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PERSONAL FILES
I Didn’t Really Know What I Wanted
And I don’t know if I ever have
I never wanted to have children. I thought that having children meant goodbye to your independence. But now I have two children and that hasn’t been the case, in my experience. Of course, it goes without saying that my kids are an enormous blessing in my life.
When I was younger, I never wanted to play golf either. But then through a sudden interest years later, I started playing golf somewhat regularly. And eventually, it became my favorite sport to play as an adult.
I also never wanted to live in New York City. Not that one thinks of doing that, but given the choice, I would have said no. However, when my wife and I were living in Germany, she was offered an exciting job opportunity in Manhattan, so I had to say yes. We then moved to New York, lived there for three years, and it was a great adventure.
I never wanted to learn another language. I hated learning Spanish in high school and college. But after I moved to Germany, learning the native language, at least the basics, I considered to be a must. So I learned German — well, sort of — and now use it sparingly these days.
I never wanted to eat spinach when I was a kid. I loathed that stinky green stuff. Today though, I can say…