Hello people of Wilkes. I come in peace. I've actually been living among you fine people going on three years now. So let me tell you a little about myself and this blog I'm piecing together. I was born and raised mostly in Lenoir, North Carolina but have had early boyhood stints in Marion, Morganton and I believe Shelby. Shelby may or may not have actually happened. At the age of 35, my mental acuity has begun to show the first cracks in its' veneer and with it, happenings of the past become more of a question than fact. But anyway, I was starting to ramble. I have a very bad habit of doing that.
If there was a first among all facts that I feel you should know about myself it would certainly have to be how I was brought up. I was born into a very poor family. And when I say poor I really mean nearly dirt poor. I'm sure there were others less prosperous than myself, but for that to be said they would've literally needed to be sleeping on dirt floors. I'm not complaining. It makes a man stronger coming from nothing. We had indoor water plumbing but no indoor sewage plumbing so yes; we may have been one of the few remaining families in Caldwell county that were still having to go to the outhouse to tend to our business. It wasn't so bad. Hell, I didn't know any better. I was too busy running off playing in the woods, building forts, and trying to keep my uncle from taking all my grandmother's cats to the pound. Still to this day, I'm very fond of our feline friends.
Being poor actually introduced me to some of the finer foods I might not have otherwise got to sample. It's hard to fathom how my life would have been without livermush, sweet boiled cabbage and the welfare cheddar cheese block during my early years. Especially that cheddar cheese block. I'm salivating just thinking about that delicious rectangle of orange love. The food was just one aspect of being poor.
For me, being poor built my foundation. My not so lavish "rais-ins" taught me to never look down upon anyone and to never turn my nose up either. It has taught me to be appreciative of what I do have and to not dwell too terribly much on what I don't. It showed me that when hard times hit that I've been there and yes, I've done that. That's something a rich up bringing can deny you. The experience of having less. It's an important lesson to learn.
I was raised predominately by my mom, my grandmother and my uncle. My father was mentally ill and I tend to believe that he would have been there absent the fact that he thought the moon followed him at night. When his mental illness started turning violent, my mom got him away from my brother and I. So I grew up only knowing a mentally ill father. It was much harder on my brother. He was old enough to see the transition from mentally stable to bat shit crazy. On the other hand. I only saw confused daddy. There were many summer nights of me trying to convince my dad that the moon was also "following" me. Seeing his frustration build because he couldn't explain away my observation is still with me to this day. Maybe that's why I've always grown up with a profound respect for truth and honesty. Maybe I'm still trying to overcome the look of frustration on people's faces.
I believe every day we should strive to speak with a voice of truth. It's not always easy. We shouldn't just be honest when it's going to benefit. It's in that moment of truth that places the most burden upon ourselves that we find the true value of honesty. And yes, I know. It's extremely hard to do sometimes, but if we set our minds to walk that path, it builds the character that your loved ones will speak of when you're gone. Your memory will have truth embedded in it. Hell, look. We call Abraham Lincoln, Honest Abe. What are the merits behind it? Did he really not ever tell a lie? More than likely he told more than just a couple. But if I had my guess, he strove each day to be an honest man.
Wilkes County and Beyond will be a blog and a community where we can really talk, share and enjoy who we are as a foothill population. We will explore topics that relate back to Wilkes on a micro and a macro scale. We're going to review establishments. We will blog about local events. Whenever and where ever we find something interesting about Wilkes and beyond, we're going to discuss it. And we will do so while keeping our nose level and always telling the truth. Out of respect for ourselves and respect for our readers. That's how we're going to roll.
Being poor actually introduced me to some of the finer foods I might not have otherwise got to sample. It's hard to fathom how my life would have been without livermush, sweet boiled cabbage and the welfare cheddar cheese block during my early years. Especially that cheddar cheese block. I'm salivating just thinking about that delicious rectangle of orange love. The food was just one aspect of being poor.
For me, being poor built my foundation. My not so lavish "rais-ins" taught me to never look down upon anyone and to never turn my nose up either. It has taught me to be appreciative of what I do have and to not dwell too terribly much on what I don't. It showed me that when hard times hit that I've been there and yes, I've done that. That's something a rich up bringing can deny you. The experience of having less. It's an important lesson to learn.
I was raised predominately by my mom, my grandmother and my uncle. My father was mentally ill and I tend to believe that he would have been there absent the fact that he thought the moon followed him at night. When his mental illness started turning violent, my mom got him away from my brother and I. So I grew up only knowing a mentally ill father. It was much harder on my brother. He was old enough to see the transition from mentally stable to bat shit crazy. On the other hand. I only saw confused daddy. There were many summer nights of me trying to convince my dad that the moon was also "following" me. Seeing his frustration build because he couldn't explain away my observation is still with me to this day. Maybe that's why I've always grown up with a profound respect for truth and honesty. Maybe I'm still trying to overcome the look of frustration on people's faces.
I believe every day we should strive to speak with a voice of truth. It's not always easy. We shouldn't just be honest when it's going to benefit. It's in that moment of truth that places the most burden upon ourselves that we find the true value of honesty. And yes, I know. It's extremely hard to do sometimes, but if we set our minds to walk that path, it builds the character that your loved ones will speak of when you're gone. Your memory will have truth embedded in it. Hell, look. We call Abraham Lincoln, Honest Abe. What are the merits behind it? Did he really not ever tell a lie? More than likely he told more than just a couple. But if I had my guess, he strove each day to be an honest man.
Wilkes County and Beyond will be a blog and a community where we can really talk, share and enjoy who we are as a foothill population. We will explore topics that relate back to Wilkes on a micro and a macro scale. We're going to review establishments. We will blog about local events. Whenever and where ever we find something interesting about Wilkes and beyond, we're going to discuss it. And we will do so while keeping our nose level and always telling the truth. Out of respect for ourselves and respect for our readers. That's how we're going to roll.
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