So many are in an uproar over the Mayan calendar. There's multiple discussions about the world ending, but in reality, their civilization disappeared before Mr. Acan could print up the new calendar. Maybe the next one would have depicted maize and salt in various poses...but who knows? It's just another mystery for us to ponder about that culture.
The point is, that just as our calendar ends on December 31st in anticipation of renewal, filled with second chances for a better life, so does theirs...at least that's what I think. My guess is that they just didn't stick around long enough to see how the world has evolved, or publish the next date-keeper for their version of a fridge.
There are a bunch of like minded people who believe that December 21,2012 will bring about a time of change. It appears we are certainly warming up for it, but it is up to us about whether or not it will be a turn for the better or worse.
Hurricane Sandy was the opening act, followed closely by the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.
Both events were devastating to many, and caught so much attention that they rippled out to the entire country, affecting millions of people.
The talk about both is basically the same...BLAME. Blame God, guns, LIPA, global warming, etc. Two violent acts befall us, and we inject anger and fear into the mix.
But, there has also been much kindness. Prayers have been offered, financial, practical and spiritual donations have been passed out by the truckful...however, it concerns me when I realize which voice has been the loudest. Some of the same people who have been generous have also been almost eaten alive by anger and fear.
I just released a book that talks about being grateful for what you have everyday because it can all be taken away in an instant. Our reaction to tough times can either destroy us, our loved ones, and our lives, OR we can grieve it, and grow from it. Unfortunately, my story was only recently released and hadn't had a chance to gain real momentum. I originally wrote it in order to make sense of my own experiences, but eventually made it public, hoping that many could benefit from its message.
For those not directly affected by these tragedies, the biggest thing we can do is to look to be of service rather than trying to place blame or become angry. God or no God, good or evil, we are on this planet with the capacity to love...and that changes EVERYTHING.
Sometimes a lesson learned is not always obvious because the situation
seems so horrific. Think about the shooter in Newtown for instance. He might have
taught us something. Maybe the lesson is...the way you treat someone
ripples out and has an affect on MANY because in reality we are all
connected. We are all one. His pain became the children's pain, which
became their families' pain, which is now our pain...look at how much we
talk about the pain. All of the souls lost were incredibly brave for coming here
and blessing us for such a short time...because the opposite is also
true if we are all connected...the joy they felt and brought their
parents, rippled out in the form of kindness, good moods, generosity,
etc...and that also affects the rest of the world...
The lives that were lost are at peace. The turmoil is over for them and now they are watching us. They were heroes. What will they see when they look down on the Earth?
My advice: Turn your
attention on the joy and celebrate the big and little heroes who have
brought the focus back to what is really in our hearts...LOVE. If we
didn't LOVE, we wouldn't grieve so much for them and what their families are going through. They have woken up
others who have been sleepwalking through their lives, and for that I
say Thank You.
Do not hug your children tightly just because this happened in Newtown...hug them tightly EVERY DAY. Do not start talking to your neighbor just because you are helping him rebuild after Hurricane Sandy, and then forget he ever existed. Show each other kindness EVERY DAY. Be happy that the people you know and love are here to spend time with you right now and create joy EVERY DAY....then, if it is taken away, there will be no regrets...only happy memories. A wise woman named Amanda said, "It's where YOUR heart ends up that is most important."
.
I
am reminded of something someone told me once... a mother of a friend
of mine was in the hospital watching her son die. She wanted to donate
his organs, but there wasn't much left of him to donate. The mother was
grief stricken, but clear enough in her higher self to say, "Find something. Do your best and find something you
can use for someone else. MAKE HIS DEATH COUNT."
Do something kind in the name of the victims of either disaster and document it in the comments section of this blog. Type in what you did and who you did it for. It doesn't have to be a big organized event; sometimes a smile or a "hello" can mean everything. Use the names of the victims (living or deceased) if you can. If you follow my
advice and change your mind set, then for those who died, their deaths WILL COUNT, and for those who are still with us, but are trying to rebuild, their lives will count now while they are here.
As for me, I will be giving $1 from every copy of the book I just released, SUKI, (sold in December, January, and February) to either The Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund or to The Newtown Memorial Fund...the buyer's choice. When you order from the website:
readsuki.com
and you check out, just specify where you would like the money to go to in the buyers instructions box.
For those of you who buy it locally at THE SPOON on Wellwood Ave in Lindenhurst, NY, please leave a note with management, and they will get it to me.
Think about how you want to spend the rest of your time here, whether it's the next two days or two hundred years...I'm going to bet you'd like to look back on a life spent being joyful and loving...even through the tough times...especially then.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
HAPPY #@$&%* THANKSGIVING!
#SquadGoals
I always say that just because you have a party, it doesn't mean that you'll have a good time. You have to invite the right kind of people...the types that know that they ARE the party.
That's why when my family and I decided to commute into NYC to watch the Macy's floats get inflated for the Thanksgiving Day Parade, I was confident. My crew is awesome and I was sure we'd have a fantastic time.
Wait for it...
The LIRR was running on time and we smiled as we settled into our seats for the ride. Little did we know that there was a switch problem at Penn Station and service was suspended both into and out of NYC.
The train stopped a few miles outside of the Jamaica Station, and there we sat. Jamaica wouldn't accept us either, until other trains were cleared to make room. Finally we were allowed in, only to be told that there would be no train or subway service going any further west. So we hopped on an eastbound train and prepared to go home. My group moaned and groaned, but I said, "We have our best adventures when these screw ups happen...just wait for it."
The Three Stooges. They're just like us.
We squeezed into the tiny vestibule between cars, which meant that I was sandwiched between my son and and some older guy. Everyone's bodies jerked dangerously with the train... till we got to the Baldwin Station and the older guy took his hand off of my ass long enough to inform us that Penn Station was now up and running.
Like a scene from a Three Stooges episode, we decided a moment too late to get off the train we were on and head back to NYC. The sliding doors shut just as my daughter's boyfriend ran face first into the glass. He and I let out a loud, simultaneous, "UGH!" and somehow the Universe heard us. Miraculously, the doors reopened. All five of us jumped/pushed each other out and onto the platform.
Never give up.
Twenty-five minutes and a Dunkin Donuts bathroom break later, we were on our way to NYC. Our spirits weren't crushed when we finally got to the Thanksgiving Day floats and realized that we had missed the entire inflation process. But after we walked forty blocks looking for the Jackson Hole restaurant we swore was right across from the museum, our smiles faded and we finally gave up. That special something that always happens, didn't this time.
It was 1am when we arrived at Penn Station to go home. We dragged ourselves down the stairs from the street in search of the train schedule. We were miserable, tired, and frankly, a little bored.
But that's how it always happens...at our lowest point, when we least expect it...
I am thankful for...
As I stepped off the escalator in Penn Station, I was convinced that they had gathered in one place for my convenience and that the Universe--acting as host for the occasion--said, "Welcome!" and was pleased when my face lit up at the scene in front of me.Some were standing, laying or sitting on the floor, and a few had managed to morph into one person. The youth of America would not let me down. This would be a magical Thanksgiving after all.
I really don't like cliches or the same old predictable conversations, but in this case, I will make an exception because it is Thanksgiving, the cusp of the holiday season. In teh spirit of gratitude, I would like to make a list of what I was especially thankful for that night:
1.FASHION ADVICE
*Cellulite is the only acceptable way to accessorize gold sequined short shorts
*Shoes that are a size too big for you are the new stilettos
*Short skirts are fun, but not sexy unless your belly shows AND is big enough to cover the waistband of said skirt
* DO NOT even think about wearing those shorts or skirts without fishnets stockings that sport identical, homemade rips on both thighs
*If you are going to be sprawled out and drunk on the floor of Penn Station and still want to be considered "hip", you should NOT be wearing underwear
2.GEOGRAPHY LESSONS
*Overheard as a bunch of drunk 20-25 year olds rushed to board the train to Babylon: "This is the wrong train...it's going to Babylon. We have to wait for the West Babylon train."
*Two girls stood in the aisle to the left of my seat. They ate churros and spit crumbs into my hair as they figured out where they should get off. They needed to tell someone where to meet them. Finally it was clear, "Babylon and Mineola are the same place....maybe he can pick us up there."
*The conductor told at least three people that they don't belong on this train because they are going to Port Jefferson, so he made them get off and switch at Jamaica.
*One girl stumbled through the narrow path between the rows of seats saying, "I don't know which way I'm supposed to be walking."
3. TIMES ARE CHANGING
*I predict that texting may become obsolete. If the shrill voices of the future generation are any indication, there will be no need.
*Food too...the couple that I saw eating each others faces didn't seem to have the same dietary needs as everyone else who was inhaling pizza around them. Of course the pizza eaters vomited it all out of themselves either on the way to the train, or in the train itself, thus proving my theory that future bodies will not need actual food to survive.
*Independence is making a comeback. A girl who was almost being carried by five very patient bff's--so that she wouldn't fall down--was heard shrieking, "I lost all of my friends but whatever..."
4. BEING TOLD "NO" IS JUST NOT FUN
*A boy pushed his way through the passengers left standing in the aisle of the crowded train. He got to the conductor who stopped him and asked him where he was going.
Passenger: "I just want to get through here and throw my jacket on the floor."
Conductor: "You don't want to go back there. There's vomit all over the floor."
Passenger (stomping off angrily): "I hate this f%&#! train! I really do!"
It's all about perspective.
Out of all of the trains that ride back and forth between Long Island and NYC every day, we happened to get onto the two that were delayed both going to and coming back from Penn Station. Amidst the wailing, shouting, and sharting, my crew and I tried to sleep till we got home. But if I had, I might never have been able to say thanks to so many of you:
Thanks to one passenger on the 1:42 am train--while I was asleep, if it wasn't for you screaming, "Why the f^@#* have we been sitting at the Baldwin Station for fifteen minutes?!", I might have been blissfully unaware of the delay and not woken up ten stops early.
Shout outs to the meatheads who were fighting in the first car. Thank goodness that had to be investigated, or I might have also missed sitting at the Merrick Station, while we waited for the police to come.
There is so much to learn from today's youth, and because of that, we have a lot to be grateful for! My kids walked away with some valuable lessons that night....the happiest place on Earth is not necessarily where all the churros are and how NOT to act!
Her blogs have been syndicated on multiple sites including The Masquerade Crew. More posts like these can be found at Humor Outcasts and The Patch where she is a regular contributor.
FOLLOW me on Twitter, Facebook, Google +, and CF_Winn on Instagram.
I always say that just because you have a party, it doesn't mean that you'll have a good time. You have to invite the right kind of people...the types that know that they ARE the party.
That's why when my family and I decided to commute into NYC to watch the Macy's floats get inflated for the Thanksgiving Day Parade, I was confident. My crew is awesome and I was sure we'd have a fantastic time.
Wait for it...
The LIRR was running on time and we smiled as we settled into our seats for the ride. Little did we know that there was a switch problem at Penn Station and service was suspended both into and out of NYC.
The train stopped a few miles outside of the Jamaica Station, and there we sat. Jamaica wouldn't accept us either, until other trains were cleared to make room. Finally we were allowed in, only to be told that there would be no train or subway service going any further west. So we hopped on an eastbound train and prepared to go home. My group moaned and groaned, but I said, "We have our best adventures when these screw ups happen...just wait for it."
 |
| Ali, Bella, and Max |
The Three Stooges. They're just like us.
We squeezed into the tiny vestibule between cars, which meant that I was sandwiched between my son and and some older guy. Everyone's bodies jerked dangerously with the train... till we got to the Baldwin Station and the older guy took his hand off of my ass long enough to inform us that Penn Station was now up and running.
Like a scene from a Three Stooges episode, we decided a moment too late to get off the train we were on and head back to NYC. The sliding doors shut just as my daughter's boyfriend ran face first into the glass. He and I let out a loud, simultaneous, "UGH!" and somehow the Universe heard us. Miraculously, the doors reopened. All five of us jumped/pushed each other out and onto the platform.
Never give up.
Twenty-five minutes and a Dunkin Donuts bathroom break later, we were on our way to NYC. Our spirits weren't crushed when we finally got to the Thanksgiving Day floats and realized that we had missed the entire inflation process. But after we walked forty blocks looking for the Jackson Hole restaurant we swore was right across from the museum, our smiles faded and we finally gave up. That special something that always happens, didn't this time.
It was 1am when we arrived at Penn Station to go home. We dragged ourselves down the stairs from the street in search of the train schedule. We were miserable, tired, and frankly, a little bored.
 |
| What I do for fun |
But that's how it always happens...at our lowest point, when we least expect it...
I am thankful for...
As I stepped off the escalator in Penn Station, I was convinced that they had gathered in one place for my convenience and that the Universe--acting as host for the occasion--said, "Welcome!" and was pleased when my face lit up at the scene in front of me.Some were standing, laying or sitting on the floor, and a few had managed to morph into one person. The youth of America would not let me down. This would be a magical Thanksgiving after all.
I really don't like cliches or the same old predictable conversations, but in this case, I will make an exception because it is Thanksgiving, the cusp of the holiday season. In teh spirit of gratitude, I would like to make a list of what I was especially thankful for that night:
1.FASHION ADVICE
*Cellulite is the only acceptable way to accessorize gold sequined short shorts
*Shoes that are a size too big for you are the new stilettos
*Short skirts are fun, but not sexy unless your belly shows AND is big enough to cover the waistband of said skirt
* DO NOT even think about wearing those shorts or skirts without fishnets stockings that sport identical, homemade rips on both thighs
*If you are going to be sprawled out and drunk on the floor of Penn Station and still want to be considered "hip", you should NOT be wearing underwear
2.GEOGRAPHY LESSONS
*Overheard as a bunch of drunk 20-25 year olds rushed to board the train to Babylon: "This is the wrong train...it's going to Babylon. We have to wait for the West Babylon train."
*Two girls stood in the aisle to the left of my seat. They ate churros and spit crumbs into my hair as they figured out where they should get off. They needed to tell someone where to meet them. Finally it was clear, "Babylon and Mineola are the same place....maybe he can pick us up there."
*The conductor told at least three people that they don't belong on this train because they are going to Port Jefferson, so he made them get off and switch at Jamaica.
*One girl stumbled through the narrow path between the rows of seats saying, "I don't know which way I'm supposed to be walking."
 |
| Mineola and Babylon are the same place. Duh. |
3. TIMES ARE CHANGING
*I predict that texting may become obsolete. If the shrill voices of the future generation are any indication, there will be no need.
*Food too...the couple that I saw eating each others faces didn't seem to have the same dietary needs as everyone else who was inhaling pizza around them. Of course the pizza eaters vomited it all out of themselves either on the way to the train, or in the train itself, thus proving my theory that future bodies will not need actual food to survive.
*Independence is making a comeback. A girl who was almost being carried by five very patient bff's--so that she wouldn't fall down--was heard shrieking, "I lost all of my friends but whatever..."
4. BEING TOLD "NO" IS JUST NOT FUN
*A boy pushed his way through the passengers left standing in the aisle of the crowded train. He got to the conductor who stopped him and asked him where he was going.
Passenger: "I just want to get through here and throw my jacket on the floor."
Conductor: "You don't want to go back there. There's vomit all over the floor."
Passenger (stomping off angrily): "I hate this f%&#! train! I really do!"
 |
| My face when someone tells me it's polite to put on underwear |
It's all about perspective.
Out of all of the trains that ride back and forth between Long Island and NYC every day, we happened to get onto the two that were delayed both going to and coming back from Penn Station. Amidst the wailing, shouting, and sharting, my crew and I tried to sleep till we got home. But if I had, I might never have been able to say thanks to so many of you:
Thanks to one passenger on the 1:42 am train--while I was asleep, if it wasn't for you screaming, "Why the f^@#* have we been sitting at the Baldwin Station for fifteen minutes?!", I might have been blissfully unaware of the delay and not woken up ten stops early.
Shout outs to the meatheads who were fighting in the first car. Thank goodness that had to be investigated, or I might have also missed sitting at the Merrick Station, while we waited for the police to come.
There is so much to learn from today's youth, and because of that, we have a lot to be grateful for! My kids walked away with some valuable lessons that night....the happiest place on Earth is not necessarily where all the churros are and how NOT to act!
CF Winn is the award-winning author of The COFFEE BREAK SERIES, a quirky group of short stories meant to be read while on break or in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. Her first novella, SUKI, has been grabbing hearts and hugging souls all over the United States.
You can now order SUKI in paperback at http://hopress-shorehousebooks.com/cf-winn/ or at BOOK REVUE, one of the nation’s largest independent bookstores, by email at info@bookrevue.com Learn more about SUKI at BOOK REVUE.
Her blogs have been syndicated on multiple sites including The Masquerade Crew. More posts like these can be found at Humor Outcasts and The Patch where she is a regular contributor.
FOLLOW me on Twitter, Facebook, Google +, and CF_Winn on Instagram.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
WHAT'S YOUR STORY??...MEET CHAS
At the SUKI book launch, I was asked about where I get my characters/stories from. I answered, “I am the Taylor Swift of the literary world…if we experience it together, or if you tell me about it… you should now consider yourself warned.”
Everyone has a story, and everybody is interesting. I have a gift for digging that out. I will be compiling them here for your reading pleasure. As one SUKI fan put it, “…it’s unbelievable how you just never know what somebody has been through in life…” Believe me, you never know the impact your experience may have on someone else.
If you’d like to contribute your story, email me at: cfwinn@readsuki.com
—————————————————-0—————————————————-
Meet Chas:
Chas’ first official statement about telling his story here came in the form of a Tweet: “My story? I was born cold, naked, and hungry… from there, things got much worse :) HA”
Fortunately for us, Chas was willing to elaborate.
He grew up on a small farm in Georgia in the 1950's. His neighbors were miles away, so his playmates were his five siblings and cousins that would visit occasionally.
Who knew that Clyde, one of the cousins, would be instrumental in creating the author we know Chas to be today?
Chas described to me what went down on the family farm: "Clyde would always badger me to tell him a ghost story. He would challenge my creative skills by picking a normal every day object and expect it to be the 'haunted' item of the story I would make up. Once I remember him using a roll of toilet paper as the object, and I came up with a yarn that scared him so bad that he wouldn't use a toilet for weeks afterward.
His mom, of course, told my mom to stop me from doing that anymore which, of course, made me do it even worse with each opportunity. I grew more proficient in my fiction and my cousin's nightmares kept getting worse and worse as I honed my skills.
That is why today, I prefer writing mystery with a psychic twist rather than Stephen King styled out and out horror. My cousin still reads my stories but prefers the old blood and guts horror like I used to tell him when we were kids. Recently, I started a three book series called STRANGE SHORT TALES, in which I lean towards the short stories of supernatural things more in line with the tastes of my cousin."
Chas didn't start his career scaring the pants off of any other children though. He started in Electronics Engineering for the Department of Defense while, at the same time, he wrote for several military news prints and related papers. "It was all coats and tie type material, but I always found a way to sneak a wise crack in somewhere, and the readers seemed to love it."
Between 1996 and 2002 he worked for CNN and MSNBC as a Content Moderator. He passed the best quotes on to the TV producers or even to the reporters that were on the air. "I got to meet some awesome people, including Stephen King and Ted Turner. I became good friends with the Executive Producer of ABC's Nightline news program as well. My best moment on the job was when I talked (online via MSNBC) one on one to Tom Clancy for fifteen or twenty minutes. I discovered that he is a grumpy but very likeable person."
To read about his past and to engage in witty banter with him, you'd think Chas' life was pretty straight forward and basically happy... talented kid gets cool jobs, then further develops and eventually profits from his gift for storytelling...so, did he go on to live happily ever after?
Chas' story is far from over...
Find out the rest and meet Chas' demons at: http://www.readsuki.com/whats-your-story/
Everyone has a story, and everybody is interesting. I have a gift for digging that out. I will be compiling them here for your reading pleasure. As one SUKI fan put it, “…it’s unbelievable how you just never know what somebody has been through in life…” Believe me, you never know the impact your experience may have on someone else.
If you’d like to contribute your story, email me at: cfwinn@readsuki.com
—————————————————-0—————————————————-
Meet Chas:
Chas’ first official statement about telling his story here came in the form of a Tweet: “My story? I was born cold, naked, and hungry… from there, things got much worse :) HA”
Fortunately for us, Chas was willing to elaborate.
He grew up on a small farm in Georgia in the 1950's. His neighbors were miles away, so his playmates were his five siblings and cousins that would visit occasionally.
Who knew that Clyde, one of the cousins, would be instrumental in creating the author we know Chas to be today?
Chas described to me what went down on the family farm: "Clyde would always badger me to tell him a ghost story. He would challenge my creative skills by picking a normal every day object and expect it to be the 'haunted' item of the story I would make up. Once I remember him using a roll of toilet paper as the object, and I came up with a yarn that scared him so bad that he wouldn't use a toilet for weeks afterward.
His mom, of course, told my mom to stop me from doing that anymore which, of course, made me do it even worse with each opportunity. I grew more proficient in my fiction and my cousin's nightmares kept getting worse and worse as I honed my skills.
That is why today, I prefer writing mystery with a psychic twist rather than Stephen King styled out and out horror. My cousin still reads my stories but prefers the old blood and guts horror like I used to tell him when we were kids. Recently, I started a three book series called STRANGE SHORT TALES, in which I lean towards the short stories of supernatural things more in line with the tastes of my cousin."
Chas didn't start his career scaring the pants off of any other children though. He started in Electronics Engineering for the Department of Defense while, at the same time, he wrote for several military news prints and related papers. "It was all coats and tie type material, but I always found a way to sneak a wise crack in somewhere, and the readers seemed to love it."
Between 1996 and 2002 he worked for CNN and MSNBC as a Content Moderator. He passed the best quotes on to the TV producers or even to the reporters that were on the air. "I got to meet some awesome people, including Stephen King and Ted Turner. I became good friends with the Executive Producer of ABC's Nightline news program as well. My best moment on the job was when I talked (online via MSNBC) one on one to Tom Clancy for fifteen or twenty minutes. I discovered that he is a grumpy but very likeable person."
To read about his past and to engage in witty banter with him, you'd think Chas' life was pretty straight forward and basically happy... talented kid gets cool jobs, then further develops and eventually profits from his gift for storytelling...so, did he go on to live happily ever after?
Chas' story is far from over...
Find out the rest and meet Chas' demons at: http://www.readsuki.com/whats-your-story/
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
WHAT'S YOUR STORY??...MEET DONALD
At the SUKI book launch, I was asked about where I get my characters/stories from. I answered, “I am the Taylor Swift of the literary world…if we experience it together, or if you tell me about it… you should now consider yourself warned.”
Everyone has a story, and everybody is interesting. I have a gift for digging that out. I will be compiling them here for your reading pleasure. As one SUKI fan put it, “…it’s unbelievable how you just never know what somebody has been through in life…” Believe me, you never know the impact your experience may have on someone else.
-----------------------------------------0-----------------------------------------
Meet DONALD:
He was shy about putting his picture up with his post, but this thirty-something year old is very outspoken when it comes to history. If you so much as mispronounce Iroquois…by including the silent “S”… he will be all over you before you can finish reciting the famous rhyme that reminds schoolchildren of what year, “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. A few years back, he had dreamed of becoming a Social Studies teacher, but at that time, there was a surplus of candidates for that subject. He settled for being a gym teacher and made peace with dressing in sweats everyday while hanging out and playing games with his middle school students.
Donald was in his element. Although he has no biological kids of his own, he has been a surrogate father to his niece and nephew since they were born to his teenage sister, ten years ago. His own father walked out on his mom, and when Donald saw the conditions in which his sister was raising her own kids, he stepped in quickly, wanting them to have a better life. Even before landing a job at the school, Donald was in the Big Brother mentoring program, and coached little league baseball…he has my vote for: Most Committed to Today’s Youth!
As we talked though, I said, “Donald, you sound like the perfect guy, but we both know that’s not true…nobody’s perfect. So what is one bad habit that you are willing to reveal to my readers?”
Read the rest and find out what Donald told me at:
http://www.readsuki.com/whats-your-story/
If you’d like to contribute your story, email me at: cfwinn@readsuki.com
Everyone has a story, and everybody is interesting. I have a gift for digging that out. I will be compiling them here for your reading pleasure. As one SUKI fan put it, “…it’s unbelievable how you just never know what somebody has been through in life…” Believe me, you never know the impact your experience may have on someone else.
-----------------------------------------0-----------------------------------------
Meet DONALD:
He was shy about putting his picture up with his post, but this thirty-something year old is very outspoken when it comes to history. If you so much as mispronounce Iroquois…by including the silent “S”… he will be all over you before you can finish reciting the famous rhyme that reminds schoolchildren of what year, “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. A few years back, he had dreamed of becoming a Social Studies teacher, but at that time, there was a surplus of candidates for that subject. He settled for being a gym teacher and made peace with dressing in sweats everyday while hanging out and playing games with his middle school students.
Donald was in his element. Although he has no biological kids of his own, he has been a surrogate father to his niece and nephew since they were born to his teenage sister, ten years ago. His own father walked out on his mom, and when Donald saw the conditions in which his sister was raising her own kids, he stepped in quickly, wanting them to have a better life. Even before landing a job at the school, Donald was in the Big Brother mentoring program, and coached little league baseball…he has my vote for: Most Committed to Today’s Youth!
As we talked though, I said, “Donald, you sound like the perfect guy, but we both know that’s not true…nobody’s perfect. So what is one bad habit that you are willing to reveal to my readers?”
Read the rest and find out what Donald told me at:
http://www.readsuki.com/whats-your-story/
If you’d like to contribute your story, email me at: cfwinn@readsuki.com
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