About the Author
Christopher Petrizzi
My name is Christian Carmen Petrizzi, except that my first name is spelled differently, a given name that means Christian that originated in Italy back in the year 1222, and written as Christie.
Needless to say, I was teased often in elementary school. The times when public rollcall was announced in the auditorium, I never answered. I guess they figured that she was always absent on those days. Since then I went by the name of Christopher.
I was born and grew up in Fort Lauderdale and spent my last few years of high school in Miami. I never met my long-lost brother until recently, yet my brother-in-law at that time, made a big impact on my life in my teen years. Richard taught me to see the best in everyone. He never had an unkind word to say about anyone and that noble disposition of his, had influenced me since.
As far as my parents, I really can’t say that they were both late bloomers, because they sort of skipped that stage and kept their youthful appearance. During their golden years, both of them stayed young in mind, so I decided to incorporate their youthful characteristic nature in this book series.
My father was listed as 4F and moved to Fort Lauderdale right after W.W.2 had ended. For as long as I had known him, he never argued with anyone, nor lost his temper. He was the calm, silent type who kept his democratic opinions to himself. You know the type, the well-off self-employed business man who never has to answer to anyone.
He understood people and treated them with the respect they deserved. His influence gained everyone’s attention and they loved him for the way he made them feel about themselves. Every Christmas he made sure to give $100.00 to everyone he knew and the guy wasn’t even in the mafia.
My mother is a wonderful lady, generous and always concerned for the needs of others. When I was just a young boy, she encouraged me to follow my dreams and she still does today. She’s an amazing 90-year-old woman who keeps herself busy every day, like the Energizer Bunny.
She only had to spank me once when I was six years of age and assumed that I had ran away from home, when actually I decided to do-what-I-want and went to visit my father at work. Of course, I got lost and a police officer started wondering what the heck I was doing downtown by myself.
I knew that I was somewhat different than the other boys and everyone called me a vivid dreamer. I never knew what I wanted to do with my life, until one day when my father bought me a video camera.
I became hooked as I started making movies and put my creative ideas into action. As time passed, I decided that I wanted to be a film maker and write my own screenplays.
Years later when I turned 17, my father sat me down and showed me my college fund. He said that I could become anything that I wanted, a doctor, a lawyer, the cost didn’t matter. Yet when I told him that I wanted to write and produce my own movies, he became silent.
Later he told me that I was chasing a foolish dream. That year he made several attempts to change my mind, insisting that I get a career that would make a lot of money. Attempts that didn’t pan out, for I had no interest in doing something that I didn’t enjoy, just to make money.
As time passed, we stopped seeing eye to eye. I spent many of mornings going to the beach to watch the sunrise before work and thinking of a way to achieve my dream on my own. I was going nowhere.
I withdrew some of my college money, moved out, got an apartment and started studying screenwriting. My father disowned me. It wasn’t long after that, that I had to give up on my dream.
At age 22, I found myself becoming a single parent. Soon afterwards I became self-employed, so that I could spend my time with my daughter at home. My father eventually warmed back up and I had the opportunity to spend a few years with him until he passed away.
Years later, I fell in love, married and had a son. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out as expected. I picked myself up and continued on. Some time after that, I fell in love again, hoping that things would be different this time.
We married, bought a house, a new S.U.V., then my second son was born. Yep. Life was finally going my way, or so I thought. Then the recession hit in 2008 and my business practically went under overnight. I lost everything. My house, my car, you name it.
I didn’t understand why God didn’t let me win the lottery, so I could get it all back. Instead, he gave me a vision. Late one night in my apartment, I was lying in bed thinking of a way to hold onto what I had left, when suddenly the sound of a train horn blew in the distance.
A voice in my head said, “You have to let go.” I pulled out my laptop and put myself in the shoes of another. I had never written a story before and wasn’t sure how to begin. Regardless, I started to type about the troubles of another soul.
Scenes started to form in my mind, accompanied by dreams that followed, and they were leading my steps towards a different route in life, that placed me on an emotional roller-coaster for seven years.
If I had known then, how long that destined journey was going to take, I would have never gotten on that ride, even though it was my ticket to a second chance of achieving my dream. That is why the vision of that trip was revealed to me at one step at a time, so that I could develop my skills.
Now that the ride has stopped, I’m ready for my next adventure. My point to all this is… No matter how much you plan out your life, your destiny already has a plan in mind for you. So, when things don’t go your way and you find yourself spinning your wheels, just relax knowing that everything happens for a reason. It’s never too late to start a career in something that you love.
Your probably on the wrong train and need to get on track with another. Listen to your heart and go with that flow, then follow your destiny and the dreams instilled inside you. You were born to achieve greatness my friend.
