Y M W A

YOU ME WE AMAZING

Hi, hello I have asked myself numerous times where should I start or begin to tell my story, my adventures. Wise people have always said to keep things simple, so in speaking to myself, I’ll use the KISS Principle (keep it simple stupid). I think doing so will make things easy, which could make it fun which in turn may increase my odds of success. Let me just introduce myself. Some people call me Mr. Brown, Will, or Earl. My Mom calls me Sugar Doll. You guys can call me whatever you like, I don’t care. I come from a very large family, which should now number in the hundreds. I would like to share a photo of the Potter’s home very loving a caring place. We had no indoor plumbing, a wood-burning stove, fireplace to keep warm during the winter, we lived in the country, the woods, as some people call the sticks. I remember my mom would travel over eighty miles roundtrip to clean hotel rooms on the beach for seven dollars a day. We were poor but never hungry, my Grand Mom had her garden, chickens, pigs, and land to hunt and fish on. Racial segregation was the law of the land during my start in life. Things were supposed to be separate but equal. I started school in the 1960s but my first reader was dated 1917.

Long story short, I ended up in the Southernmost city in the United States of America, Key West Florida. I will never forget my first time entering my school, I swear you could hear a pin drop. I would become the first and only black child to have ever entered this school. No National Guard for me, every day was very dark and challenging. I was always bullied, I had no friends, people constantly told me I looked like a monkey, a piece of shit, people licking their tongues out and calling me a nigger. I remember raising my hand during class to answer a question. The teacher told me to put my hand down. After that day I never raised my hand again. I failed every subject in school. There was a confrontation every day, it was always me against two or more people. Bigotry, hate, the constant threat of physical harm in school, on the walk home, or in the park. My struggles had started to shape me. I became good at fighting. It became enjoyable, and then reform school became a threat. I was the first black person to integrate into an all-white school in the Southernmost city of the United States of America alone, SHIT.

Lesson #1. It’s always better to Kick Ass than to Kiss Ass.

Around the early 70’s, I was living in Germany. What a big culture shift. My first vacation ever was to castles and museums, and then I entered into one of the darkest chapters of world history, the Dachau concentration camp. It was the first and longest NAZI active death camp during the second world war. At different times during my camp tour, I could feel the presence of the dead. I had challenged hatred in my young life, but I could never have imagined evil on this scale. I had entered a place where men, women, children, babies, and the mentally ill were murdered on a mass scale and by starvation, beaten to death, stabbing, shot, gassing, strangulation, and experimentation. I can still see the cremation ovens, gas showers, piles of children’s shoes, and mattresses stuffed with human hair. There was total disregard for humankind. I was fortunate and lucky enough to have listened to an interview with a survivor whose entire family was murdered. He said he was filled with rage and vengeance. He was asked how he’d survived, go on, to live and to thrive. He responded by saying giving unconditional love and kindness.

Lesson #2. What goes around comes around.

Now let me fast forward, I’ll skip Alaska. I ended up in health care, pediatrics, Pedi oncology, Rehabilitation and other areas. One of my greatest challenges was having to get involved and close to the children and then having to attend their funerals. I specialized in orienting the kids to the hospital environment and enhancing their quality of life through Therapeutic Recreation. During my thirteenth and final year in pediatrics we lost thirteen kids. I was the first person in El Paso to develop and implement a therapeutic play program in pediatrics. My purpose was to bring as much joy as possible into people’s lives who was going through life’s most difficult challenges. My purpose in turn gave me the strength, the power to move forward and keep seeking positive adventures in life.

Lesson #3. What you give you get back

Fast forward a little to Mr. Sanchez, forever a US Marine, a wonderful person to have known. One of the many stories he shared with me was how he had to crawl under dead bodies and pretend to be dead in order to survive in the Pacific War. I smiled because he had survived and because I was so grateful.I’ve had quite many surprises, some of which I would not mind forgetting, others that will forever linger on. I remember one of my volunteers who had been with me for about two years had decided to move out of state, he decided to drop in, get his hugs, and say his goodbyes. On the way out the door, he stopped, turned around, and said before coming to me he was planning on killing his family and then himself. He thanked me and then walked out the door.

Lesson #4 Never, ever underestimate the power of gratitude.

The KISS principle works, thanks for allowing the intro.Take advantage of my complimentary discovery session, during this session of discovery we will bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be, book your discovery call now.

Willie Brown Certified & Accredited Coaching Master & Mentor

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