<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3lojf9_0wC12PDz00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3lojf9_0wC12PDz00" width="300" height="300" ></figure>I am 40 years old, times two. I have lived a life that some people might think is charmed, while others closer to me understand how and why my life has been anything but smooth and easy. Much of what I have touched turned out to be OK, even though it was always more difficult and expensive than what I had imagined. My childhood was difficult, unhappy, lonely, often frightening and for the most part had to be self-nurturing. Many nights I went to bed in tears afraid to fall asleep. My adolescent and college years were not much better. I always had Christmas presents and on my birthdays, my grandmother made a peanut cake for me, but I was not permitted to have a birthday party, nor to my recollection, did I ever have a playdate at my house. Until I was 24 years old I lived at the corner of Black Avenue and Washington Street in Chambersburg. I do not know why the alley was called Black Avenue, perhaps there was a Mr. or Mrs. Black for whom it was named. I do know that black families lived predominantly to the west and whites predominantly to the east. There were precious few exceptions. The areas of town in which black families lived were dictated by the norms of the community. I also grew up with attitudinal segregation. Yes, right here in Chambersburg. Non white people sat on the balcony at the movie theater, had their own bathrooms, could not eat at lunch counters, and were treated with less respect than dirt. Sometimes crosses were burned on lawns of Jewish people – including that of my biological father. Mixed racial and mixed religion couples were like poison and to be avoided. Gay, lesbian and others who did not fit the mold of what was considered normalcy could find no safe harbor. It seemed so natural. White men ran my small world while everyone else was subservient, second class or just not considered to be a wholesome human being. I am ashamed to admit that I did not take time to consider the plights of others. My years of struggle were my own, and I did not consider how others had their own struggles as well. I still wonder whether non-whites were allowed to buy popcorn at the movie theater. My early business career was shrouded by my parentage. And the remainder of my near sixty year career has had its challenges and plethora of cathartic moments. To balance the scale for much of my career I have had to work hard and long and more hours in any given week than anyone would believe. Many nights I fell asleep in my office chair. I still work more hours each week than I should, just like my parents did. My biological father worked until he was 88 years old and my mother until she was 92. Chasing success as an entrepreneur has had its cost in terms of stress on my family, on my now grown and middle-aged children and, it would seem, on my own health. The greatest joys in my life have been my sons and daughters, my wife who is everything I have ever wanted, my close business associates, a handful of good friends and my dog, Copper. I love my five grown children, plus a foster daughter, and a number of others who I have had the privilege of helping along the way. I have five grandchildren, more on the way, plus others who I have chosen (or they have chosen me) to nurture. Some of these young people grew up and still call me Dad, which is the greatest gift I have received in life. My wife stands with me and guides me toward making ever better decisions. She, along with some of the smartest and most loyal people I have ever met, now run the day-to-day operation of my businesses. Politically I am a Republican and actively support Republican ideas. I am a flexible realist, not a hard-line so-called conservative who looks down on others, and I understand and respect the importance of compromise. I cherish social ideals that today seem more Democrat than Republican. I have raised substantial sums of money for candidates who are Republican and who are Democrat. I have experienced first hand how electing good people can mean stepping on toes, sacrificing, working issues and taking lots of showers. I tell you all of this as a background, so that you can understand from whence I come, why I am sometimes grumpy, and where I hope to go with this series of columns. I want you to know that through my eighty years I have discovered and experienced things about business, politics, government, religion, social norms, family, children, dogs, hunting and fishing – ideas and ideals that shaped me – ideas and ideals that somehow all fit within a kaleidoscope that makes me who I am. I was told by my biological father that in life there is no such thing as making decisions correctly 100% of the time. Nor does one make decisions wrongly 100% of the time. Our prisons are full of people who lived respectable lives and made just a handful of bad decisions. Life works that way. The successful person makes 51% of decisions right while the unsuccessful person makes 49% of decisions right. That means that the difference between success and failure, or right and wrong for that matter, can be as little as 2%. The same is true when gambling in casinos. Players win 497 times for every 503 times the casino wins. People always are looking to be a winner, even when the odds are unfortunately against them. I have been fortunate. People who know me say that I have a different way of looking at things – unique, perhaps peculiar, but certainly with clarity. It is what has allowed me to live that supposedly charmed life. And it is this way of viewing the world, these concepts and observations, that I would like to share with you. I cannot do it in one column, and so I will work at unfolding my life’s map for your view and reflection. I do not ask that you agree with me, and, frankly, it is not my purpose to convince you to do so. Rather, I appreciate the opportunity to put forth for your consideration my thoughts on matters that honestly challenge me. Your input will always be welcome, albeit that I may grump about it a bit, as a day never passes that I do not have to change something to get through this journey we call life. And change comes hard. Bill Gindlesperger is a central Pennsylvanian, Dickinson College graduate, Pennsylvania System Of Higher Education (PASSHE) Governor, former Shippensburg University Trustee, awarded numerous patents, as well as Founder and Chairman of eLynxx Solutions. eLynxx provides cloud-software for automated sourcing and managing of mail marketing, swag, packaging, and all things print. He is a board member, campaign advisor, successful entrepreneur, published author and commentator. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:Bill.Gindlesperger@eLynxx.com">Bill.Gindlesperger@eLynxx.com</a>. </div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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Reflections – Franklin County Experiences Shaped View

I am 40 years old, times two. I have lived a life that some people might think is charmed, while others closer to me understand how and why my life has been anything but smooth and easy. Much of what I have touched turned out to be OK, even though it was always more difficult and expensive than what I had imagined.