I have come a long way in five years
My name’s Lawson Wallace. I’m a writer and YouTuber. I have been a writer on Medium and Illumination for five years. Not too long after I joined Medium, I started a newsletter on Substack.
I ignored my newsletter, which was neglected as a stepchild. That changed over time. I needed another outlet and another potential money stream. At this writing, I have 283 free subscribers.
It amazes me that I have come this far.
With my background and challenges, I am a successful content creator. It has been a long and winding road.
I’m the oldest son of an Air Force enlisted man. My family traveled a lot. I spent most of my teenage years on bases in Japan. We were living in Alaska when I was diagnosed with Dyslexia. I spent many years in what was referred to at the time as “Special Education.”
I graduated from high school in Japan by the skin of my teeth. Adulthood was a struggle. I had difficulty keeping jobs. I succumbed to pressure from my parents and became a security guard in Florida. I was a guard for twenty years.
After my parents’ death, I lived with an uncle in a trailer park, I was a homeowner and a billpayer. That lasted almost seven years. I had a stroke, then my uncle passed away. A year later I was homeless.
I live in South Carolina with the woman I met on Facebook when I was homeless. I have written about how we met and our life together. Here’s a copy of a recent newsletter.
My neighborhood is a source of story ideas, “Everything is copy.”
A Peaceful Friday Evening Interrupted by a Teenager with a Gun
Senseless violence in the neighborhood
This past Friday night, my wife and I were getting ready for bed around 10:00 or 11:00 P.M when we heard the shots. We jumped out of bed and peeked through the blinds of the living room window of our apartment.
A crowd of excited people was in the parking area talking and yelling, and then the sound of sirens. Soon, the area was full of flashing lights and the sounds of police radios.
Someone shot a twelve-year-old boy and a sixteen-year-old girl. Initial reports state that the victims were not the targets. There was a football game at the high school across the street. The victims were at a parking area near the Bo Jangles across the street from the high school.
My wife and I live in the apartment complex next to the Bo Jangles. A Juvenile from the Complex was taken into custody on weapons charges.
It’s not the first time we heard shots outside our apartment. Four years ago, my wife and I were walking home from the corner Dollar Store. There was a car idling at the entrance to the complex. A teenage boy was standing next to the car, talking to the driver.
We were in our apartment a few minutes later. I was at my desk on my laptop when we heard the shot. The two got into a beef and tried to settle it with violence.
I’m in my sixties. I had my share of altercations when I was a teenager. I settled those altercations with my words and with my fist when necessary.
I won a few fights and I lost a few. A lot of times I became friends with the guy I fought. The thought of killing each other for a high school altercation never entered our minds.
I wish I had the answer. I don’t know how to change the hearts and minds of young people. For a lot of young people, life means nothing. They will kill for no reason at all, and that’s sad.
Final Thoughts
Hug your kids. Teach them to pay attention to their surroundings. In the world we create, violence can happen at any time.
The Gunfight outside my Window Or how my wife and I dodged some Bulletsmedium.com
I have a Newsletter and Podcast.
I recently considered how far I have come and what I have gone through. My life is so much better than I thought it would be, and it proves that anything can be overcome.
Ten Years Ago Tonight, I Thought it was the Beginning of the End, But it Was the Start of a Better…
Rising from the ashes.open.substack.com
I have found out more about my Learning Disabilities and Mental Health issues as I have gotten older. I was told when I was younger that I was Dyslexic. I found out that it might have been a misdiagnosis.
The Disturbing Reality of Cognitive Dysfunction
I Learn Something new about myself every dayopen.substack.com
Be part of our Substack Mastery publication and the community, where I serve as a volunteer editor and contributor.
If you are a writer, please remember that November is a special month on Substack, so don’t miss the opportunity. Dr Yildiz explained the reasons earlier today.
Freelance Writers, Don’t Miss This Fantastic Opportunity!
My paid Substack subscribers increased by at least 30% in the first three days of November, and I have a plan for you.medium.com
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