What a fantastic thread, and I'm in absolute awe, of some of things members have done.
It reinforces my belief that there are no "ordinary" people, and we all have something special to offer, because of our experiences.
1. I have visited over 75 countries, which has given me a tremendous appreciation of the start I got in life, just because of where, and when, I was born, and the education I went through as a child. Something I think many of us in the west take for granted, but none should.
2. I served my country through two armed conflicts (operation corporate, and operation granby. Otherwise known as the Falklands war, and Desert Storm), and never once felt in as much danger as I did in a city within my own nation ( Belfast. Believe me, walking down the Falls Road in the 80's, with a British uniform on was tHE best laxative known to man!)
3. I had a night out with a Rock-star in a foreign country. I met Fish, from Marillion, in the Scottish pub in Krakow one night, as he became interested as soon as he heard my accent. He was over doing promotional work for a greatest hits album/tour, and invited my Scouse mate I was working with, and myself to join him. That night I learned how he got his name............rarely, if ever, have I been so inebriated.
4. I met my wife on the internet, back before it was trendy, and emigrated to be with her. Next year sees our 20th Anniversary.
5. I removed the fairing on my first ST1100, using my left leg, in under 3 seconds, during the worst of the three on-road "get-offs" I have had in my nearly 40years of riding (but have to say, not continuous. There have been multi-year gaps in a few spots). Off road, I took part in an expedition in the Falklands ( and just let me say, that if God ever decides to give the world an enema, that's where the tube is going), that I lied about my experience to get on, I came off 17 times in 2 days..........The most physically exhausting thing I've done in my life. But afterwards, my persistence in refusing to give up was noted, and found me getting "volunteered" for certain types of duty afterwards.
Got a couple of others, but only five were asked for.
) 
