Being a full-blooded American simply means that you were born in this country, The United States of America. Many of us have blood that can be traced back to other continents and countries, but all that we know is here. I want to speak about health, wealth and connection here in America – the place where I have experienced all the joy and pain of being human. I love it here even though at one point the place I love made a case against me – taking my freedom away and separating me from those I loved. I have been the president of my class, a sports standout with flawless grades and a convicted felon that let down all the same people who lifted me up. I have been to the top and bottom of our socioeconomic standings and started back over at the age of thirty two. At fifty, I have built a home with beautiful wife whom I have been married to for 23 years, two healthy children, who are now teenagers, a respected professional position, a modicum of wealth and I pay attention to my health each day with a good amount of exercise and a quality diet of real food.
I have made many mistakes, life’s learning lessons, and from those I have built a foundation of what I believe to be true and I can only hope that it can carry me to grandparenthood. I want to be around to be an influence in my grandchildren’s lives, and to continue to be a net positive in my community.
I believe in God as the energy of life – I can feel the presence of something greater than myself especially when interacting with nature. I choose to believe in Christ’s teachings and to attend Catholic mass with my family and my community. I will leave my mind open to the teachings of other religions as I believe most organized religions are humans trying to understand God, and I appreciate the genuine effort, but do not appreciate those who take religion literally – the mystery is the gold. I find great value in community, weather it be at my church or at the tailgate of an University of Georgia football game – both venues bring people together in joy.
I believe that anytime you sing or dance, you add a day to your life. I believe in love as the basis for existence and pain as the necessary journey to find truth. My family is the why and all my other connections are the music to which I dance to.
I have strong opinions and will share them on these pages and I am not searching for clicks, but hoping to keep my brain sharp and to leave some of this endlessly conversing mind for others to examine. I hope that my perspective is valuable to some and that I can keep learning and not leave all the knowledge to the chatbot – I am a fallible human that loves deeply, screams ferociously when angry, moves my feet to most any rhythm, works to provide as well as grow, and most of all I am a father, husband, son and your neighbor that loves you.
Full Blooded American 
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