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Post by Man in Black on May 5, 2008 5:44:56 GMT -5
Introduction Part of having an on-line persona is that you are almost getting a do over. What I mean by that is if you are diligent you can bring out your favorite parts of yourself and leave the less desirables behind. All the while creating a you that is more like the you you want to be. That said, I have struggled with how much of my life and times I really want to reveal as my on-line persona. Not too many years ago I was on top of the world, invincible. I can't be that person in reality anymore and I have been hesitant to let on much of my struggle so as not to damage my chances of appearing a certain way on-line. I've decided that I just want to be me. Everywhere - I want to be me, here on-line and with my friends and family in my life. I know that the inner core of people here, my friends, know that I've recently become disabled and that I don't talk about it much. Whether anyone reads this all the way through is beside the point - the fact is I need to get this out. I need to pour my heart out so to speak and I'm going to do that here in this thread. I'm going to tell my story. I've not always been the disabled man now attached to home, and bad with the good, there is still way more to me than that. I'm not sure how long this will be: when you are pouring your heart out planning doesn't really come into play. I'll post it in chapters to break it up. Feel free to comment or ask me questions anywhere in between... or just ignore me lol...
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Post by Man in Black on May 5, 2008 6:41:33 GMT -5
My Story Chapter One I was born Phillip Lee Morton on May 7, 1972 just outside Ft. Myers Florida. I really don't remember much of my time in the Sunshine State. My parents were from the Carolinas and we moved back up here when I was two. It was at that time that I developed a strong bond with my mother Judy. For as far back as I can remember her she was my heroine, my rock, my security. I'm not going into all the details of my childhood but I am going to touch on the ones that I feel shaped me. Moments forever frozen in me for better or worse. North Carolina is a wide state, 560 miles from the mountains to the barrier islands of the Outer Banks. For a short time we lived on the east coast of NC in the tidewater town of Elizabeth City. I cherish my memories of that year, I was 9 years old and had a bike to explore the old level streets. Elizabeth City is beautiful, resting at the gateway to the Great Dismal Swamp on the Pasquatank River. I still see the tugs pulling their barges under the town drawbridge as the cypress stand guard over the shining black-water. As my first school year ended in Elizabeth City, we made plans for a 480 mile trip "home" to the mountains to visit my Grandparents during the summer. Mom, my sister Carole and me took off on our own, leaving my father Bobby behind to work in his craft shop. I think we had been at my grandparent's house for about two weeks when the hospital called. My Dad had been in a car wreck. He couldn't talk and was in a state of confusion because of his blood sugar level. They diagnosed him with diabetes. His mind was so out of whack from the drastic insulin levels that he had forgotten who he was. He put all of our belongings in a storage room at his craft shop and set out to find us not knowing exactly where we were. He drove all night and made to within minutes of us before passing out on the interstate and crashing into the guardrail. He was in the hospital for months and it was a long time before he could speak again. This is pretty much how we got stuck being poor, and I mean poor! The owner of the building, where Dad stashed all our stuff, sold every bit of it and never spoke to us again. Mom's vinyl Elvis collection, all our clothes, furniture and toys... everything we had owned! Dad in the hospital, Mom with no job and us with absolutely nothing to our name. Perfect huh? Mom went to work at the elementary school and when Dad was released we moved into a beat up old mountain top home. We all slept together on a mattress on the floor beside a kerosene heater. Dad found a job at a mill down the road and he brought us big boxes home for toys. I know this probably sounds like Hell but believe it or not I think it was the best time of my life! You could teach a five year college course on love and wouldn't learn a tenth of what I learned about that four letter word in those months. We didn't have the money for lights and decorations so we cut a tree from the woods that Christmas and took all sorts of twigs and nuts from the mountain and painted them. That cedar was the most beautiful Christmas tree I've ever seen and it sure was just the thing to mend a hurting family. I truly don't remember any of us wanting for anything back then as we had all anyone truly needs.
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Post by BlackCat on May 5, 2008 19:38:08 GMT -5
That was a very touching story and a bit close to home for me. I just like you have a similiar story. I grew up very very poor as well. We used to live in the projects and I grew up poorer then most of the kids in the projects. There were many days we went without meals. You know, things like that really help to build character. I can see that it has done the same thing for you.
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Post by Man in Black on May 5, 2008 22:47:58 GMT -5
That was a very touching story and a bit close to home for me. I just like you have a similiar story. I grew up very very poor as well. We used to live in the projects and I grew up poorer then most of the kids in the projects. There were many days we went without meals. You know, things like that really help to build character. I can see that it has done the same thing for you. It truly does build character and I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything... In many ways it would have been great if my story could end right there but life carries on and that is only chapter one...
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Post by Zenobia on May 6, 2008 15:08:14 GMT -5
That was a very touching story and a bit close to home for me. (...) You know, things like that really help to build character. I can see that it has done the same thing for you. x 3 looking forward to read the next chapter
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