My Story:

Ironically, writing this may prove to be one of the more challenging assignments I've ever had. Ironic because as a storyteller, & self-aware narcissist, my favorite stories are about me! I have so many, & there are so many ways to tell them its just hard to choose. 

 

I'll just summarize. Part I takes place in the flats of Oakland, CA where I was born & raised in an incredibly rich diversity of humanity. Part II continues in the hills of Oakland where richness was a matter of dollars not diversity. Part III includes Atlanta, New York, Valparaiso, Salamanca & Portland. Part IV is under construction. As relates to this particular writing, it was the first drastic differences between Parts I & II which led me down this path of compassionate questioning: what circumstances allow for people to develop the critical capacities to be not only intellectually but empathetically inteligent enough to be

 sustainably loving in the ways we need to surthrive? (And yes, I did create that word; you can't thrive without surviving, period.) 

 

My offering not only makes a tangible difference in other people's lives, it makes a tangible difference in mine; this work is what keeps my battery charged & my life reflection bright. I know what its like to be recieved without the benefit of the doubt & I see how common the experience is. I also see the cause & effect consequences this has on not only every one but every thing. 

 

I draw my inspiration from Nichiren's Buddhism, the writings of Kemet, the psychology of Jung,  Nonviolent communication, co-counseling, narrative therapy & my own life of travel, love, pain, survival, research, critical curiosity, & more than anything else, my care for the quality of the life experience.