Welcome to The Journey
An open book journey of Christopher William Klein
Welcome to the beginning of my life.
Hello! Welcome! If you've found your way to this page, it's likely because you're curious about your host, Christopher William Klein. This marks the exciting commencement of our journey together. You might be here out of sheer curiosity, eager to uncover more about my life, seeking information, or simply wishing to understand the experiences that have shaped such a distinctive character.
This blog serves as a detailed chronicle of my life's adventures, beginning in the vibrant community of Cherry Hill, NJ, and leading to the myriad of experiences that have brought me to where I am today.
My parents, Harry W. Klein and Eleanor Jane Freshwater, envisioned a future filled with promise and potential for me, but I stand here to illustrate that life often unfolds in unexpected ways. Whether you're here to satiate your curiosity or for any other reason, I warmly invite you to delve deeper into my story. However, a word of caution: until the year 2017, my memories are constructed from fragments of notes, somewhat difficult-to-read journal entries, and the recollections of others. Dates may occasionally be imprecise, yet they generally retain their accuracy. After 2017, you'll discover a more comprehensive and meticulously chronicled account of my journey. So, let us embark on this exploration together.
The Beginning
Through the introspective practices of meditation and the vivid experiences of lucid dreaming, I possess a remarkable ability to recall memories stretching back to my earliest days, even from the confines of my crib. While I do not hold a memory of my birth itself, I distinctly remember the time when I was still helpless, unable to walk.
In early 1965, my parents found themselves at a crossroads, yearning to rekindle the spark in their marriage, a venture they later deemed a serious misstep. Yet, that fateful night sparkled with unwitting consequence, resulting in my very existence. In the aftermath, my mother, a root witch weaving the wisdom of her Blackfoot Hippy heritage and embodying the free spirit of a hippie, sought to erase what she deemed a mistake. My father, a devout Southern Baptist brimming with conviction, stood resolute against any thought of elimination, insisting I be allowed to see the light of day.
If left to my mother's wishes, I would not be writing this today. But my father, despite not being as virtuous as his facade suggested, won that crucial struggle. He insisted that my mother carry me to term, a decision laden with its own complexities. So it was that I entered this world, screaming and full of life, on September 18, 1965, marking the beginning of my journey amidst the tapestry of their tangled lives.
The first memory
II was raised on a steady diet of bottle feeding, swaddled in soft cloth diapers that seemed to welcome every little mishap with open arms. My earliest memory is captured in a vivid snapshot: the look of sheer horror on my father's face as he encountered the unmistakable stench of baby poo. It was as if time stood still in that moment, the air thick with an overwhelming mix of surprise and disgust. As I grew older, he would often recount tales of my exploits, suggesting that I was far more challenging than my brothers, Karl and Robert, ever were. But honestly, isn't it a charmingly ironic first memory?
Some basic notes
There are some different formats used throughout this blog. Each section has a different look so that you can easily find those things that may interest you
The main class of CARD is just for basic use. Regular text, a white background, and a box around it. This is for information that I want to stand out on a day-to-day basis. You will find this in the monthly entries for the daily blog.
As the entries get more intricate, especially after 2017, things spark memories that may or may not be included in earlier years. When they are relevant to the actions of the day or time, they are included here.
The work box. Later in life, I entered the workforce. As we get closer to 2020, these entries become very detailed.
The rant box: One thing that can be said about me is that I am highly opinionated on some things. Politics, driving, people in general, and attitudes. When something tickles my fancy in a bad way, I include a rant box. Usually, you can skip over these, even though some of them can be a lot of fun.
The Wisdom box: Through my life, I have learned things. Little tidbits of wisdom here and there. When something is especially intereresting, or I want to keep it for later, it goes into a Wisdom box
The Colorado Box: As Covid-19 took over this country, the wife and I started to look for our Forever Home. We chose the city of Trinidada, Colorado. In the latter years, I had ideas and we started to make plans. Those plans and ideas are found in this type of entry.
PhotoCredit: Christopher Klein (2022)
The Image box is a showcase for my artwork, photography, and other things of interest. They appear all throughout this blog. They are always included in their own section within the post so that they have their own title, a centered effect, and a description. As an example, this is just a piece of random art created for no other reason than I was playing with Photoshop and Daz3D.
Final Notes
At the bottom of each page is a navigatgion set. Until 2017, it will take you from year to year, and after that, it will take you from month to month or from year to year. That is where all the fun stuff is.