“The worst thing any of us could do is bringing in the memories of the past instead of focusing on the future. What we could do tomorrow is to help the next person.” -Jesse Johnson
Do you still remember the day that changed the direction of your life? Those memories are either what pushes us forward or keeps us from doing so. Jesse Johnson enjoyed an exciting career in the Navy. He worked on exciting missions and took on different roles. However, his life changed when he was diagnosed with a disease that will take him to a different realm he never dreamed of. Yet, never did he think that his life was utterly ruined. Jesse walked the path that led him to new and thrilling adventures in law enforcement and firefighting. Let Jesse take you where the action is as he relates his breathtaking military assignments during the 9/11 attack, Pakistan wars, and many more. More importantly, listen in as Jesse shares real-life lessons about remembering the past without having it control your present and future, lifting your voice, loving yourself, enjoying every moment, making memories, and connecting with other people. Tune in and discover the power of a simple smile!
Takeaways:
01:36 Into the Military
09:28 Out of the Military
15:34 The Middle Struggle
20:38 Lift Your Voice
23:37 The Power of a Smile
26:52 Don’t Forget Yourself
32:50 Pizza!!
35:37 Make Memories with Your Kids
41:53 Enjoy Every Moment
Resources:
Book
Remember the past without having it control your present and future. Tune in as Bruce and US Navy Veteran, Jesse Johnson shares real-life lessons about lifting your voice, loving yourself, enjoying every moment, making memories, and connecting… Share on X
Quotes:
16:15 “The worst thing any of us could do is bringing in the memories of the past instead of focusing on the future. What we could do tomorrow is to help the next person.” -Jesse Johnson
20:33 “The gift that I get is when I can help somebody.” -Bruce Jeppesen
21:07 “There are a lot of good people, but there’s a lot of bad people too. And the bad people sometimes have a louder voice and the good people. When we lift our own voice, it carries through and people start listening.” -Jesse Johnson
21:58 “Cherish your memories and continue to create memories with those that have a server’s attitude that wants to help people.” -Jesse Johnson
24:09 “Having that firm handshake, the look in the eye, and smiling lifts somebody’s spirits so much. It shows people that you do care about them and you want to see them do better.” -Jesse Johnson
24:59 “They’re not mad at you. It’s just nobody can smile 24 hours a day.” -Bruce Jeppesen
29:40 “The best drug is right outside the door- the fresh air, the sunshine, the exercise.” -Jesse Johnson
41:53 “Try to take it one day at a time and enjoy every moment.” -Jesse Johnson
Meet Our Guest!
Jesse Johnson is a US Navy Veteran, Former Police Chief and Fire Chief, Entrepreneur. Jesse served in the military since he was 17. He had an exciting journey going on thrilling missions and taking on different roles. He worked as a Hydraulic and Structural Mechanic on the F-14 Tomcat, a Collateral Duty Inspector for the 11 F-14 Aircraft, and a Final Checker for the CV-67 John F. Kennedy Carrier. He also became a Leading Petty Officer for the Trouble Shooter Department, and Night Check Supervisor for the Airframes Department. However, when he was diagnosed with a disease that disqualified him from going back to the life he loved, he was forced to shift careers. Life led him into the world of firefighting and law enforcement for over 11 years and later stepped into the world of entrepreneurship. When he’s off work, Jesse spends every moment to create memories with his lovely wife and 3 beautiful children.
Transcriptions:
Bruce Jeppesen: Hey everybody, welcome to another show with Recipes For Great Life. Today, I have a really good friend of mine and somebody who’s got a lot of experience, background in military, law enforcement and great family life. His name is Jesse Johnson. He’s a prior Navy guy, how the inner service thing goes, but I just wanted to get him on here because he’s, I think he has a very interesting background. He’s got a wonderful family and things that he’s done.
So Jesse, thank you for agreeing to be on here and sharing your story. I really appreciate it.
Jesse Johnson: Yes, of course.
Bruce Jeppesen: If you would, share whatever you feel, your story if you would.
Jesse Johnson: Yeah, thank you so much for having me on. I’d love to share my background coz a lot of individuals that listen are gonna be, maybe have a similar story of military law enforcement. And luckily, I’ve been in the public safety sector for about 15 years now. So have a lot of good stories and stories that you kind of wish you could forget about, but now they’re part of life now and they make you who you are. So yeah, I went into the military fresh outta high school, and I knew I was going to go into the E-Branch. I actually started off, almost signed up for the army, and then talked myself out of it. I was gonna go with the Marines because all my buddies want to go in the Marines. My best friends like, hey, actually, I’m going in the Navy. Let’s go to this Navy thing. So we talked to the recruiter and signed up for the delayed entry program. So I started when I was 17. I loved Aviation. Cool movie back in the day was Top Gun, and they flew this aircraft, the F-14. And I just thought, that was the coolest thing. So I knew I was gonna go be a jet mechanic. I didn’t know if I was going to quite be on the F-14. But luckily, I was. Becoming an F-14 mechanic, I ended up getting a squadron that had those birds at the time. And so went through boot camp, and then went through Aviation School down in Florida. My duty station was Virginia Beach. And at the time, the squadron that was part of VF-143, they already deployed. This is early 2000. I think they were on the right side of Greece at the time.
So as a young 18 year old, just loving my bootcamp and that experience in Aviation, I’m going overseas, landed on Eisenhower. So as a squadron, we were on aircraft carriers. And four days later after staying in Italy for a week, we were in Greece, and then we’re in Croatia. And then part of our deployment, we’re in the Middle East, we’re Eastpak appointments. So they always have ever since the Gulf War, boys have to have a battle group in the Persian Gulf that just hangs out just in case something pops up. And that’s where we ultimately ended up. And at the time, there wasn’t much going on. So we were out there, and came back. And then of course, 9/11 happened. The towers were struck. I remember distinctly that day, as I think most people, they were able to remember that age of remembering. Remember what they’re doing, what they’re eating, if they were in class, or what was going on, and we were actually getting ready to deploy. We’re just leaving Norfolk, Virginia, and the captain had come over the intercom and said, one of the towers was just struck by an aircraft and we don’t really know why. And that’s time I was going to the towers, what are the towers? I didn’t know much about New York, the infrastructure there. But then he said, the second tower just got struck, and we’re heading north.
So we’re basically, do they need help? We were falling loaded, we had aircraft on the carrier, and I just remember having the chills kind of go down my spine and go, holy cow. This is what we train for, you never actually expect or know what you’re going to do. When you’re in the military, it doesn’t matter what branch you’re in, especially if you’re stationed in the States, you don’t know what’s going to happen one day after the next. And then just having those cold chills go down this line and just knowing that we’re heading north to kind of protect the mainland. We thought we’re under attack, that everybody on the ship, we went to battle ready, we’re kind of ready for anything that would come at us. And luckily, there was already a battle group up in New York. They had enough aircraft, they grounded all the aircraft of the United States, except for the military. And they said, we don’t need you. Go ahead and go to your training, all our pilots trained. We’re out to sea for a couple months, and then things started heating up over there a little bit, and they’re starting to realize who attacked us, and where it came from. So we just happened to be ready 18 months later to go on deployment again. And that’s when things really started ramping up.
I remember we went to Puerto Rico, we were testing out these 500 pound smart bombs. And the objective or the goal was, there we’re gonna send in special forces into an area and kind of get rid of caches of weapons that the special forces were finding. And that was our objective at the time was the pilots, that special force to go in kind of paint the target. And then they said these 500 pound smart bombs are just loaded with these bombs, so that they could limit civilian casualties and hit the target where it needs to be hit. That way, we could send in the ground the army and Marines to go knocking on the doors and seeing where all the bad guys are. So that was the start of my military career. Of course, in the Navy, you get to travel the world. So those are some of my fondest memories of all the ports that we got to go to, but we also saw action. Operation Enduring Freedom was what we were part of. We were the first battle group to actually go over 200 miles off Pakistan is kind of where we sat. But we’re the first battle group to actually go into combat during that time. There was already a group that was over there when the conflict started. And then we were there relieved after they were out there 11 months doing the due. So definitely, a lot of fun memories, good memories, and memories that I’ll never regret. The camaraderie that you build when you’re in that kind of scene. Those are some of the best friends that I’ll never ever forget for sure.
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah, that’s the one thing about the military, and law enforcement is the same thing. But I think the military is a little different type of camaraderie. Just because you’re overseas or you’re not usually where you live. You’re thrown into it, but it really makes those things happen. So when you go to those foreign countries and stuff like that, at least, I know from my experience. The amount of detail that I remember going into a foreign country or whatever is so much different if you just go on vacation. Because if you go on vacation, most people just go, they want to hit the tourist spots, all the fun places. Where in the military, we’re all adventurous. We have to try to find out what’s out there besides the tourist stuff.
Jesse Johnson: The first appointment before 9/11, there were a lot of countries that wanted us to come, and we were on a nuclear carrier. Some countries want to do something near them, something goes wrong on the carrier. But when we’re in conflict, they don’t want to be attacked or want to be attacked in their turf, because then they have to act up. So there were a lot of places that, they’re a little standoffish on actually letting us come and dock up. So we went to Bahrain quite a bit. You’d like the first deployment every three weeks somewhere, in a new country. But the second deployment, we kind of stuck to the places that weren’t as fun. Bahrain is, we call the sandpit. There’s not much to do there, but it’s a good break off the ship for sure. And then, yeah, getting out of the military, the transition, I actually planned on being, 20 years, wanting to retire in the military. My goal was just about ready to sign up or be approved for this given Admiral program. I had everything but the board to go through, and essentially, you go from enlisted to mission, and they put you through a school of your choice accredited school. You have a five year commitment after that, but you’re a commissioned officer. And that was a pretty good route.
I remember I had a pilot that said, if you had the choice, what would you do? Would you go this route? Or this route? He said: “If I had the choice, I’ll do it again, I would actually get out, join the reserves, and then go to a school, get your degree and then make the decision.” At that time, you got to think about your family. Do you want to have a family? Do you want to have kids? There’s other things involved and said, because in the military, it’s a pretty high divorce rate. Pretty good chance that you’re going to be moving from place to place, you got to think about their future and the trauma that’s going to have on them. And I had a fiance at the time, now my wife. I do want to have kids and I want to have a family life so I decided to get out. So I got out in August 2003 with the whole intention of going back in, but I decided not to join the reserves, which had a cross rate and became a CB. I just wanted to focus on schooling. I figured to get this done as quickly as I could. Use the GI Bill, which is an amazing feature for veterans. I knew that it would take 10 years to take advantage of the GI Bill, and they jumped right in school.
The fortunate but unfortunate part is about two years in the schooling, I was diagnosed with asthma. So of course, as opposed to disqualifying an ailment, the military, they won’t let you back unless you have a specific intelligence or something. So unfortunately in 2005, I basically told my Navy Corps, done, you need to sidetrack and do something else. And I was halfway through a degree at that time, which in the military, a lot of times, the joke is, if you want to be a pilot, you get a degree in underwater basket weaving. They don’t really care what it is because you’re gonna be flying a plane. So I had to change my degree from underwater basket weaving. I decided what I want to do when I grow up and go from his health and human performance to a business. So I decided to go that route with information systems, thinking everything involves computers. And I figured that I learned a bit more about computers and had put the military career behind me, unfortunately. But it was great memories for what I did for the four years I was out there.
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah, I’ve heard some other people that have had that, same thing happen. But it’s like this saying that I learned about a couple years ago, I think the first time I heard it, maybe three. But it said, these things happen for you, not to you. And that can even be a real bad situation that you encounter. And at the time, you’re thinking, man, I had all this plan, I had life all lined up, and this and that. And then all of a sudden, bang. That just one little tiny thing happens, and it sets you off on this whole trajectory into a realm that you’ve never dreamed of. But it’s amazing where that takes you.
Jesse Johnson: Absolutely. I had a lot of thoughts because I saw my friends that were in the military with their career, talking about how much time they have left till they retire. Because I was slated to retire at 38. So I had all these goals and dreams. I like to say, it was kind of a blessing in disguise. I think it happened to me for the right reasons, because I did. My wife and I got married, ultimately, and had three kids. I would think that a military career for my family would have been the right choice. Especially my wife’s family, they’re very large, family oriented, they like to see each other quite a bit, and a lot of gatherings happen. Pulling my wife away from her culture, it would have definitely been a tough, tough scenario. So it worked out for the best and then kind of transitioning to the civilian life portion. I had to think of what I’m good at, what I want to do, and then something that actually I could stay in, because I live in Montana.
I can actually stay in Montana, because the whole time, I was away in all these different countries. I was thinking, there’s no place like home. Montana is a beautiful place, it has everything we need as a family. So I wanted something that I could actually stay in. Stay here, stay my roots where I’m grounded in public safety.In the military, we’re pretty much public safety, we’re servants to our country, servants to the world. And I had that mindset of, I want to continue to serve, just in a different aspect. And that’s actually what drew me to the firefighting and law enforcement side of things. So the transition for me was a little little easier in that aspect. I think you find a lot of military people actually go into those career fields when they get out, this more than a camaraderie that they’re used to, more of that brotherhood that everybody kind of shares the same emotions, the same mentality that they had when they’re in the military. So definitely, easier transition.
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah. I think the adrenaline has a lot to do with that as well. Because the type of guys that, the more active they were, if they’re in the military and they were, maybe they were stuck behind a desk or something like that, they get out, they don’t really care. But you get somebody who is active and you kind of go at 800 miles an hour. That’s where the law enforcement fire NDMS really jumps out at people because it’s different. But at least you still have, it’s not boring where you just sit around all day.
“The worst thing any of us could do is bringing in the memories of the past instead of focusing on the future. What we could do tomorrow is to help the next person.” -Jesse Johnson
Jesse Johnson: Yeah. It’s not to the point where a lot of friends still in the military got out to different branches. A lot of them struggle, and they go from being in conflict, and go, go, go, and save their friends life and stuff, and then they get stuck behind a desk job, and just eat out for a minute. It’s definitely an emotional struggle. Of course, PTSD, and that kind of stuff catches up with a lot of individuals. But when you get into the law enforcement fire, there’s always struggle, but it’s definitely something that helps you keep your mind off the past and always kind of edging towards the future. That’s the worst thing any of us could do as well in the past, and reining in the memories of the past. And instead of focusing on the future and what we could do tomorrow to help the next person. So that’s what I had the privilege of for 10 years. Now, with law enforcement fire, my mindset is, how can I help the next person today and tomorrow. Give the struggles of the past behind me. They pop up, but I’m aware of it enough to where I can move, transition my thoughts to delta things all the time.
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah. That’s one thing about the training that you get in the military. Then the fire law enforcement and stuff like that are some places that do a good job of training you and just do that training, you kind of learn to watch for that. Some people let things kind of build up too much. And unfortunately, there’s some places where they work. And there’s no support, which is, I know, for some people that are really struggling with some of that where they’re at. Well, there’s support, but it was like they’d thrown a deal. A little blanket over you when you’re freezing, it doesn’t really do much.
Jesse Johnson: Yeah. I think the hardest part for a lot of friends is the middle struggle and a transition. You always want to stay away because everybody always has negative thoughts. For me, if I see somebody, like for instance, I’m hiring somebody, I’ll take somebody that has a background in the military over somebody that doesn’t because I know that they’re committed, they’re dedicated, they have a great work ethic for the most part. But there’s always that lingering thought of, you always have to worry about their past, they may have some PTSD or some struggling moments that I might be able to help them with or through, they may be the perfect person for the job. And I know, there may be some side baggage because of conflict. We’ve been at war for the last 20 years, so if you’ve been in the military, you’ve probably been a part of it at some point, that there’s probably going to be some military baggage if he will come in with it.
For me, I can at least try to help that person through their struggles. If they go to a place that doesn’t have any support, or they don’t hire military personnel, very often, I think that person is just a hole they can’t dig themselves out of. And especially if they get too far in deep and they can’t move on, then the real negative thoughts start kicking in, the thoughts that we never want to, especially law enforcement fire, you see suicide, etc. You and I were talking earlier, that kind of stuff happening, especially with COVID. And the struggles of the last year are more rampant. And hopefully, we’re coming out of that onward and upward, but it’s definitely come to light more frequently that I’ve noticed. Just within circles of influence in the fire and law enforcement military side, you hear stories way too often compared to back in the day.
“The gift that I get is when I can help somebody.” -Bruce Jeppesen
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah. I don’t even really want to go down that part with the lack of support in general. I mean, that’s one of the reasons why I’m just so passionate about doing this, because I know I could reach people from my own experience. And you could talk to people and they go, well, what do you know about it? Or something like that. You can say, well, I suffered from deep depression, suicide attempts and all this kind of stuff. And then you start labeling some of the things, the lack of self worthiness, lack of self confidence. You start going down the list, and all of a sudden they’re like, oh, well, okay, maybe this person isn’t completely stupid. And now, you’ll get that opportunity to visit with somebody. And I absolutely love that feeling of being able to help people. That’s my biggest blessing, the gift that I get is when I can help somebody.
“There are a lot of good people, but there’s a lot of bad people too. And the bad people sometimes have a louder voice and the good people. When we lift our own voice, it carries through and people start listening.” -Jesse Johnson
“Cherish your memories and continue to create memories with those that have a server’s attitude that wants to help people.” -Jesse Johnson
Jesse Johnson: Oh, yeah, absolutely. And as you progress with these conversations and the different stories that come out, it’s just going to help more and more individuals realize that they’re not alone. There’s other people with the same struggles, going through the same situations, maybe a different storyline, but the umbrellas are the same. And we in the military law enforcement fire have to kind of bond together and lift each other up, keep each other spirits high. Because you’d learn that there are a lot of good people, but there’s a lot of bad people too. And the bad people sometimes have a louder voice than the good people. And when we kind of lift our own voice, it carries through and people start listening. Cops aren’t bad people, firefighters are bad people, militaries are not bad people. We get into that service, that career to help people. I mean, that’s ultimately what it is. And when you get out and you come home, or at the end of the day, there’s still people out there that hate you because you didn’t save their house, which got their car in fire. They hate you because you were in the military. But ultimately, that brotherhood, that camaraderie, what I look forward to all the time is being able to cherish those memories and can continue to create memories with those that are like minded, and have that server’s attitude that wants to help people.
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah, I think that’s really critical. Sometimes, when you talk to people, if you don’t know a mechanic, a store, gas station, whatever. And a lot of times, people will just kind of brush you off for no more reason. I mean, they don’t know what you do, or don’t know anything about you. But I’ve had times, the things I’ve gone through, I look back at the times where maybe I was quiet when somebody was talking to me, and they just took the chance on, hey, where are you from? Or you’ll kind of get a conversation started. And I remember how much that meant to me. Because if I was alone, especially traveling, as much as I appreciated that, it actually made me feel like somebody noticed me when you get to those points where you feel like you’re invisible. So now, one of the things I love doing is talking to people and just asking them what your real simple question is, not just basically a yes or no kind of thing. And smile at people, say hi and do it first. It’s amazing, the reactions you get from when you don’t do it.
“Having that firm handshake, the look in the eye, and smiling lifts somebody’s spirits so much. It shows people that you do care about them and you want to see them do better.” -Jesse Johnson
Jesse Johnson: I work at a place where I see thousands of people coming through different people. And it’s an environment where there’s a lot of things and anxiety, and most people don’t have a smile on their face. Their minds are on something, they’re just trying to get through their day. And when you stop and look them in the eye and actually smile or offer that handshake, for a while, we can see somebody smile. But now that we can, I tried to offer that as much as possible. Because if you smile at somebody, they’re inevitably gonna smile back. It’s just a human reaction. 90% of people, all of a sudden, they start feeling better, and they’re gonna smile. It’s one of those things that just continuing on, and having that firm handshake, the look in the eye and smiling, that lifts somebody’s spirits so much. It shows people that you do care about them and you want to see them do better. It’s something I was raised doing, firm handshake, look in the eye, and don’t be afraid to look at the ground when you’re talking to people, that kind of stuff like that. I’m always proud of myself in doing, teaching my kids to do that as well because it has a heavy influence on people. Just the smallest little thing.
“They’re not mad at you. It’s just nobody can smile 24 hours a day.” -Bruce Jeppesen
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah. When you say that, I was that person almost all my life. I’ve never looked at people, I’d look down. If somebody would talk to me, I would look at them. But if they intimidated me, I’d always look away. And then after I learned to quit doing that, and that some people just think they’re not smiling, they’re not mad at you, nobody can smile 24 hours a day. So as I started learning that, I was like, oh, okay, maybe this guy is gonna kick my butt or just some stupid crap. I used to think that because of that super insecure mindset. So now, the thing I’m trying to do is be the person that I needed, what I didn’t have anybody all those years ago. And the reward from that thing, you’re just talking about that smile, that handshake and all that, and being the first one to do it. Just absolutely amazing.
Jesse Johnson: Yeah, you get the person on the other side of the table, their demeanor changes right away, they go from whatever was on their mind, the stuff that they were maybe have a bad day, they instantly forget about it like, oh, hey, they smile, and it’s a good trait. A lot of people are getting used to doing it again. We’re not stuck on our phones and looking down all the time. I think that’s just going to get worse before it gets better personally, because what Kobe taught us is people got addicted to technology. But having more people, especially military law enforcement fire, the people that everybody typically looks up to because they’re doing something that most people don’t have the courage to do Like if we’re the ones that are extending the handshake first and smiling, and I get a little, not only lift our spirits, but there’s as well as a small thing that makes big waves.
Bruce Jeppesen: When you get off work or whatever, what do you like to do with your family, or if you need recreation time, what kind of activities do you like to do?
Jesse Johnson: My favorite place when I get out of work, I like to go to the gym. It’s a good place just to let the day go and focus on my health. Most people, we focus on so many other people all the time that sometimes we forget about ourselves and our own needs. So I try to take an hour at least to focus on mental health, physical health. And then, of course, I go home and I like to throw baseballs with the boys, or kick a soccer ball and spend as much time with them as I can. But summer times are a little tricky. We farm, we do have a 11 acre farm that we grow natural produce and sell at the Farmers Markets on a weekend. So our time is limited during the summer. But that’s typically from like 6:00 till midnight. Sometimes, we were just out there in the apartment. But when I get off work, I usually hit the gym and then play with the kids. That’s my happy place.
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah. And that’s something that is so critical that a lot of people don’t do, because they forget about the kids, or they’re too tired from work and they’re stressed out and they don’t take that time. Like you said, for yourself, just to kind of decompress for a little bit and go home. Unfortunately, there’s so much alcoholism and drug abuse, but I love hearing stories where people take the time to go do that. This weekend, we had this old school reunion here in my hometown. We had probably 5 or 600 people show up, but they have brought their family. And Saturday night, there was kind of an event in the middle of town. And I bet you, there were 40 little kids. I mean, little, some still on the stroller to probably six, seven years old, and they were having the best time. And that’s the first time I’ve seen that in years. Everybody was just so excited to be out, getting the fresh air, the weather was perfect. And last year, we wanted to do this very thing. But obviously, we couldn’t. So this year, I think people are gonna make it up for it, which was really fun to be a part of.
“The best drug is right outside the door- the fresh air, the sunshine, the exercise.” -Jesse Johnson
Jesse Johnson: Yeah. They’re definitely traveling, and people are out spending money on Farmers Market on the weekends, we haven’t seen crowds like this. They’re realizing how important it is to get out of their house, how important it is to go enjoy the things. When all that stuff’s taken away, you realize that you’ve taken it for granted for so many years. We live in Montana and you have the mountains, the rivers, lakes, have all this stuff to do, but we’re so focused on work, work, work, work, paying bills that we forget about ourselves. A lot of people, they turn to alcohol, they turn to drugs, it’s kind of a coping mechanism. In fact, the best drug is right outside the door. It’s the fresh air, it’s the sunshine, it’s the exercise. And if your goal is to go home and just drink, we definitely need to have a conversation to change that mindset because that shouldn’t be the ultimate goal. The goal should be enjoying what we have out there. There’s a lot out there, you just got to look for.
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah. Yeah. And the crazy thing about this as bad as this stuff was that it hit the world. So many people lost their lives. But if it’s a typical deal of a closed mindset or open mindset. But to me, something good always comes from something bad if you look. And when you stop and look how much good has come out of this, even with the terrible tragedy of life, loss of life, but just like what you’re saying, people are appreciating getting outside, they’re not taking it for granted as bad. And people are much more concerned about their health, because like you say, when you take that away from you, you’ve had it forever, it’s like just going into the military. Most of us are in our late teens, early 20’s, and we’re kind of stupid about that. They throw us into basic training. And now, all of a sudden, you’re up at 4:00 o’clock, you can’t do anything. So we experienced that, but a lot of people never do. I think it’s just been a great eye opener for people. And people are realizing they don’t have to be stuck in an office. There’s options that maybe they never saw before. So I just see a lot of good things.
Jesse Johnson: Yeah. It’s definitely opening people’s minds because they realize, maybe, if they want to be, at one time they want to be a stay at home parent, or they want to work from home, they realize, well, maybe that’s not for me. But they also realize that the office work, like said, they’re changing careers, or maybe they want to be an entrepreneur. Maybe they want to open their business, but they have to be careful. The business that they wanted to open all of a sudden might have been one of the ones that went out of business because they didn’t have essential workers. So it definitely gets you thinking of what’s next in investing money. People are probably holding money a little tighter than before and actually being a little more safe with it, not just throwing it out there. They’re realizing that they might want to have a little safety net, just in case this happens again. Because a lot of people lost their jobs and the government can’t continue to, I mean, they probably could, but they probably should continue to keep getting money out because the debt is always so high. And I mean, I think people can see how much money is being put out there, and they’re also realizing that people have to work. There’s always a lack of jobs out there. That roller coaster of thought, and people are, they’re just renegotiating their life and how they want to live it.
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah. And for many, it’s the first time ever, just because they’ve never been exposed to it, especially a lot of the younger people. I love seeing so many younger people that are concerned about things now where a lot of people are just kind of like, yeah, nothing will ever happen. Well, I guess that’s been proven wrong here. But a lot of things have been coming to life for sure. So I guess just some of the things. Basically, this podcast is called Recipes For Life. One of the things I love to do is talk about food. Do you have a favorite comfort food? And then if so, if you could just have anything that’s your absolute favorite thing ever, what would it be? Oh, man, I’m a pizza guy. I love good pizza. It’s not probably not the best food for your health. But when it comes to a comfort level, I was on my deathbed and like, what’s your last meal? You get a good local pizza. We have a lot of good local places that make some really good pies, and that’s where I would dive in. I’m good with burgers and steaks and I love all that, but good pizza, not Pizza Hut, but a good local. That’s my comfort food.
Jesse Johnson: Yeah, that could be my comfort food and my last meal food both, it’s what we do. It’s amazing when you find one of those whatever it is that is just the flavor is something you’ve never experienced before. Because you get used to all the commercial crap, and then you finally learn that that’s not all crap, I guess. And so that you go to those specialty places. You’re just like, how did I never have this before? It’s funny as well as farmers, we grow 50 to 60 different varieties of veggies. So we have every veggie that we can pretty much grow in Montana at our fingertips. Well, we always eat, we’ll go to the comfort foods over the veggies. Like I look at veggies, I grow them, because I see them all day long. I do nibble on the carrots, the broccoli and stuff, but you can never go wrong with good pizza, and then go to the gym, you know? That’s when you have to go even more.
Bruce Jeppesen: Walk to the gym afterwards. With your career, your family stuff, where do you like to see yourself in like five years and then 10 years?
Jesse Johnson: Five years, right now, we just have a reverse high schooler. My daughter is going to be a freshman. So I get an experience from that generation, high school. I remember my high school years so I’m trying to steer her away from things I used to do. And then I got my two boys who are 10 and 14. So the next five years, it’s really just kind of getting my kids through school and tour, they have a really good experience. And spend as much time with them as I can, because I know inevitably, they’re gonna be walking out the door and going to go start their own life. So my youngest won’t quite be out of school yet, but we’ll have two that are college bound and out the door. So I need to start thinking about spending as much time with them as I can for the next five years. Within 10 years, they’re all going to be out of college, they’re going to be on their way. And that may be, it’s gonna be travel, it’s gonna be what kind of memories we can make together. We’re going to be lifelong partners. We definitely don’t want to become roommates to where every day is the same day, we want to make an experience, make memories. And then in 15 years, hopefully, we’re getting to this grandkid or kind of start that part of our life.
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah, that’s exciting to hear. It’s been fun watching you guys being a part of your life for what’s been like, seven or eight years now. I love watching families grow, sticking together and stuff like that, because it means a lot more to me than I guess some people, because my family didn’t have that option. They broke up, so I missed out on a lot of that stuff. But I get a lot of happiness watching, especially watching parents and kids interact, and just being goofy and having fun, knowing they’re safe and stuff like that. What’s funny is my wife, whenever somebody asks how many kids we have, she always says four. I have to think about it for a second, I’m going, oh, you’re talking about me. So my kids give me an excuse to be, just turned 40, like you, need to grow up. If you can hear my kids in the background. But either way, I helped with the children’s church. And so I go down there, it’s just fun to sit there and listen to them, just all that excitement.
And for a lot of the years when I was struggling with stuff, I forgot how to dream. People just sit down and just try to imagine this and that. And I’m like, there were years where I couldn’t do it. So the best thing ever for me was to sit down there and listen to those kids. Because they would say, well, what do you want to do? Back to the, I want to be an astronaut, I’m gonna do on, and on, and on. He’s like, hey, I used to think like that too. And just seeing that life, unfortunately, a lot of people get older and they just give up. It’s like, okay, I’m retired. I’m just gonna, no, that’s not the life for me. So that’s one thing I love about the excitement from younger people as they haven’t lost that yet. I think they give us an excuse to not have to deal and feel. One more is if anybody in history, I just go back as far as you want. Who would you like to sit down and have a conversation with?
Jesse Johnson: Hmm, it’s a great question. I like history, you know. The world kind of changed throughout the years and kind of what caused this, what caused that, but I don’t want to go too far back. I definitely would like to go back and sit down in the room when the constitution was being made, and listen to our founding fathers as to why they made the decisions that they were making at the time. And then just to think about how it impacts us today compared to the 1700’s. What were those conversations that were being had as to why first and second [inaudible], and the stuff that in law enforcement you deal with all the time do you think about. Like, what were the true origins and reasons? I would like to personally sit down with one of the founding fathers, if you will, the writers of the constitution and pick their brain? I think that would be an interesting conversation.
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah. Of all the things I’ve thought about, I’ve never had that thought. That is cool. I really liked it. I mean, that really opens up just so many things. Yeah, that’s cool. So many decisions are made off the constitution, how we enforce law, how we go through the military, freedom of speech, everything that impacts us today. What were your thoughts in 300 years, what did you see in the direction of this country, that kind of thing?
Jesse Johnson: That would be vulnerable. So there’s definitely a lot of people I’d like to talk to, but that’s just one that strikes gold with me?
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah, yeah. So if people want to learn more about you, or to follow you, or whatever, do you have anything that you would like to share about that? Some people do, some don’t.
“Try to take it one day at a time and enjoy every moment.” -Jesse Johnson
Jesse Johnson: I have a Facebook page, a LinkedIn page on law enforcement fire, medical as well. But the military, more focused on LinkedIn. I got my bio and kind of history, that kind of stuff under Jesse Johnson on LinkedIn. So that’s where you can learn a little bit about who I am. Other than that, I’m just a Family Guy, and don’t try to take it one day at a time, and enjoy every moment.
Bruce Jeppesen: Well, good. We’re kind of getting close here. I want to be respectful of your time, and I definitely want to thank you for being a part of it, and for your friendship conversation around me over the years, thanks for thinking of me. Hopefully, what we talked about with each other, if they’re struggling or going through some things, realizing that they don’t struggle alone. And tomorrow’s another day, that’s the main thing. You are not alone. And some people, they have to look at making food to the next minute or to the next hour. There’s some that are struggling that hard, and I really hope that these conversations will help people enough to help them get to that next time.
Jesse Johnson: Yeah, 1,000%.
Bruce Jeppesen: Well, thanks, Jesse. I really appreciate it. Great conversation with you.
Jesse Johnson: Yeah, I love it.
Bruce Jeppesen: Is there any last thing you wanted to share, say or whatever?
Jesse Johnson: I had food on my mind now though. She’s actually got some halibut from the market, and she’s gonna make some fish tacos. So I hear that they’re chopping up some cilantro, and now, we’re talking about food.
Bruce Jeppesen: Yeah, fish tacos are just kind of setting the pace. Okay, well, thank you again, Jesse. I sure appreciate it.
Jesse Johnson: Yeah, thank you. Good talking to Bruce.
Bruce Jeppesen: Okay. Well, thanks everybody for tuning in to this episode of Recipes For a Great Life. Thanks for watching and listening, and I appreciate it if you share it to somebody who’s struggling or that might benefit from hearing these conversations. Leave comments, whatever’s on your heart. We sure appreciate it, and we will get to the next time. So thank you.
