The best days of your life & why?
Discussion
I guess we've all had a purple patch when the stars aligned & life was so much fun. (Or at least choose to remember it that way).
Mine was summer 1986
I'd just moved out of a slum into my shiny new house. Living with me in said house were two of my best mates..both beer monsters.
The World Cup finals were on, and we really had a proper crack at winning. One match was 7-9 pm, then off to the pub. Next match was 11 pm to 1 am along with a chinese/indian and a few cans.
Quiz machines had been in the pubs for a while & we had the drop on them. We usually won enough cash to pay for our beers & take away. (We even knew the "wrong" answers. If you played those machines you'll know what I mean)
Then...the hand of god & in a flash it was finished.....
......almost, my very first brand new car arrived, it was the fastest production car ever made. Ford Fiesta XR2 in diamond white with pepper pot wheels & a sun roof. Trust me, after a Viva HC it was like lightening (and started/stopped when required)
I've had 1000s of great times in the ensuing 31 years, but that was one summer!
When was your purple patch?
Mine was summer 1986
I'd just moved out of a slum into my shiny new house. Living with me in said house were two of my best mates..both beer monsters.
The World Cup finals were on, and we really had a proper crack at winning. One match was 7-9 pm, then off to the pub. Next match was 11 pm to 1 am along with a chinese/indian and a few cans.
Quiz machines had been in the pubs for a while & we had the drop on them. We usually won enough cash to pay for our beers & take away. (We even knew the "wrong" answers. If you played those machines you'll know what I mean)
Then...the hand of god & in a flash it was finished.....
......almost, my very first brand new car arrived, it was the fastest production car ever made. Ford Fiesta XR2 in diamond white with pepper pot wheels & a sun roof. Trust me, after a Viva HC it was like lightening (and started/stopped when required)
I've had 1000s of great times in the ensuing 31 years, but that was one summer!
When was your purple patch?
March 29th 2015 to date. That day I met my wife. I was 49, single, had been for years, was living a pretty sad life in a shared house with a rubbish job and debts and no real light at the end of the tunnel.
Fast forward to today and we're about to complete on a house, there's a new car sitting on the drive, I have two motorcycles and no debt (I'm still not loving my job, but I get paid better!) I'm the happiest I've ever been. If Messrs Trump and Kim could just stop messing about and those IS nutters could see the light life would be the sweetest...oh, and there's a HUGE Euromillions jackpot on Friday...it could be me!
Fast forward to today and we're about to complete on a house, there's a new car sitting on the drive, I have two motorcycles and no debt (I'm still not loving my job, but I get paid better!) I'm the happiest I've ever been. If Messrs Trump and Kim could just stop messing about and those IS nutters could see the light life would be the sweetest...oh, and there's a HUGE Euromillions jackpot on Friday...it could be me!
13 Feb 2005 - day before Valentine’s Day and when I told the exwife it was over
14 Feb 2005 - Valentines Day, when I went out for drinks with the future Mrs Alorotom and it’s all been great from then on.
Change in career, life goals, have gone from being broke and keeping the wolves from the door to having a property portfolio to selling up and being financially comfortable.
In terms of best times when I was single - that would be June 1998 through to September 2001 - really mad times of endless partying, clubbing and spending months on end in Ibiza
14 Feb 2005 - Valentines Day, when I went out for drinks with the future Mrs Alorotom and it’s all been great from then on.
Change in career, life goals, have gone from being broke and keeping the wolves from the door to having a property portfolio to selling up and being financially comfortable.
In terms of best times when I was single - that would be June 1998 through to September 2001 - really mad times of endless partying, clubbing and spending months on end in Ibiza
Apart from the birth of my children the best days ever were those spent as water ski instructor at a kids camp in upstate New York (summers of 1981 and 1982). Amazing times. Lots of sun and long summer days doing what I loved most, with not a care in the world. I always took the first ski of the day when the water was like a mill pond. Evenings were spent sat around a log fire or hanging out with other youngsters drinking beer at the lakeside inn. WHat's not to like. Other great times were the weeks skiing with my father in the mountains of Austria (step mother didn't ski! Yay!).
The day i left my ex wife 
Long story short, i had just finished renovating the house, we went on holiday & left her daft daughter, landed back in the UK after holiday.
Checked my phone that was left in the glovebox of the car & my neighbour had called numerous times. The little witch had over 100 people in my newly renovated house. Got home, house wrecked.
She defended the daughter ..... packed my stuff. Loaded in my cinema gear, clothes & some other bits & bots to my car & truck. Left ..
Havent looked back.
The wierd thing is on holiday my ex wife mentioned when drunk that if we ever split up, she wanted custody of the dogs (two boxers) She ended up with lock stock & barrel the evil trout.
Long story short, i had just finished renovating the house, we went on holiday & left her daft daughter, landed back in the UK after holiday.
Checked my phone that was left in the glovebox of the car & my neighbour had called numerous times. The little witch had over 100 people in my newly renovated house. Got home, house wrecked.
She defended the daughter ..... packed my stuff. Loaded in my cinema gear, clothes & some other bits & bots to my car & truck. Left ..
Havent looked back.
The wierd thing is on holiday my ex wife mentioned when drunk that if we ever split up, she wanted custody of the dogs (two boxers) She ended up with lock stock & barrel the evil trout.
University (2007-2012) was brilliant from start to finish. As well as the whole moving out, loads of free time, endless social options, lots of getting laid etc it coincided precisely with coming into a little bit of money from being about as poor as it's possible to be in Britain (single parent on benefits). Life was good.
Also this summer has been pretty good. I got a big pay rise so finally got my own flat by the seaside, I've bought a couple of sailing dinghies and sail them every week, I'm making really make good progress with lifting and climbing, generally life is going quite well.
Also this summer has been pretty good. I got a big pay rise so finally got my own flat by the seaside, I've bought a couple of sailing dinghies and sail them every week, I'm making really make good progress with lifting and climbing, generally life is going quite well.
The mongol Rally, July to September 2009. By far the best experience of my life. Granted, having the s
ts for a month on end and ending up in a Tajik clinic being prescribed (what turned out to be) deworming tablets for horses didn't seem like as much fun at the time. But looking back, I had the constant feeling that nothing was impossible, and that any issues could and would be solved by whoever happened to be passing and fancied helping out; just as we, in turn, were able to help others.
In short, I don't think that, before or since, I've laughed so much in such a concentrated space of time.
Edit - the swear filter somehow de-capitalises the word mongol. How strange.
ts for a month on end and ending up in a Tajik clinic being prescribed (what turned out to be) deworming tablets for horses didn't seem like as much fun at the time. But looking back, I had the constant feeling that nothing was impossible, and that any issues could and would be solved by whoever happened to be passing and fancied helping out; just as we, in turn, were able to help others.In short, I don't think that, before or since, I've laughed so much in such a concentrated space of time.
Edit - the swear filter somehow de-capitalises the word mongol. How strange.
1991-1993-ish. Finished sixth form, got a proper job which paid for nights out. The rave scene, cracking girlfriend, great mates, no real responsibilites. As mentioned above, a strong feeling of invincibility and anything is possible.
1994-1997 was completely different. A friend died in his sleep at just 21, no girlfriend, change of jobs, starting to grow up I guess, less time with mates, dance music was pants (Insommnia and Born Slippy remind me of this period and I still can't listen to them without feeling miserable).
Today things are great; beautiful young daughter, married, mortgage free, run a small business which I love, and music is now great and so much more accessible. There are adventures to be had... however in terms of the stars aligning, it was defo the early 90s.
1994-1997 was completely different. A friend died in his sleep at just 21, no girlfriend, change of jobs, starting to grow up I guess, less time with mates, dance music was pants (Insommnia and Born Slippy remind me of this period and I still can't listen to them without feeling miserable).
Today things are great; beautiful young daughter, married, mortgage free, run a small business which I love, and music is now great and so much more accessible. There are adventures to be had... however in terms of the stars aligning, it was defo the early 90s.
This is going to sound a bit “woe is me” but that’s totally neither the case, nor the intention.
However, to answer the question - it hasn’t happened for me yet.
There’s always been something in my life that I haven’t been happy about, or some underlying stress that has permeated everything else. I honesty can’t come up with a decent period of time in my life where I have had zero worries or stresses.
Don’t get me wrong, life has never been bad for me as such, certainly in the scheme of things. Rather, I simply haven’t experienced the stars aligning, as the PH’er above me puts it.
edit:
Perhaps a more appropriate question would be - "Have you experienced true happiness?"
By which I mean, have you experienced a time where you literally had zero stresses, cares or worries?
I mean, even as a kid, in those halcyon days of building dams & dens, I can still remember fretting about stuff.
However, to answer the question - it hasn’t happened for me yet.
There’s always been something in my life that I haven’t been happy about, or some underlying stress that has permeated everything else. I honesty can’t come up with a decent period of time in my life where I have had zero worries or stresses.
Don’t get me wrong, life has never been bad for me as such, certainly in the scheme of things. Rather, I simply haven’t experienced the stars aligning, as the PH’er above me puts it.
edit:
Perhaps a more appropriate question would be - "Have you experienced true happiness?"
By which I mean, have you experienced a time where you literally had zero stresses, cares or worries?
I mean, even as a kid, in those halcyon days of building dams & dens, I can still remember fretting about stuff.
Edited by TheJimi on Thursday 5th October 11:56
Edited by TheJimi on Thursday 5th October 13:54
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