personal development
Becoming a better person can be a gradual process of discovery and growth over many years. Or it can be a hell-bent drive to climb out of a black hole where a crash and burn is always at hand and failure is never an option .
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The chess player with a broken wrist
Brad walked into gymnastics practice with a long arm plaster cast, suited up and ready to work out with two legs and one good arm. Coach Peters spotted him, and his face immediately flushed bright red. “Brad? Oh m-my g-god! What’d the doctor say?” Mr. Peters was mostly concerned about covering his own butt. He had pushed Brad to work out on the painful wrist for weeks, taping it for support so tightly that his hand would turn blue. Its only a sprain, he would say. “The doctor said I have a scaphoid fracture and I have to wear this for 6 months!” said Brad. Coach’s eyes were darting back…
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The Visitation: “To become square, square yourself”
The next eviction notice came after Brad turned 14, which was right before the Christmas holidays. Mo was between jobs, working hustles with his partner Shue. Plays he called them. They would come in all excited in the middle of the night, get drunk, and pass out. Natalie would get some cash for food, beer, cigarettes, and her Astrology magazine. But lately there hadn’t been many good plays and they were 3 months behind on the rent. The Sheriff posted notice and they had to get out. The parent’s options were living in the car, or giving the kids up to foster homes. In desperation, she called her mother Mary…
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Son, can I borrow that paper route money?
Bradley pumped the pedals hard and made the two miles home in no time. He ran into the house to share the news, almost tripping over Glen who was playing on the floor. “Watch it kid! What’s got you so worked up?” said Mo, who was watching a Marlboro commercial on TV, and smoking one too. He was in a good mood so Bradley handed out the form from Mr. O and told the story. Natalie interrupted. “No you can’t have a paper route. You’re going to get killed riding your bike around and throwing papers on Colorado Boulevard. And all the freaks will rip you off!” “Aw come on Nat,…
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A newspaper boy tries to help his family
A man driving slowly down the street in an old but shiny Cadillac called out to Bradley. “Hey, young man, would you like to make some money on a paper route?” “Yeah, when can I start?” said Bradley. He skidded his bike to a stop as the big car pulled towards the curb. The rule to stay away from strangers was forgotten the moment money was promised. “How old are you?” said the man, who introduced himself with a long name that sounded like Constantinople without the C. “But everyone calls me Mr. O.” He smiled and winked, which made Bradley notice the deep wrinkles in his face. He was…
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Apollo Commander or Superman?
The school bus pulled up outside the science and space exhibit in Los Angeles, filled with two classes of noisy fifth graders. Bradley pushed his way to the exit door so he could get off first, but it didn’t matter, he was stuck walking behind the teacher, who stopped at the entrance door for a head count. Once they were inside, he spotted the Apollo command module. It looked amazing, just like on TV, very big and impressive. He split off from the group and ran up a metal stairway to peer through the window and into the cabin where three Astronauts would spend days, maybe weeks on their journey…
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adverse childhood experience, astronaut, human psychology, maternal introject, personal development, UFOlogy
The boy who wanted to be an astronaut
Despite Natalie’s habits of drinking, smoking, and popping pills when they were available, Natalie had brains. She also had a passion for astrology, and had taught herself how to chart people’s destinies from data she would get from magazines. “Your moon is in Scorpio, and your ascendant is in Virgo,” she would say, and go on to make a prediction that occasionally came true. People would say it’s bull, or get excited, or be afraid. She liked them to react, which in turn got her obsessed. Sometimes she would stay up half the night to finish someone’s horoscope. “It’s retrograde Mercury, be careful, nothing’s going to go right for a…