Unlucky... Meets... Lucky

Hello Steemians!

This is tt-dogg coming from the West coast North America!!! sorry for all the grammatical errors. im lazy and im tired ...lol

Im a very private person with no facebook, no instagram or any other social platforms. so here we go to uncharted waters!!

I was born in south korea to a very poor family. i was put up for adoption to an american family when i was a toddler.
i lived with my adopted family in Tennessee. I stuck out like a sore thumb obviously and having american parents
while obviously i was korean was quite difficult. as being the only asian and korean growing up there was good and bad things.
everyone thought i knew kung fu and thought i was related to bruce lee lol. i would always get picked on and i would always get beat up as noone would stand an outsider.
they didnt even know where korea was back then. lol but its all good thats what has made me into the tough and strong person i am today...god willing....
my adopted father was abusive so my parents divorced and i was bounced around with numerous relatives all around the US.
My adopted mother helped me find my real father so at 14 yrs old i had found my biological father.
he was living in california and i was given the opportunity and chance to live with him. it was really strange at first but we got along.
then my father wanted to remarry as he had left my birth mother in korea. its very hard in korean culture or any culture for someone to remarry with children already.

to make a long story short i never really felt i belonged in the United States. also i didnt think iwas considered korean. i was an outsider. and i never felt i belonged at home with pops.. i felt it would be
better for my father and his new wife and children that i be away so they can grow and get closer to what i would consider a normal life and a normal family.

So at 16.5 yrs old I ran away hoping it was best for my father and his new family and for me to find myself and to understand why i was given the cards
that was dealt to me. and see what life had in store for me. so i hit the long hard road...

I grabbed my things and hit the road...hard...I traveled first back to tennessee. i would knock on local businesses mostly asian small businesses and i would ask if
they needed hired help and that i was a fast learner and hard worker.
i worked resturaunts, dry cleaners, cleaning, yard work, general labor, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, janitor work .... whatever...
I met so many beautiful people who helped me by providing me an opportunity to work and learn a new skill and a new trade...

i traveled to tennessee, georgia, kentucky, north carolina, alabama, north carolina. next thing i know im 23 yrs old and the next stop to go was alaska or florida...

i was supposed to head to alaska to work on fishing boats. but i had a change of heart. i was getting tired of having no real home. not having a family.
not putting in roots anywhere..... the road had worn me down over the years.....

i didnt feel i was korean , not US citizen, immigrant, outsider, but in my heart and in my soul im american as they come guns, gold, god, and rock and roll....

hunt, fish, football, but more importantly falling in love with all the american people no matter color, religion or political party...

i didnt have an education since i dropped out of high school, i didnt have a family, i didnt have a home.

so i thought deep about where i felt comfortable and california was the best i could come up with...that plus all the great weather, opportunity,diversity and great food!!

i had been on the road for so many years..why not...aching to have a place to call home and staying in one place for once..lol.....california dreaming!!!

so i made a promise to myself that i would stop running away and finally decide to put my roots and make a family and have a career.

I worked construction and perfected my crafts, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, tile, paint. I worked my way up from journeyman to foreman.
i got my GED and i passed my general contractors exam on my 1st try. I gained enough experience to open my own business. I struggled like most small businesses for the
first 3 years. all the profits i made i reinvested in tools and back into my business. i had passed the hardest part of a business the first 3 years when most businesses fail
finally i got a taste of what it meant to be a small business owner and i got glimpse of the american dream.

I for once in my life had purpose and was setting my roots... then after years of hard manual labor working 6 to 7 days a week 10 to 12hrs a day. it all caught up to me.
i injured my back severely. i could not work. i could not drive, i was scared to sleep as i was afraid i couldnt get out of the bed. i would sleep on a chair.
i was devestated. There was no way i could run my business remodeling and doing construction with my back this way.
i was completely lost.... i couldnt run away this time....i cant even walk .........

to be continued ........

SEE YOU NEXT TIME SPACE COWBOY!!!

this is actually freaking me out way too much info !! HA!!

this was the last home i designed and built from just handwritten sketches, i performed all the interior paint, custom made light fixtures, custom shoji doors, plumbing,
electrical and all rough and finish carpentry and metal fabrication welding.