later, waking up with my ears ringing, I realized my mistake. Unforgettable.
I can recall every second of my children’s births as if it were happening right now. The coldness when Sean was born, I wasn’t allowed in the room. When Kat was born and we almost lost her, Daniel was an easy birth. Sarah Beth and the complications with my wife, Samuel was a scary birth where we almost lost him. All, unforgettable.
I will never forget when I was elected as a state delegate. The elections were going full steam and the candidates lit my phone up. Having people whose names I had only heard through my TV set was exciting. I’ll never forget a congressman calling me and asking strategy questions for over an hour. I can see why people get addicted to politics.
When my marriage of 24 years died, it crushed me. Although it has been more than 6 ½ years, there are the days when the weight of it is still too much for me to bear. The loss and the, “what have we done” moments are real. It never seems to totally go away. It also seems unforgettable. Can’t go back, must move forward, is all one can do.
I will never forget the day my business closed. The death of another dream. My income had for almost 2 decades, flirted with 7 figures most years. I worked hard and many hours to build it. I had my business sold. The company buying it was doing their due diligence audit and informed me that I was $1.3 million short. Oh how life changed. It turned out many of my employees were on meth and had been stealing for 17 months. Another unforgettable memory.
Today I saw compassion. Will today be a forever memory? As always, time will tell the tale. Having a wonderful person suffering and in need and seeing another wonderful person meeting that need. It was heartwarming. I won’t go into details but I will say that both of these people mean a lot to me and make my life so much better.
I have thousands of stories tucked back in my memory. Some are amazing, some exciting, and a few, heartbreaking. A few of the stories came with lessons and tragedies. I’ve watched people I love come into this life, and I’ve watched people I love, leave this life. What’s incredible is that we are all a collage of beautifully painful stories. We are what we lived, we are what we have survived. So, what is your most unforgettable story?
