Reflecting on 35 years
I turned 35 today and said to myself “How did I get here?”. That question alone spawned many other questions and then memories of where I have been. I don’t think I am the ordinary 35 year old. Or at least I wasn’t the ordinary kid growing up in small town U.S.A. I have lived in 12 states and move 22 times in my life.
States Ken Villines has lived (in order):
- Oklahoma
- New Jersey
- Indiana (2 moves)*
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Tennesee (2 moves)*
- Missouri
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Arkansas (3 moves)*
- Missouri (2 moves)*
- Connecticut (3 moves)*
- Massachusetts(3 moves)*
- * this total includes the original move to the state
While growing up my social skills had to adapt to fitting in very quickly. Children can be cruel especially to outsiders. I gained skills other people didn’t have and knew how to get people to like me. If I had a list of the people I have touched in my life it would probably fill a room. This is going to be the first entry in the Chronology of Ken Villines. I really need to find trace where I have been and where this life has taken me. Keep checking back if you are interested.
September 8th, 2005 at 3:13 pm
Ok…here’s my move list:
Manhattan, NY Born 1971
Philly, PA area 1974
Sag Harbor, NY 1975
East Hampton, NY 1975
Orange, CT 1976-77
Fairfield, CT 2x 1978-79
Newark, NJ 1980-81
Arvada, CO 2x 1981-82
Denver, CO 1983
La Mesa, CA 1984
Wilmot, NH 1985
New London, NH 1986-88
Various, NH-MA 1989-90
Fitchburg, MA 1991-95
Oak Bluffs, MA Summer 95
SLC, UT 1996-98
Cape Cod, MA Summers 1996-1998
Fitchburg, MA 1998-2000
Groton, MA 2001
N. Attleboro, MA 2002-03
W. Townsend, MA 2004-05
Roughly 25 times…but not everything is accounted for here…
September 9th, 2005 at 9:15 am
Hey JC,
I have you beat by 3 states. I also am wondering how you lived in two states at the same time?
I don’t think vacationing in UT for Sundance actually counts? I also don’t know if living at the cape for the summers actually counts either? I am actually talking about packing up and filling an entire moving van and completely relocating.
cheers
-Ken
October 3rd, 2005 at 10:30 am
Well Ken…I suppose the roaming between SLC and CC is disqualified…even though I did pack my shit and move it from place to place…that said…I did not account for a few moves in between there because I simply can’t recall exactly where they were…so you beat me…I guess…beater.
January 26th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
Wow. 35…I turn 20 in June and I often ask myself that same question. How did I get here? Not only physically, but mentally. Sometimes I wonder about the things I’ve gone through and the people I’ve met. Do all the things happen for a reason or is life a series of random events? I used to move around a lot when I was younger also do to my parents being in the military so I have grown very accustomed to the role of the new kid or the loner.
One of my favorite sayings has always been, “I used to think that I didn’t have a place in this world. So I tried to make one for myself. Then I realized that I had a place. I was just the only one in it.”