There are several operating principles that have emerged through the writing and editing of this material:
- Tell MY story
- While there are many people who play major and minor roles, I cannot speak for them. I can only speak for myself. The goal is to tell my story alone.
- Do No Damage
- Though the spirit of what happened is unchanged, some names have been altered or omitted. Some events have been left out or edited. In telling my story I do not have the right to harm anyone else through sharing parts of their story that they might rather keep to themselves.
- Own My Choices
- External events often defined my opportunities, but the choices that I made are entirely my own responsibility. I chose to become who I have become through the choices I made along the way.
- Find The Meaning
- I choose to write about things that have deeper meaning for me. If I get to the end of the story, but cannot find anything lasting within it, I leave it out.
- Continuously Iterate
- What is here today is not the final word or finished product. This site has been under constant revision for a couple of decades now, and for the foreseeable future that will continue.