YOU ARE ONE OF DA KINE –
July 1, 2022 – Early in my childhood, I suffered in silence on most days, trying to get away from the hecklers and the beautiful people who thought they would be blessed with their looks for a lifetime. In sixth grade, I went to school as my peers referring to me as “Harpo” from the Three Stooges because of my curly hair. My parents were divorced, one year I’d live with my father but when I got in middle-school the taunting took on a new directness. I could not walk down the hall without everyone exclaiming, “Hey there Harpo How are You Doing?” Needless to say, I wanted to just hide under a rock. I am spending most of my time becoming visible as I was “invisible” to most people my entire life. Recovery, now 22.10 years later, was the catalyst for my complete transformation, not just to love myself, but to love others where they are, as well. There was always a tipping point that typically took me deeper down into depression. Drugs and Alcohol couldn’t fill the emptiness inside of me as I tried beginning in junior high school until the age of 47. I had no self-acceptance whatsoever, and what came with that, of course, was no self-esteem. I had a GPA of 2.2 when I graduated from high school and had made up my mind that I would drink, drug and run the streets as hard and as long as I could. Which I did. Needless to say, I stayed a complete failure and mental midget until I found recovery.
