| This is the 28th story of Our Life Logs |
I’ve been working for a maintenance company for 31 years. Everyone knows me as the maintenance guy, but I haven’t always lived this life. I’ve pursued my other dreams before, and I still do. I’ve never been afraid of trying new things. I don’t believe anyone should be confined to one thing the rest of their life if their passion lies with multiple things.
I’ve lived most of my life in Cincinnati and enjoyed it. My parents divorced when I was six years old. I lived with my mother, but I used to visit my father and his side of the family in California often as a kid. I spent a lot of my childhood watching science fiction and action adventure movies. I would even create my own stories. I loved those genres because of how crazy things can get. In high school, I also found an interest in welding and working with metal. I loved metallurgy, but I never went to school for it. After high school, I worked a multitude of welding and construction jobs. I was decently paid, and liked it well enough to do it for about 10 years.
I always had an interest in screenwriting and storytelling from a young age. I remember being five years old and developing a science fiction story in my head. A few years later, I saw a similar premise for a show appear on my television. In my 20s, I spent a lot of my time trying to take my shot at being a screenwriter. I had two completed ones that I tried to sell. At the time, there was a Director’s Guild that allowed you to send your scripts to the director’s houses. I used that and worked with a lawyer to get my scripts sent out to agents and producers. One screenplay was called Mounds. It was about the native American mounds in Cincinnati and had a science fiction element to it. People have their bodies taken over or go crazy when an airplane flies over the mounds.
I sent this screenplay out to about 60 to 70 places. I had a large pile of rejections, but a few kept me motivated to keep trying. I remember one guy called to compliment me on how well written my cover letter was. I also had people telling me that they weren’t accepting the screenplay but assured me that I should keep writing. I got to a point where an agency had decided to represent me and submit Mounds to their clients. Unfortunately, it didn’t go further than that. I had dreams of making a career out of screenwriting, but it ended up being more of a hobby. I don’t regret trying. I love to do it, and I still write here and there.
In between these construction and welding jobs and the screenwriting, I got married when I was 25 and had a beautiful daughter named Ashley. We were married for seven years before we went through a rough divorce. It got a bit messy, but I ended up with custody of my daughter.
My daughter used to get hurt a lot when she was little. She was always breaking bones. We would go to the emergency room a lot, and it helped pique my interest in becoming a paramedic. I’m the type of guy to stop if I see a car crash to make sure everyone is okay. I liked the idea of being an awesome hero for a living. I thought this profession would be perfect for me.
When my daughter was about five, I started taking the required EMT courses. Then I took the test to work toward being a paramedic and got high scores on my tests. I was confident that I would be a great paramedic. When it came time to putting in the required hours working in the hospital that I needed before going on ambulance runs, I was excited. I was ready to help people.
When I walked through those hospital doors, an unbearable stench of blood mixed with disinfectant engulfed my nostrils. Then a man was wheeled in who had been crushed by a car. It was too gruesome for me. A doctor asked me to give CPR to another girl that came into the ER, and I just froze. I couldn’t move. I was so shaken up by that first experience that I decided being a paramedic wasn’t the right path for me.
I’m very happy working for the maintenance company I’m at today. I wouldn’t have stayed for more than 30 years if I’m not. I’ve heard people say that they wish they had pursued their dreams instead of settling. I’m glad that I did follow all my aspirations and potential career paths. I don’t feel bad or discouraged that I failed at some of these other professions. The way I feel about it is that at least I tried them. I don’t have to be old and wishing I had pursued a different route. I tried them, and they didn’t work out. At least I know that they didn’t work so I don’t have to be pining for a different life that I know for a fact wouldn’t work out.
It took going through all the different career paths to lead me to one that I’m happy with. I learned a lot of valuable information from the EMT courses, and I still write from time to time. Even though these paths didn’t pan out how I expected, I still gained valuable experience from them. I’ve lived a wonderful life of trying all kinds of industries, and I’ve now found a niche that I enjoy and value. And who knows, maybe one day I will become a successful screenwriter and you will be watching my movies.
–This is the story of Bruce McCormick—
Bruce lives in Mason and works for a well-established maintenance company. He has been there for the past 31 years. He tried to work toward a dream he held since he was very young of being a screenwriter, but he ended up taking a different path as he grew up. He tried out many dreams until he found something that worked for him. Bruce likes to play golf and go bowling in his free time. He also loves sci-fi and action adventure movies.
The synopsis of Bruce’s screenplay Mounds is copied below:
Based on: Indian mounds in Ohio and medicine wheel in Wyoming
Beginning: Passengers are boarding flight 1401, a commuter flight from O’Hare to Cincinnati. As the plan takes off, Nick Woods and Bard Lewis are introduced. The Captain warns the passengers that they’re approaching some turbulence, but they will be out of it shortly. The Captain orders the seat belt lights off. The flight attendants are about halfway through their bounce. They are in terrible turbulence, a very loud scream is heard, it is deafening, the passengers can’t stand the pain. All of a sudden, it’s all over.
Middle: Again flight 1401 is over the Indian Mounds, from the Mounds a sharp blue light hits the plane. The plane absorbs the hit, the blue light starts to engulf the plan. Out of nowhere Manqua appears in the center of the plane. He points a Mica Claw at one of the passengers. A blue light hits a passenger and forces her to stand up, the plane starts to shake. Causa appears in between the passenger and Manqua breaking the blue light. Manqua shoots through the roof of the plane. The plane starts to lose altitude. Causa holds his hand up. A white light comes out of his hand and seals the hole, so the plane can land safely.
End: Manqua is at the India Mounds with Barb Lewis. Manqua has sealed the Mounds in a blue dome. The authorities have been trying unsuccessfully to penetrate the blue dome. Causa and Nick Woods are with two other passengers when they get to the Mounds. Causa is able to open the blue dome up for just a moment to let them pass. Manqua is just about ready to sacrifice Barb to turn the world into permanent night. Causa and Manqua are in their final battle. A third entity forms in the clouds overhead. It takes the shape of a tornado and punches its way through the dome just in time to help Causa. Causa has almost been killed by Manqua. They both put Manqua back into his tomb and sealed it forever.
This story first touched our hearts on December 6, 2017.
| Writer: Kristen Petronio | Editor: MJ |
