You Only Live Once

Hello my fellow winners,

I hope everyone has been doing an obnoxious and copious amount of winning at life over the last few months. I know I have over a lifetime. So much so that I was winning at life before Charlie Sheen ever came up with the idea. Too bad I never trademarked it. Haha!

I hope everyone enjoyed the Alice in Chains musical selection. It’s my version of “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.” Brad Freeman has never willingly accepted being put in the corner, and being told to go away. Nor will I ever accept being put in the corner, and being told to go away. If I don’t, you shouldn’t either. You should never accept being 2^nd best. So therefore, I hope that the box of whatever’s been holding you back has been burned to ashes, and then doused in excellence!

In the last article, I dispelled the notion that people in general, whether they have some sort of medical diagnosis such as cerebral palsy, or not, aren’t able to think for themselves. So certainly, if they are perceived not to be able to think for themselves, their interests aren’t theirs either, right? People have you learned nothing from these golden nuggets of wisdom I’ve been sharing with you all over the past year!? Haha. What did I just say above? Be yourself because you want to be yourself, not because others made you be a certain way. Think for yourself, and make your interests your own as well. That’s why this piece has 2 musical jams for it. First, listen to Motorhead’s“Ace of Spades” followed by Metallica’s “Motorbreath” (1983 Kill’em All studio version).. They are the alpha and omega tunes about embracing the gambler within, welcoming risks, and ultimately grabbing life by the throat, and showing it no mercy.

If you think for yourself, then why would you want to enjoy interests that you don’t enjoy, anyway? Honestly? Do you know how unoriginal it is to say because other people made me, or told me to do so?  Or I did it to fit in? That’s all good and fine, but eventually you reach an age where you’re allowed to dislike things, that you don’t like, and be your own person. Fitting in, just makes you as boring as everybody else. The very embodiment of the stereotype I’ve been preaching against, in no uncertain terms. While it’s true, you may not stick out in order to not be criticized, you’re stifling your ability to grow as a person, and become great! Don’t live your life in regret! You’re born and you die, but don’t you want to suck the marrow out of life like the great author Henry David Thoreau said, before you do die, by delving into every single thing that piques your curiosity!? Do you really want to look back on your life, and think what could have been? There are so many things I wanted to do and never did, but don’t you wish you did? How are you going to make history that way? I feel like that’s the problem with the world today. Reality TV and our current oversensitive culture have made people lose their individualism. Instead of being the first version of themselves, people are too busy trying to be another Kim Kardashian because it’s easier to follow trends and not step on anybody’s toes, then to be a trailblazer and make new ones.

I’ve always enjoyed sharing my experiences with other people, even as a little boy, so that others can see that my cerebral palsy is what I have, it’s not who I am. It’s a small part of the experience. Not the whole experience, hence the reason it doesn’t bother me. I’ve had it since I was 5 months old. I don’t know any different. As I stated before, I’ve learned to make it work, and make the best of what I have. I’m my own individual, just like each and every one of you reading this. I have my own unique thoughts, interpretations, and interests separate from my friends and family as well. No one told me to be this way. I’m this way because Brad Freeman WANTS to be this way. Usually after I dismantle the idea that I’m depressed like I mentioned in the previous article, people then reply with don’t you feel like you’re missing out on life because you miss chances at socialization, and work from home a lot of the time? A lot of the time I don’t feel like I’m missing that much. Yes, I have a list of places I would like to go, and things I would like to do at some point within the country, and the world abroad, but I very much treat all the things I do such as my playwriting, songwriting, art, football coaching, martial arts history, life coach article writing, and writing out my political platform etc. as full-time jobs, even though I’m not getting paid YET! But I will someday soon. So I’m not worried. It’s not very wise to enjoy the fruits of my labor before I have those fruits, now is it? I’m also not one of those creative types that is totally appalled by people, nor the prospect of a regular job, but I honestly do need extra-ordinary things in order to go out. I’m not able to go out at the drop of a hat like everybody else. I have to plan ahead. Not only do those things cost money that I would like to do, but so does all the accommodations I need. I need to be able to support myself, if something happened to my mom before I can go out and have fun. I’m treating the things I love like jobs, and doing what I need to do to get ahead in them like most people with regular 9-to-5 jobs do. I don’t sit around eating bonbons. I don’t drink, smoke, or do drugs. I could, but choose not to. I have no desire to do that once so ever! I will get into that in another article down the road. I fill that void by overcompensating with women, working out, theater, film, art, sports, and heavy metal music. I email back and forth with my important contacts if I have questions about one of my areas of study. Unlike most people my age or younger, I would prefer to talk to people face-to-face, but if traditional socializing means hearing about your 9 cats, your husband’s colonoscopy, and how much more booze and dope you can do than me, then I would much rather work on all my stuff above from home to feel like a functioning member of society. At least working from home via computer, and phone allows me to control who I interact with. I don’t have to deal with rude, angry, and unkind people, if I don’t want to. I only use social media, the Internet, and my phone to accomplish goals and tasks; it’s not used for acting like a star struck teenager. And ultimately, if I was in a line of 400 people out in public, would I be talking with them anymore, or less in the actual store? ...Probably not. Not socializing the way other people view socializing is alright with me. I’m very sociable. I can talk intelligently and articulately about a multitude of subjects, as well as make friends easily. I also read a lot to learn new things. I just feel sometimes people have strange ways of socializing that I’m glad I don’t understand such as drugs and alcohol. I’m only interested in one thing and one thing only. Being the best Brad Freeman I can be at all times. Not only do I want history to remember me, but I want to make sure it never forgets who I am. However, I know my mom feels guilty sometimes because I don’t go out as much, but she really shouldn’t. Nor should anyone else feel sorry for me, because I’ve never felt sorry for myself, a day in my life. How is that going to help me? I go out and do the things I really want to do as of right now, and don’t do the things, I don’t want to do. It’s as simple as that.

The running joke is I’m like Charlie from the original Charlie’s Angels because they don’t physically see me. My legend grows by leaps and bounds on a daily basis. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve heard. I’m the guy who also knows everybody. In fact, mom goes out more than me and runs into people I know all the time because she will wear my academic letter jacket from high school.  People hear me talk over the phone, read my work, and hear about my exploits from other people I’ve actually come in contact with, so naturally they’re curious. Is he a real man? Does he really exist? I don’t believe one man can do all that. What does he have? It adds to my rock star mystique! A college buddy of mine has actually insinuated with a completely straight face that I’m Jesus Christ, so I wouldn’t be surprised, if someone printed that I was genetically engineered in a lab, and raised by wolves soon. Hehe. He has asked me for a birth certificate on more than one occasion because he doesn’t believe I’m as old as I say I am. Haha. I’m a real boy. Not Pinocchio. I assure you.

Now, with all that being said, the only thing more irritating than hearing “You don’t have a mind of your own” is “You only do things because your mom wants you to,” or “because you’re in a wheelchair”. Again, my cerebral palsy is what I have. It’s not who I am. I’m not able to explain it, but I’m into things that you would think a guy with cerebral palsy wouldn’t be into, but I am. People my whole life have been telling me what I can, and can’t do. What I should, or shouldn’t be, but I’m the one who gets to decide what I will, and can be. If you believe in yourself, that’s all that matters! The phrases, I can’t, I quit, and I won’t ever ARE NOT part of my vocabulary. And they shouldn’t be a part of yours either. I’ve always been into things because I like them. You see, I was raised by a single mother, a grandma, and an aunt, and just as an example, very few of the women in my family are into sports. But I follow football, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, boxing, and MMA on the regular. My sport of expertise however is football. That’s where I learned my basic numbers and math skills as a child, by the way. Just ask my grandma. The only immediate male family member I had was my maternal grandfather, but he didn’t live with me. His sons, my uncles, are 6 years younger than me. Sports are how we communicate. My grandpa would’ve told you that yes I watch football, but nowhere near as much as Brad. I, Brad, am the guy who watches every high school, college, and pro televised game, NFL Network, ESPN, and follows all the insider websites. The first thing I do in the morning is check the transaction lists to see where everybody’s going on a daily basis. My mom has stated on more than one occasion that she believes I’m obsessed, but there are worst things I could be doing! Haha. It was no one’s decision, but mine, to write 3 to 4 page letters to a who’s who of college, and NFL coaches either. I got positive feedback from Dick LeBeau, and Nick Saban put my contact info on file at Alabama. By the way, I wrote those hundreds of pages of research that I touched on in the very first article, because I wanted to make sure when I wrote letters to these coaches, and went to the clinics, that they knew, I knew my stuff, independently, and of my own free will. When it comes to my theater, and film pursuits, no one told me to write all those plays. No one told me to write a collection of high-profile actors, directors, writers, and producers I want to work with. I did all that once again on my own, and of my own accord. I got positive feedback from the likes of Al Pacino, Morgan Freeman, and George Lucas. My grandma was a writer sure, but not for theater or film. Again that was my own singular choice. As it pertains to art, nobody in my family is a professional artist, but my aunt does graphic design, and my grandpa painted some full-scale portraits, but my body physically will not let me do that, so I make art and clothing using Photoshop in order to make it my own. In regards to my musical tastes, everybody thinks that somehow I listen to my “mom’s music”. Even though it’s from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and early 90s, she isn’t able to even name half the stuff. She doesn’t know why people say that. We’ve played a name that tune type game since I was a little kid, and turning it to the heavy-metal station is the only way I can beat her. Mom likes Counting Crows, disco, Linda Ronstadt, and Grace Potter. The heaviest she gets is Lynard Skynyrd, Eagles, AC/DC, and maybe Queen. I have news for everybody. Hard rock, punk rock, and heavy metal music is very much my own thing. No one in my family listens to heavy metal, or punk rock. I think my grandma’s a little concerned by it, my aunt’s afraid of it (she prefers Michael Jackson), my grandpa, who was a big name radio DJ for decades, couldn’t understand how I can listen to that stuff everyday! My uncles like rap, my aunt’s husband likes jazz, and I’m not really sure what my other aunt thinks. My cousins probably have an array of opinions. I started listening to it when I was 12. I really did not like 90s pop, rap, or country. I was looking for music that was unique to me, and that I could make my own. That’s it. No other reason than that. I’m not mean. I’m not angry. It has nothing to do with race or creed. I’m also highly intelligent contrary to the popular belief of what a metal head is supposed to be. In the movies, you always see the guy or gal, in a leather jacket, which aren’t able to put 2 sentences together. I’m sorry to disappoint, but that’s not even remotely anywhere near me, sorry to say. If anything, it means I’m cool people! Hehe. You can ask my mom, I wake up to the stuff. I’m pretty sure that’s where my natural 100% against the grain of the stereotype attitude and sledgehammer swagger comes from. One of my nicknames is BA after all. You think I could get a nickname like that listening to the Mickey Mouse Club!? Haha. I started by watching Metallica and Megadeth interviews. Being those are my parent bands, I would listen when they talked about their influences, and contemporaries. That’s how I learned who various bands were. Now, once people figure out that it’s my own thing, like everything else I do, they often ask my mom, “How can you let him listen to that?” To which her reply is why wouldn’t I? He’s his own person. I only bring this up because I have friends whose parents still took away their CDs and other platforms of music when they were 18-20 some things. Why? You’re an adult. The only conversation my mom and I had about it was when she asked me, if I knew not to do the things certain bands like Slayer were talking about? I said yes, I know not to act out what they’re talking about. I was around 12. That was the end of the conversation. It just fits me. Anybody who truly knows me laughs because they all know it’s just part of my diverse personality. Does anyone really see me listening to country, pop, or rap? No? Everybody else doesn’t either. Lol. Grunge, classical, and jazz are my preferred alternatives to metal. I learned about all those in much the same way. Grunge came after metal, all my favorite rockers would talk about the dark undertones and virtuosity of classical music and before my aunt met her husband, I learned about jazz from Gar Samuelson, and Chris Poland, who are 2 of the 4 original members of Megadeth, for those non-metal people out there. On a side note, I also wrote a bunch of my favorite musicians because I needed another challenge, in case you were wondering. I’ve also met some of them too. As far as martial arts, I study martial arts, and the history of warfare, not because I’m a warmonger, but because it interest me, and I’ve always felt that people should know how to defend themselves, against all forms of tyranny. I have no idea where that came from. Most of the members of my mom’s family are totally anti-conflict, although my grandma did study Judo for a while. I also have what my mom likes to call, MacGyver like survival skills. I watched the original show as a child, so I totally understand the reference. I study those because I want to, and because it could save your life. And lastly, my fascination with politics has to merely do with the fact that I want to be an informed citizen, and not a mindless drone. My family never pressed politics on me. In fact, most of them, don’t even like politics. And before anyone asks, I don’t feel like this is the proper place, time, and/or vehicle to espouse my views to the public yet. Everyone will find those out when I release my platform in a few years. With the political climate the way it is today, I don’t want every little thing I say to be minutely dissected.

Just so were clear, I don’t do all this stuff to hear myself talk, or to make people feel inferior. I do it to prove a point. That point is this. Take me seriously because I feel I belong as much as the next big name prominent public figure. I don’t get awestruck, or nervous when meeting with, conversing with, or writing to influential people. What goes through my mind is that they’re just people, and if I treat them like friends and colleagues, they’re more likely to take me seriously if I’m merely trying to learn knowledge from a peer, instead of trying to take advantage of our interaction. I believe in myself so much, and you should too, that if the whole world bet against me, that would be fine with me because I will succeed no matter what it takes, or how long it takes at whatever I do! I’m one of those persons, who if you asked 10 people, what I should do with my life, you would get 10 different answers.

So therefore, if you melt the songs together, this is what you’ll hear, and what I wake up to every morning. If you like to gamble, I’ll tell you, I’m your man. You win some. You lose some. It’s all the same to me. The pleasure is to play. It makes no difference what you say. I know I was born to lose. And gambling’s for fools, but that’s the way I like it baby! I don’t want to live forever! I’m going to take down whatever’s in my way. Those who tell you not to take chances are missing on what life’s about. You only live once, so take hold of the chance. Don’t end up like others. Same song and dance!

I implore everyone to take a long and hard look in the mirror, and ask each of yourselves, am I doing what I want, or am I doing what I have to? Embrace your individualism, don’t be afraid of it. Don’t just accept life grinding you down, mediocrity, and the mundane. Don’t be afraid to be different, and unconventional. Take a risk and live life in the express lane of excitement, and do it without one ounce of shame, or embarrassment, but instead with relentless fervor, and limitless bravado. If I found a way to bring the house to its knees with the cards that cerebral palsy has dealt me, then what’s stopping you, from achieving your hopes, dreams, and ambitions?