I was born in 1963 to wonderful mother and father. I was adorable until I was about 8 years old, then things started with me. I was an unhappy child, full of anger, looking for attention. My mother had a very hard time dealing with my defiant ways, like opening the car door and running into the street at a stop light. (some how she still has hair) I would punch holes in my walls and my fathers belt and I seemed to know each other oh too well.
I was sent to boarding school because I was diagnosed being severely dyslexic. Boarding school was very dramatic for me, probably because I couldn’t get my way, and had to abide by the rules, coat and tied for dinner and so on.
As a young boy, I was always creative and gifted to fix just about anything. I had a neighbor Mr. Karp who was like a second father to me. Jerry was an inventor and worked on very top secret things like the Manhattan Project and bomb sniffing mice. Most of what he did was hard to understand, and hard to believe that these things could even exist. He was the the first one that showed me something outside of what my mother and father taught me that effected me an amazing way. The gifts he gave me were profound, He was a simple man.
My father was successful and and I wanted for nothing. I was spoiled, I expected things and was not grateful for anything. My father was a true entrepreneur. He seemed to find a way to always sell have something to sell to someone. He gave me the awareness to be able to do anything I want. He was “old school” he was a great provider for the family, and my mother was left to do everything else. My father was the inspiration of my starting a very successful liquidation business, which I had for 20 years.
My Mother loved me deeply, and had difficult controlling. She was always there for me, despite how difficult I was. I was defiant most of the time with my mother and my father worked a lot and while we did some father and son things, there was as much him reprimanding me.
I resented my mother and father for years, and had very long gaps in speaking with them as I wanted to be the victim of “how they treated me”
I had a lot of anger at my mother and father and at times we happy if they just vanished.
As time went on and I met my best friend and teacher, Avery, I learned how to look at things in a different way. He was and is one of the most amazing people I have met in my life. He helped me realize that my mother and father did the best that they could based on what they knew.
As I looked at this, I realized that they did nothing wrong, their intentions were to teach me and help me grow and be happy they just didn’t have the tools, as it was never taught to them. As I looked into this, this pattern for both of my parents as been in their own family’s history for hundreds of years, being passed on from generation to generation.
I worked with both of my parents through my early years of my new awareness, and tried to force them to learn, and grow. Kind of like putting a firehouse in someones mouth. Not much goes in! They were resistant, and rightfully so, as it was too much too quick. As I accepted them for who they were and loved them for doing the best that they could, changes started to happen without me doing anything.
My father passed in 2012 and in his last week, on this earth, his awareness was profound, and all of his difficulties in life (which he created) he took ownership and died at peace with himself. I am so proud of him, he left this earth as a happy man.
My mother, is one of my closet friends, we interact not like mother and son, but two people who have a deep caring for each other. I love her dearly and look forward to our talks.
The here and now
After selling my multi million dollar liquidation business and trying my hand at developing iPhone apps, I started a food truck Curley’s Q, and in the two years had won numerous awards and accolades, and voted the peoples choice award for the Best BBQ Food Truck in the DMV. After I started the truck in 2011, I was not happy as I felt in my core, that I wanted to help people and effect their lives in a positive way. After pondering this, I realized that I could to this by giving people and amazing experience with my food and my food truck. I constantly improve quality and find new things I can do to make my customers smile. Karaoke, great music, great BBQ and my wonderful staff, for whom I am very grateful, create smile and smiles.
I started early on, to work with charities, figuring that I could help people and and get some great PR for my business. As time went on, I realized how much I enjoyed working with such great orginizations like Bethesda Cares who help the homeless and people in need in Montgomery County, I host a Meet Up Group, MoCO Cooking for good monthly which feeds 70 people at a Rockville Homeless Shelter. Meeting homeless people was such a gift to me, it made me realize that there is no such concept of any one person better than another. While they are thankful for my help, It is them that gave me the desire, and courage to move in to helping people. I am so Grateful.
I have 3 wonderful children Alec, Nicole and Jack who live with me full time. They all have an amazing awareness and I love them dearly. I am so proud of being a father, and so proud of them.
I am human just like you, I have had my challenges which I have learned from, and then overcame them. The more I overcome, the better I feel and the easier it is…… I PROMISE!