In case you haven’t noticed, life is full of ‘Now What?’ moments.

We might think of such moments as a pain in the neck, but maybe those times are portals to opportunities. Just imagine where you could go or what you could do.

Going back to when we were youngsters and just graduating from high school, many of us experienced a huge ‘Now What?’ period of time. What am I going to do after school? After all, I’ve been in school for twelve years. Good grief, now what?

Of course, there were times when some of us didn’t have an option because the draft board was waiting for us to respond to their call. Others of us had the opportunity to attend college or a trade school. After all, we’ve been in that institutional environment for twelve years, right?

What? I have to pick a major in college? Now what? Naturally, many of us knew what academic field we wanted to major in and away we went on that journey. Then, about four years later, we graduated, and, again, that ‘Now What?’ question loomed before us. We had worked hard in furthering our education, and many us went on to work in our chosen professions. However, a number of us chose to further our education and work onward to an advanced degree. And, of course, a bit later there was that moment in time when we reached that ‘Now What?’ moment again. Now, we had to choose a work place! Hopefully, you choose the profession/job field that fulfilled your dreams.

Another personal ‘Now What?’ time occurred when you met that special someone, and you wondered where that path would take you. The, maybe, a union of some sort happened and the two of you were three. Oh boy, as the family grew, I wondered how many of us had previously thought about being a parent. Now, there’s an amazing ‘Now What?’ awakening.

Well, life moves on and during all those before mentioned periods of life, there were many smaller ‘Now What?’ times, also. What car to buy and where to locate oneself? What new items do you want for your wardrobe? You see, those moments completely surround us and are sometimes confusing, frightful and befuddling. But we try to imagine the best outcomes of those steps and move onward.

For those of us who had no choice but to enter the military, those ‘Now What?’ Moments were pretty much directed by our superiors. What we did and where we went could be very interesting, and my duty stations allowed me to visit parts of the world I didn’t think I would ever see. I could never have imagined such an interesting time. Unfortunately, not all service members were as lucky as me.

During my time in the service, I was fortunate enough to begin my journey into tasting wines. Wow! What an eye opening time. Every since my first taste of German Riesling, I sensed there was something there for me, and my adventures begin.

Interestingly, once that tasting door opened before me, the many options available to me still blow my mind. I like to taste the many opportunities in the worlds of wine, beer, whiskey and other liquids. I also enjoy sharing my liquids with others, and, then, have a chat about their tasting experience. Those ‘Now What?’ chats are so fun and informing. They provide me with multiple learning experiences.

In today’s society, we are experiencing many ‘Now What?’ moments. Let’s hope our democracy withstands the attempts to dismantle it.

May you continue to enjoy many ‘Now What?’ moments.

As always, eat and drink in moderation, but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!