Not many of you know this, but my hero in life is Howard Hughes. "The Aviator" starring Leonardo DiCaprio caught my interest long ago and it has taken me years to confess. I saw in Howard many of the qualities I have. Ambition, Focus, and a love for women. I'm also a germ-a-phobe. Not to the same degree as Howard got, but I can't stand drinking after people or germs. Anyways, I swung by the library today and picked up his Biography by Richard Hack. I started the book this evening and I can't put it down. I'm on chapter 3 and the chapter starts out describing the exact same feelings I get when I'm in elite neighborhoods. The chapter is entitled Freedom and it begins like this:Some moments are etched in memory forever, translucent yet indelible. For Howard Hughes, such a moment occurred on the fourth of January, 1925. He alone as usual-not bored, just existing-without a job or necessary purpose in life. It was early afternoon. He was walking along the edge of Rice Institute and found himself passing the section of Houston known as Shadyside. Ahead was the home of Joseph Cullinan, a magnanimous oil man and friend of his father's, who had built an estate on Remington lane and its surrounding thirty-seven acres. He called his house Shadyside, which had then given its name to the entire development of large, stately homes being built on his subdivided land. Most were incomplete and empty. Dried leaves lay matted and unswept in the gutter, the branches of the great oaks naked against the harsh winter breeze.
Howard stopped and allowed his eyes to roam across the houses, each representing an outward display of amassed wealth and successful careers. It was then, at that moment, he realized that any one of these homes could be his. At nineteen years of age, he had entered that rarified niche of humanity known as endless fortune. With no hall monitor or crossing guard to guide his way or correct his behavior, he was the foremost explorer of either unlimited opportunity or unbridled excess-take your pick. As he stared out at the mansions rising before him, he knew the choice was his to make. It was the ultimate scary thought-that most coveted of dreams that those without money long to possess, yet when faced with actual delivery would be no more prepared to leap into quagmire of excess privilege than he was. This would take some concentration, he knew, and he immediately began to consider his options.
Although, I wasn't born into money, I feel these same decision making scenarios starring at me daily as I make purchasing decisions. I long await the day of my personal "Freedom" when I can roam carelessly and student debt free to consider my options. May God bless me in my endeavor! And may God bless me with a woman who understands my passions and desires!
