Journey of a Maturation Rollercoaster

by Grequan Carter

Overview

Coming from a land of destitution, instilled a way of life where I was just went through the motions. I had no thought process behind my devious actions and was on a verge of either jail or death. Basketball was my only outlet. I was fortunate enough to be blessed with high skill in the sport, which ultimately kept me out of the streets and increased opportunities of achievement. At the same time, I was engulfed in my first real relationship my last year of Jr. high into high school with my first love. That experience became an addiction which led to us skipping school and me missing basketball practices, just to engage in sexual activity and be in each others presence. Still corrupted by my lack of responsibility and vision of the future, my first love luckily had those characteristics to guide me in the right direction. I applied to 1 college which was the college she got accepted to. Transitioning from the hood of Queens New York to a college upstate New York was a new experience which was overwhelmingly exciting. Possessed by lust cause me to have sexual interactions with many other girls with no consciousness of my first love. I was at a stage of partying with my friends, playing basketball and meeting new people. Our relationship ended but it didn't phase me yet. I transferred to a new college which was predominantly White in demographics. I didn't think I would fit in and was afraid of being myself. It took some time for me to realize I need to be comfortable with myself for me to meet new people and thrive in a new environment. With this confidence I started to meet new people with great perspectives and also started to attract people who were intrigued by my mindset. I changed my major to Therapeutic Recreation which exposed me to an accepting community other than my basketball team. I was in an outdoor education practicum where I learned the necessary skills to survive outdoors for 2 weeks. Those 2 weeks changed my life. I started to be more conscious of nature and developed empathy for others. I started to expand my horizon and learned how to be an advocate for others. During this time I stated to reflect upon my previous actions and how it affected others. I felt the need to accept my wrong doings and be at peace with myself. As I dived deep into my past I realized I couldn't reach this state of peace because I had so much resentment for my "father" who failed to be around. I fought this battle for a long duration but had to come to a stage of forgiveness. At the same time I needed my first love to forgive me for how I treated her. In order for that to happen, I had to forgive myself. With the positive mindset I've developed, it helped me get in touch with positive emotions, leading to the experience of genuine love. I decided to live my life in pure appreciation, advocate for equality/equity, and spread optimism to all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781543937404
Publisher:	BookBaby
Publication date:	07/20/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	140
File size:	816 KB

About the Author

I am a young leader from Queens, New York will a passion to spread optimism to all. I am an athlete and a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. I play basketball and engage in activities such as Tai Chi, rollerskating and exploring nature.

Table of Contents

Vocabulary Reference 1

Ball is Life 5

Hoes Illusion 7

Succeed from Struggle 8

Hood Antics 9

Let Me Flow 13

First Infatuation 15

Swag Champ 18

Adolescence 20

Destitution 21

Delhi Days 23

Limbo 25

I Got the Juice 26

Hood Consciousness 27

Those of You 29

Smooth Talk 31

The Predicament 33

Mist 34

The workplace 36

Triple H 37

Dope Chick 39

Self Questions to What? 41

Unwind 42

The Word Search Representation of Reflections and Changes 44

Product 45

Black Lives Matter/Question to what we are 46

Why are you cast out of people's mind? 48

We All Have It 50

Trying to open up 52

Ylenol 54

Bedtime Lullaby 56

Giving 57

My Delicate Rose 59

It Doesn't Matter 61

Sunyac Champs Cstate 63

Utter to Basketball 65

11:16am at Raquette Lake 66

Conversation of maturation 69

Ohana 72

Ohana Part 2 73

Universal Care 76

Homeless 77

Real 79

First Infatuation Part 2 81

Liaverp Cycle 83

First Love 85

I Am A Vessel 86

D.A.B 88

Mi Yrros Fi 90

Anxiety 92

Graduation Attendance 94

Tori's Kings 95

Eye em Who Eye em 97

Pariah Prerogatives 99

Don't Lose Your Power 101

Old Language of Love 103

Diamond in a Ruff 104

My Duty of Pleasure 106

To My Offspring 108

The Siren 110

Immune 112

Nigger Nigga Mythology 114

To Pops 118

Acknowledgements 125

The Ultimate Treasure 133