William Brent Batson
R. Kaiser
ENG-122-X2966 English Composition 1 14EW2
11-18-2014
Unaware
A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” (Brinkley, n.d.). Most seven-year-old boys play with little yellow Tonka toys, at the same time; I romped in a four-block sand box with life-size dump trucks, cranes, and excavators. I am the youngest of four children, thirteen years younger than my next sibling. By the time I was seven my parent’s marriage had reached a point where they decided to get a divorce. I can remember it was winter, cold and gloomy, when my mother came into my room to tell me that I would have to go live with her parents, my grandfather and grandmother Kotara; consequently, I immediately felt warm, energetic and excited when she told me this. Most children I think would have been upset; however, I was being sent to stay with my grandfather, who was my idol and best friend. I was 7 years old when I arrived at my grandfathers, just as eager to see me as I was him, who was a Polish immigrant, which liked Coca Cola, Hersey chocolate bars, pink snowballs, and loved to fish. Pampa, Texas consisted of grasslands, canyons, wheat fields, and ranches, as well as, the constant smell of fresh grass and extreme heat and cold the ever-changing climate. I can close my eyes, and to this day and that smell allows me to envision the vast grassland and canyons that seemed to go on forever. By the time I was born, he had built a heavy equipment business and a small drilling company, this is the stage that was set, which changed and developed my future. Even though I initially do not realize that my best mentor was at home, my grandfather let me play with all the equipment in his yard from the age of seven to nineteen; consequently, training me how to use and repair the equipment, in turn, developing the skills in me, which allowed my advancement in the job market to be years ahead...