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This memoir tracks a man's life through his boyhood adventures, career pursuits, and family ties and friendships. O'Brien tells the stories of his life, capturing milestone moments, daily encounters, close calls, and fun times with friends and family. His love for various modes of transportation leads him to an eventual career in trucking which provides him with a wealth of stories from his life on the road. But he also recounts his experiences getting his pilot's license and working for a time as a city bus driver. In addition to his career, he recalls memories from fishing and canoeing trips that always end in lessons learned and are often full of laughs and good times with friends. All these stories from work and leisure add up to a full life for a man intent on looking back with love and gratitude.
This warm and joyful reflection captures all the facets of a life well lived at work and play. O'Brien tells these stories from his life as if he is talking to his beloved grandchildren or reminiscing over coffee with a friend. These shared crystallized memories sparkle in the retelling as the details flicker to life in the words of an amiable storyteller. Readers will become immersed in the author's world and will come away with lessons about stability and commitment to family, friends, and career. O'Brien isn't interested in moralizing but instead seems to take simple joy in the act of storytelling as a form to connect with others and as a way to celebrate the fullness of life.