Ron Beattie:
CLASS OF 1984
El Camino High SchoolClass of 1984
Sacramento, CA
Ron's Story
Well, it’s been 12 years since an update. Bout time, eh? I still live in Australia, and have no plans to move back to the US, although I miss some things about it. Family, friends, the New Mexico high mountain desert and Portland, Oregon mostly.
Seems life has made some solid efforts to kill me three times - rock slide, cancer and major heart issues. I had a quintuple bypass 7 months ago. Seems my genes led to unnaturally small coronary arteries. Fortunately I realised there were problems before I had a heart attack, so I’m recovering to levels of activity I haven’t seen in years. Most importantly, I also get to stick around to see my 6-year-old daughter grow up. It’s a great blessing to still be here.
(Note: I you’re feeling chest pains or fluttering in your chest, or just can’t get back in shape even though you’ve always been fit, get your heart checked and get a stress echocardiogram. If you get your heart fixed BEFORE you have a heart attack, you can have a full recovery. If you have a heart attack, that’s a distant goal, if not impossible.)
My first wife and I split after 6 years and I spent 5 years on my own. I remarried to one of my best friends, Alexandra, aka Sutra, in 2011 and we got right to work, having our daughter later that year. My wife has endometriosis that responds to neither medication nor surgery, and that’s ...Expand for more
always a figure in our lives. As a result of her endo, I left work to help her start her dream business, a daycare. After 5 years in daycare, I’m looking at moving out of it, as I want more adult interaction. And less pooey diapers!
We’re about to start homeschooling our daughter, as her ASD makes school difficult for her, and Ava’s consequent behaviour issues are difficult for us. Fortunately there’s a strong, non-religious homeschooling movement here in Australia, so there’s lots of support.
Our Buddhist organisation dissolved in a flurry of the ego-fuelled control issues that Buddhism is meant to work with. Having put my heart and soul into this for15 years, this was huge heartbreak. However, it’s still central to my life, and I still practice regularly.
I’ve gotten into Home Brewing and have a dream of starting a few brewpubs, one that will likely go unrealised. My wife’s endo means our lives are far from “normal”, and taking the time away from the family it would require to get this up and running is just not possible, especially having no family here in Oz to help us. (My wife is English.) I haven’t given up though, but it’s always family first.
I’ve been assiduously avoiding political talk in this post, but let’s just say the apple hasn’t fallen far from the punk rock tree it grew on.
May you all be well and fully alive!
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