Interview

Q1: As a young man, did you have dreams and ambitions that are still as yet unfulfilled? What if anything will you to about this?

A. This is always a fascinating question and one which makes me look inside myself for some answers. I feel I have probably resolved them one way or another during the course of my life's journey these past 54 years, and yet, there is always the chance to confront the question anew, as now.

I am really not sure I had "dreams and ambitions" as such. I seemed to always follow the path of my heart's desires. Being a reflective, private person I think I subconsciously sought out work and professions that let me be more social, expansive, and outgoing, all of which I am very much capable of. I sought and took jobs which allowed me plenty of opportunities to interact with and get to know other people.

All through school I did well in writing and English, so it was natural that I would pursue some sort of writing career after receiviing my B.A. in English. Thus, I went into journalism, specifically, community journalism. By this I refer to small town or city weeklies or twice weekly newspapers. I found myself interviewing, photographing and writing about so many interesting and genuinely good and nice people that I really seemed to come alive. I thrived at this. I was young and idealistic. It was perfect for me at the time. I worked long hours and relished what I was doing. And, I was proud of my bylined stories, columns and published photographs. It gave me a great sense of satisfaction. It staved off the loneliness I so often felt. I became outgoing. I was another person from my private self while "on the job."

Similarly, when I went into teaching, I was able for the first time to delve into poetry, essays, short fiction and novels -- in-depth -- because I was learning as much as I was teaching or bringing out in my students. They infused me with life and energy. Again, I felt truly alive to the possibilities of life, apart from my rather insular, private life.

When I was in graduate school, I began to retreat back into the reclusive person I tend to be, doing most things by myself and pondering the mysteries of life in many inner dialogs and, at times, severely moody and depressed periods of self reflection.

So, in answer to the question, I think I fulfilled in the best way I knew how at the time, the desires of my heart, but they were "dreams and ambitions" that were not so much formulated and acted upon as they were actions and responses to life as I confronted it daily. I never really had short-term or even long-term dreams. I dealt with the situations in life where I was led or where I myself consciously desired to go and then tried to do my best, conscientiously, for myself and others.

Q2: Your love of beauty and general philosophy/belief system shows a very sensitive man. At what point and what triggered this 'enlightment'?

I can always recall being a "sensitive" child and adolescent, introspective, capable of worrying about the world's problems at a very early age. I was always an excellent and fastidious student, I enjoyed learning and poring over books, magazines and encyclopedias. My mother used to be startled and amazed at what I worried about when I was younger. I am not so sure this was healthy, but that was who I was.

There was nothing specifically which which triggered this. I have always been "apart" from others enough to sense that I was different, or at least to my mind I felt this way. Never having had a truly "close" friend when I was in grade school and high school, I depended on myself. I lived within my own worlds. I related to, and could talk much more comfortably with, adults than with my peers. I loved reading. I had an innate love of Nature and this is probably the influence from childhood that has persisted longer than anything else. I didn't live in the country and have pretty scenery and creeks and woods to explore as a child, but I always imagined what this would have been like.

Q3: If you could influence a major change in the world, what and how would you?

I think I would get more actively involved in environmental work here in the Charleston area, do more than I am doing now. I believe that major changes in the world start locally.

Q4: As a child, were you a dreamer/philospher or were you a 'typically' active kid, and in what way?

I was an odd mixture of both. I loved being outdoors as much as possible in the years prior to my adolescence and engaged in all kinds of imaginative games and the creation of places which further fed my imagination. This, thankfully, was in the pre-Internet and computer games age. The dark, cool world within the giant legustrum bushes of my early childhood apartment, for example, where we kids found refuge on hot summer afternoons, is one example. I have written about some of these experiences before.

Q5: Where do you see yourself in the future, say - 10 years from now?

I see myself doing my present job and nearing retirement and being totally and ecstatically ready for it, but other than that I have no idea. I have never been good at projecting myself into the future. For instance, I would never have guessed I would be doing my present job, and yet it is probably the most logical and perfectly suitable work based on my past experiences and my abilies that I could ever imagine doing. Yet it came to me unplanned and unexpectedly. Life is like that. I am not a big believer in planning.