Genuine General Gene
In my genes are two unique generals from the first and fourth generations. One who played a big part in history, and the other played a big part of my characteristics. My mother's maiden name is "Custer" and yes, it is the same "General George Custer" who had been slaughtered by the Indians along with his entire troops. At the mere age of twenty-two, he was the youngest General ever in the armed services. The Custer's name had been carried down to her, for near a century, until she married my dad "General Howard B. Felts." During the '60s, '70s, '80s, he was the director of the Mission Army., an organization that helped the poor and taught about Christianity. Though, this story may seem to be the impact that your genes might have in life and its construction of characteristics. Actually, it will deal with my personal experience of surprises, harsh luck, and consequences.
To me, life has been very enjoyable, yet very cruel. Being a minister son, I grew up in a very religious environment. That doesn't mean I was cooperative growing up, I had got in trouble alot actually. Life was fun, but it got me nowhere. Now, in viewing life from a different perspective, I have a totally different approach in preparing for a better life styles for my children, myself, and in helping the poor.
During the 1980's, I went on many trips with my dad, while he showed me the ropes of selling in auctions and flea markets. Back then, I wondered why my dad paid so much attention to me, when he had six other sons. One, was an ordained minister at the age of sixteen and had distributed a quarter million bibles in Russia during their revolution. One day, my dad helped pack my station wagon full of merchandise and he told me, "you are what you make of yourself."
Working my way down to Florida, I didn't know there was a criminal, "who had just shot a cop" fitting my description and driving an old station wagon in the same town that I was going to. Soon after my arrival, it didn't take long for about twenty police cars to swamp me from every direction. With their guns out and hiding behind their cars, they told me to get out of my car with my hands on top of my head and to lie down. They didn't just handcuffed me. They treated me like me like a deranged animal, yelling, slapping, and practically throwing me in the back of the police car. At the police station, they put me in a room with a mirror. A few minutes later a cop came in and apologized, explaining their mistake. Sometimes its just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fortunately, luck swung the other way, because the guy behind the mirror (that was supposed to identify me) didn't say; "Yea, thats him, man."
At Pocahonas State Park, the Mission Army would have a Christian camp each summer during the '60s and '70s. Which had alot of fun and exciting activities, like swimming, horseback riding, softball, races, cliff diving, and sneaking out of assigned cabin quarters late at night. After several waterfalls late-night meetings, boldness spun out of control. The meeting place changed to my mom's cabin, where my girlfriend of two years also stayed. During the night, mom would go to the motor home by the mash hall, where my dad stayed. One night, after getting my nerves, due calculations and clearance, fireworks was a figure of speech. But luck has its down side, because after an argument with my dad, mom was on her way back to the cabin. By the time she walked in I was hiding under my girlfriend bed, on a wooded floor, where I fell asleep hoping that I wouldn't snore.
After spending 1986 Christmas eve in Richmond, Virginia. I traveled all night to Cleveland, Tennessee to spend Christmas day with my (now-x) In-laws. Later that night, I fell asleep on the couch, after being up over 72 hours. Causing an incredible chain of events, I started sleepwalking for the first time in my life. Walked right into my father and mother In-law's room and crawled up in-between them in their bed. After they failed to wake me, they woke up my ex-wife (she was my girlfriend at the time) so that she could get me out of their bed. She was shaking me extremely hard as I was standing by the bed, when I finally came too. My heart skipped a beat for the first time.
Staying up over 72 hours caused a domino effect of first time freaked situations. It caused me to sleepwalk, which that caused me to sleep with my In-laws. My ex-wife shook me violently, and that my heart skip a beat. There are lessons that can be learned by all these surprises, luck, and consequences. One: Be careful when going into a unfamiliar town. Two: Expected the unexpected. Three: Make sure to get your sleep. To constantly get in and out sweaty predicaments and still have your scalp, takes a Genuine General Gene.