Ever since I was a young boy, the only thing I wanted to be was a cowboy. I wanted to own and work on a real ranch, with cattle and horses. Especially horses.
While I never became a cowboy, considering everything I have done in my life, and the many incredible and wonderful experiences I have had, I can say with complete sincerity that I have lived a charmed life. From getting a job on Wall Street with Lehman Brothers despite having absolutely no knowledge of the stock market, to riding in the Queen’s day coach through the streets of London, to attending the Academy Awards and meeting my idol and the greatest entertainer the world has ever known - Mr. Francis Albert Sinatra - I am one lucky guy.
Don’t get me wrong, I have had my share of disappointments along the way, including three - count them, three - failed marriages that were all my fault for allowing alcohol to play a role in the outcomes of these relationships, but I have never been someone who dwells on the negative. I am an optimistic, forward-thinking man, and I keep pushing and striving to make a better life. I stopped drinking completely when I met Diana, and we’ve been married for forty-one years and counting.
As you read some of the adventures that I recount in the pages of this book, there is sure to be more than a few of you who will not believe that these stories are true. Sometimes I can’t believe it myself, but I guarantee you that it all really happened. These events have made my life more interesting and fulfilling than I ever could have dreamt possible.
Over the years, I had opportunities to experience life on several working ranches, participating in cattle drives and roundups, roping a calf and branding a longhorn. I always had the time of my life when I did these things. I even spent time on the rodeo circuit. The whole time I was working at Lehman Brothers, my dream was to go out and get a farm. Well, I did that, too. By chance, or perhaps it was fate, I was asked to become Chairman of the Lake Placid Horse Show, a position I cherished and held for some thirty years.
I didn’t really know while I was living it, but I know today; I am one lucky guy. No question about it. There’s no one that can take it away. No one can tell me I’m a genius, or that any more special than any other person. No, sir. I am one lucky guy. Period. End of story. What I found, I found along the way on the side of the road. I just picked it up and ran with it. Indeed, I have benefited greatly from huge breaks and unexpected fortune.
Now, I feel that I have completed whatever task God had in store for me in life. I can honestly say that, today, I am happier than I’ve ever been in my life. I miss my horses tremendously, but other than that, I don’t miss a thing. I got all that I wanted. All that I ever wanted.
And more.