Contingencies

Life is composed of contingencies, remove one event and perhaps nothing that follows would ever have transpired...it's been sometimes referred to as the butterfly effect, one seemingly insignificant event in one place has the potential to effect the course of monumental events oceans away. So it has been in my life. Remove one contingent event and the consequent narrative is irrevocably altered..the road is indeed open and sinuous.

Choosing one life-altering event that has irrevocably altered my life and made me the person I am today would be minimizing so many significant contingencies that I cannot single out one. This blog is called the road not without some deliberation, for it truly has been journey of many curious circumstances. That said, there are certain events, though not exclusively, that have substantially brought this mortal coil to where it is situated. I offer four of those circumstances,graciously,for your discernment...

Getting Clean...Twenty years chasing the dragon down the opium trail should have hastened my demise, God knows others that went along that path with me did just that...and I nearly followed suit, twice. The hand of fate had other designs and I emerged from that long night's journey into day relatively unscathed physically and cognitively. Bloodied, bruised, hardened, but unbowed...make no mistake, I am a survivor. The education was exacting, but invaluable, and without it I would not be here. This I believe to the depths of my soul.

Jason's Murder...Jason is my little brother. The youngest, and most innocent of three brothers, and the least deserving of the fate that became of him. Suffice to say, I miss him dearly, and not one single day passes that he does not enter my thoughts, even if for one brief fleeting moment. Life is fleeting and tenuous, and rarely do we know what the next day may hold. As such, with his memory in mind, I endeavour to have the courage of my convictions, never regret my decisions, nor to take lightly those I hold dear.

Dr. Paul Hernandez...I will not dwell here long, as much, if not more for others sake, than my own. Nonetheless, a fortuitous prerequisite humanities general education requirement altered my academic trajectory, and I will forever be indebted to Dr, Hernandez, for intellectual validation and prompting the conversation that led to my scholarly commitment.

My Wife Paula, Baby Evangeline, and her sisters, Adia and Izzy...My life is no longer exclusively my own, and my decisions, for the first time in my life hold significant consequences for others. While personal responsibility may have previously made for a noble code to aspire to, it is now my imperative. I no longer come first, and the world will never revolve around me...I welcome and accept this charge...I know no greater gift to date, and doubt one will come.