Last of the Butcher’s Dozen

For almost nine years, I’ve thought about starting a blog. I’ve always loved stories, memories, and the experiences that shape who we become. So after thinking about it for years, I finally decided to start Only One Life.

My name is Charlie Metzger, and this space is where I’ll share parts of my life, experiences, memories, and the things I genuinely love: food, music, nature, gardening, photography, health, finance and the simple moments that somehow stay with us forever.

I started writing back in college at University of Florida and always imagined writing a book someday. Life got busy, time passed, but the idea never fully left me.

I’m the youngest of thirteen children, the last of the butcher’s dozen. I have nine sisters named Mary. Yes, you really can’t make this stuff up!

My ancestors came from Germany, and the name Metzger translates to “butcher” or “sausage maker.” I didn’t exactly continue the family business, although food somehow always stayed part of my life. I spent ten years working in the restaurant business and developed a real love for cooking and bringing people together around food.

I was born in St. Louis but moved to Florida when I was one year old. We grew up on the New River in Fort Lauderdale, and looking back now, it was an incredible place to be a kid.

When I was four years old, before kindergarten, I used to go to work with my dad while my mom worked for the Broward County Health Department. At the time, he owned the Sky Ride at Ocean World, a small aquarium park featuring dolphins, sea lions, sharks, alligators, birds, and other sea creatures. 

The park was close enough that my dad would ride there on his three-wheel electric bike, and I’d sit in the back on top of his briefcase while we made our way there together. I still remember riding the Sky Ride with giant stuffed animals to show visitors how much fun it was. Some of my siblings hung out there, too, and a few of my sisters even worked feeding the sharks.

This was back in the early 80s, when bathrooms still had reusable hand towels hanging from the wall. People would hide money in bushes and tell me there was a money tree nearby. I still remember the wax mold machines and the smell of the animal figures when they came out warm from the molds. Funny how certain smells and small moments stay with you forever.

Looking back now, those memories taught me something early on. Life is really made up of experiences, people, memories, and the little things we often don’t realize matter until years later. That’s a big part of what inspired Only One Life.

To me, it’s a reminder that we only get one life, so we should make the most out of it. Not just through big achievements, but through everyday moments, staying curious, appreciating where we’ve been, and continuing to enjoy what’s still ahead.

So whether you’re here because of food, music, health, photography, gardening, finance or simply because something here resonates with you, I’m glad you’re here.

I’m excited to finally begin sharing these stories. And with that, the journey begins. Welcome to Only One Life!