Ian Usher - A Life Sold: What Ever Happened to That Guy Who Sold His Whole Life on eBay?

What ever happened to that guy

who sold his wholelife

on eBay?

by

Ian Usher

Ian Usher

Copyright 2012 by IanUsher

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition,License Notes

This eBook is licensedfor your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold orgiven away to other people. If you would like to share this bookwith another person, please purchase an additional copy for eachrecipient. If youre reading this book and did not purchase it, orit was not purchased for your use only, then please return toSmashwords.com and purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

* * *

eBay logo eBay

Google Maps Google

Lyrics from thefollowing music are used with the kind permission of the respectivecopyright holders:

The Sunscreen Song byBaz Luhrmann

words by MarySchmich 1997 Chicago Tribune

Route 66 by TheRolling Stones

written by BobbyTroup 2002 Troup-London Music

Human Touch by BruceSpringsteen

written by BruceSpringsteen 1992 Bruce Springsteen

The Gambler by KennyRogers

written by DonaldSchlitz 1978 Sony/ATV

Nature Is The Law byRichard Ashcroft

written by RichardAshcroft 2002 EMI

A Better Man byThunder

written by LukeMorley 1992 EMI

Nowhere Man by TheBeatles

written by JohnLennon/Paul McCartney 1965 Sony/ATV

Also used, writerunknown:

On Top Of Old Smokey- traditional

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The followingpoems are also included:

The Road Not Taken byRobert Frost (1874-1963)

from MountainInterval 1916, 1921 Henry Holt, New York

If by RudyardKipling (1865-1936)

from 'Rewards andFairies' 1909

Dedicated to myfather,

Foster Usher,

whose influencecontinues

to colour my life

all these yearslater.

* * *

by

Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in ayellow wood,

And sorry I could nottravel both

And be one traveler,long I stood

And looked down one asfar as I could

To where it bent in theundergrowth;

Then took the other, asjust as fair

And having perhaps thebetter claim,

Because it was grassyand wanted wear;

Though as for that, thepassing there

Had worn them reallyabout the same,

And both that morningequally lay

In leaves no step hadtrodden black

Oh, I kept the firstfor another day!

Yet knowing how wayleads on to way,

I doubted if I shouldever come back.

I shall be telling thiswith a sigh

Somewhere ages and ageshence:

Two roads diverged in awood, and I

I took the one lesstraveled by,

And that has made allthe difference.

* * *

Part 1 - ALife4Sale

Part 2 -100goals100weeks

Australia - Dubai -France - Italy - Spain

England - Germany -Austria - USA

USA

Canada - USA - Hawaii -Japan - Australia

Australia

France - England -Spain - USA

Mexico - USA -England

USA - Mexico -China

Thailand - ChristmasIsland

Christmas Island -Iceland - England

South Africa - Zimbabwe- Zambia

Chile - Peru -Argentina - Brazil

Brazil - South Africa -Australia - Nepal

Nepal - India - England- USA

* * *

View From ABridge

I stood quietly onthe bridge above the dark empty freeway, looking down at the smoothtarmac below. In the distance behind me I could hear the engine ofa large truck as it approached at speed. I looked around and sawthe lights heading my way, and thought grimly to myself, This isit. This one is yours.

I would have toget the timing just right. If I jumped too early I would land onthe freeway below, probably breaking both legs. That would hurt,but only for a short time, until the truck hit. Wait a minutethough! What if I jumped early enough for the truck driver to seeme, giving him time to react? What if he somehow managed to missme? All I would have achieved would be a collection of brokenbones, and more misery to pile on top of what I already knew wascoming.

I would need todelay my jump as long as possible. Perfect timing would mean Idhit the ground at the instant the truck reached the impact point,bringing the instant relief of endless darkness. But what if Idelayed just a little too long? The truck was heading south, and Iwas on the south side of the bridge, facing south too. The truckwould be out of sight as it passed under the bridge below me.Timing my jump was going to be tricky, as for a second or two Iwould not know exactly where the thundering juggernaut was. If Ijumped too late I had visions of landing on the cab roof, and thenbouncing along the top of the container, before falling off theback end into the road. There was a good chance I might survivethat, and lay broken on the road, again to face pain andmisery.

I should haveplanned this a little better. But how? If I stood on the north sideof the bridge, facing the on-coming truck, the driver mightpossibly spot me climbing onto the parapet, preparing to jump.Would he be able to avoid me? Probably not, but I wasnt sure.

Maybe I should bedown at the side of the freeway, hidden in the bushes. I could justrun out at the appropriate moment, without having to consider thepain of broken bones from a poorly timed jump.

What about thedriver? How would he cope with the aftermath of such an event? Idont imagine it would be easy to come to terms with something likethat, even if one is completely blameless.

Good grief, if Iwas going to be such a coward about the whole thing, I shouldperhaps resort to the much less painful bottle of paracetamoltablets washed down with a bottle of whiskey. Ah, but I wouldntwant to wake up in hospital having my stomach pumped.

All of this, andmore, flashed through my mind in the few short seconds as the truckclosed the distance between us. The moment of truth approached.

I watched thetruck pass below me and didnt make a move. The real truth was thatI knew I was never going to go through with anything like this. Mymind was simply whirling quickly through a theoretical set ofscenarios that might provide an easy escape route from what was tocome.

With a heavy heartI turned my cycle around, and began pedalling back up the cycletrack alongside the freeway. I knew there were some long darkmonths ahead, despite the approach of another hot bright Australiansummer.

ALife4Sale

A New Start

Two years later,in November 2007 I looked back at the challenges with which lifehad recently presented me, and decided it was time to make somechanges. I needed a new start and I had a plan. I was going to sellmy life!

The previous twoyears had taken my soon-to-be-sold life in a new direction, onewhich had completely taken me by surprise. I had never imaginedworking in the job I was now doing, and the life I was now livingwas so far removed from my expectations of two years earlier.

At that time,towards the end of 2005, life had been progressing nicely,according to a semi-structured plan. In November that year my wifeand I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary, inviting all ourfriends to a big party in the lovely house we had built together inthe outer suburbs of Perth in beautiful, sun-kissed WesternAustralia.

But only dayslater my life was knocked violently off-course, when I discoveredthat my wife had met someone else, and told me that she no longerloved me.

After a traumaticfew months we had separated. During those dark, lonely, early daysI thought a lot about the incredibly happy past I had shared withLaura. I struggled to understand how it could have all gone sohorribly wrong, without ever spotting, until it was much too late,a single sign that anything was amiss.