An Authentic Life v 1.2 - Universalist Radha-Krishnaism

When I was eight, we moved to a new four bedroom
home on a quarter acre in Lake Ronkonkoma,
on Long Island about fifty miles east of the city. The
area was rural then. A wonderful woods right behind
my backyard with wild blueberries was my new
playground. I made a tree house, underground fort,
lean-to, and log cabin. I enjoyed the outdoors, archery,
fishing, hiking, ice skating and sports. I loved this
country, soon to be suburban, environment until I became
a teenager. Then I wanted to be in the city with
a hip culture and things to do other than hang out in
the bowling alley.
Dad got a job installing fences and fenced in our
backyard where we had a garden, chickens, pidgins,
rabbits, and a dog. Then he worked in a delicatessen
that he soon bought. It was a family operated business
where I also worked starting at ten years old. We
formed a bowling team with shirts that said, “Bill’s
Deli.” Life was good. We lived the American dream
with a house in the suburbs, a new ’58 Chevy sedan,
and a Ford pickup.
Dad bought another deli and suffered a disabling
stroke while working there. He was legally blind and
couldn’t walk fast enough to get a seeing-eye-dog. We
lost both stores due to the cheating clerk we left in
charge. Dad never worked again. We quickly went
from middle class to poor when I was thirteen.
I was a bright student but hung out with a rowdy
crowd. When I graduated sixth grade, I got a medal
from the Daughters of the American Revolution for
my knowledge of American history. In high school, I
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