My Life Would Have Been Different If…

My Life Would Have Been Different If…  

My life would have been different if our people had won the Vietnam War. 

My life would have been different if I grew up as a white kid in Provo, Utah. 

My life would have been different if my family had not moved to California when I was 10. 

My life would have been different if my father had not died from leukemia when I was 13. 

My life would have been different if I had not blamed God and the world for his death. 

My life would have been different if I had attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. 

My life would have been different if I never went to Juvenile Hall. 

My life would have been different if I had learned something of value in the California Youth Authority. 

My life would have been different if I never joined a gang. 

My life would have been different if I never murdered another man. 

My life would have been different if I had received the Death Penalty. 

My life would have been different if I was still a “self-made hustla.” 

My life would have been different if I still cast myself in a good light. 

My life would have been different if I still needed others’ approval. 

My life would have been different if I still chased recognition. 

My life would have been different if I was still enamored with the sound of my own voice. 

My life would have been different if I could not recognize when I am speaking from a place of pride and ego. 

My life would have been different if I did not realize I am responsible for every thought, word, and choice in this life. 

My life would have been different if I did not make time for prayer and mindfulness. 

My life would have been different if I could not glimpse the flashes of beauty in each person I come across.  

My life would have been different if I had not finally awaked.