As I look back over the years, there is absolutely no doubt that when this book is published alot of lives will be uplifted, impacted, inspired and improved. This universe definitely has order but is also crazy at the same time. I do know this, nothing we do in life will be successful unless we are doing what we were created to do. Each of us has a piece to the puzzle, and to the extent we work with our allotted piece do we see real gratification in our lives, the kind that no amount of money, possessions or even relationship can provide. Why a book Mr. Lowery? Very simple, I am beginning to see my piece of the puzzle, the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows, the accomplishments, the screw ups, the disappointments, the heart breaks are all for a reason. They make me who I am and yours make you who you are. I believe more "ordinary" people need to write books about there lives and through all of the lives put out there for all to see, maybe we will realize that we are definitely more alike than different. This series of articles is a rough outline of what you get when the book is finished, saving the really good stuff for the hardback. So sit back and enjoy the ride. And know for sure putting your life out there isn't easy, but if one person can identify and be helped along this path called life, then it was worth the journey.
Growing Up
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1968 in the Old D.C. General Hospital, at the time I believe my parents was living in the old Parklands on Trenton Place in S.E. I was raised mainly by my dear Aunt and my Mother though for alot of those early years I did not really know my mother. It was my Cousin, my oldest brother and me being the youngest of the group, besides my Aunt us three practically raised and depended on each other. While I have no bitterness toward my upbringing (that I am aware of :)..) I guess you could describe my brother and me as abandoned children for alot years. We moved around alot. I think I went to a different elementary school for every year through the 6th grade including three different schools in Florida (you do the math). My family as I remember was a very tight knit loving family, but they loved to party. Most of my childhood memories are of family parties with a lot of alcohol, drugs, and music. There was also a very dark side to that party lifestyle, a lot of domestic abuse.
In the book we going into the juicy details, but for now it would be sufficient to say that I had a very unstable upbringing. Out of that instability something good did evolve especially as it relates to me as Union Man. Because we moved around in very diverse situations, I learned to get along and fit in with alot of different circles from Redneck white to straight hood figure type of people and all in between. One could see that in my taste in music which is wide ranging from heavy metal, to gangster rap, and back to some classic rock all representing different environments I have lived through. Speaking of music that has always been my one constant, my escape from my world of insecurity. From my earliest of years just put me in room of records and I would probably never leave the room ever! This constant moving on one level is tragic for a young child, but in the end it was a gift and blessing beyond what is apparent on the surface.
I naturally through this upbringing learned to communicate in different languages (that has helped my success in the business, I catch alot of people off guard, never see it coming!). While we all speak English here in the U.S., the communities are diverse, all white people aren't the same, all black people aren't the same, as true for this nation of many ethnic nationalities in terms of language dialect, comprehension and cultural customs. You can take a word and that word would have different meanings in different communities. If you say "bomb" in some communities the people coming to lock you up. You can say "bomb" in other communities then you looking for the female attached to that statement (Lls). In short my upbringing taught me to have the ability to understand precise meanings across cultural lines. I could listen to a Harvard professor and break it down into a form that a third grader in the worst of neighborhoods, in the worst of schools could understand. That makes me a very DANGEROUS individual to some. The ability to unite by bridging the gap of communication and comprehension/understanding.
Another positive out of a negative situation is my ability to detach. Because we moved around so much I never learned the art of emotional attachment to others. It was too painful for me to do so because just when I got comfortable we moved again and the process started all over again. Overtime almost on auto pilot I have the ability to detach in times of sorrow, pain, failings, anger and disappointments. To many it comes off as cold and uncaring, to others its comes off as shrewd. The root of it all is a survival and defense mechanism that has become a part of who I am. The quickness in which I am able to detach. The negative is personal relationships are hard to maintain and the ability to stay in one fixed situation is difficult. The positive is that a KEY INGREDIENT in being a successful representative of people is the art of detachment. Because of my upbringing it comes natural as the green on grass. Many talk good game from the pulpit to the streets, but how many actually deal with despair, desperation, failure, disease, poverty, shortcomings, and life altering circumstances for a living with true compassion not found often these days without passing a basket? It was my upbringing that to some maybe be tragic, but to me gave me tools you can't buy from a university (as stated before you got to buy the book for the gut level details).
More next article "so you think you have it rough" coming soon. Thanks for reading and if there is a lesson in this article its this "often out of very dark circumstances comes a great positive, it all depends on our perspective, which takes years to properly form".
Cjl
LOCAL 1975 DMV, DDOT, DPW, DCTC
