Discovering Your Why

Discovering Your Why… We are all here for a reason. There’s something special about you. There’s an old adage that says, ‘There are two important dates in your life, the day you were born and the day you discover why you were born’. Ironically, what may seem like a setback sometimes actually could turn out to be a pivotal moment in your life and a blessing in disguise. When I was a young teen I couldn’t wait to become a man already. After reading about the Australian Aboriginal people’s walkabout rite of passage, I wanted to go on my own walkabout. So, I did. This was my trip into adulthood. I was naïve but my eyes were wide open. To make a long story short, the officer from the Philadelphia Police Department had the most puzzled look on his face when I tried to explain to him that I was on my walkabout from Virginia and not a runaway. Needless to say, he didn’t waste any time in telling me to get into the backseat of his patrol car and drove me straight to the Philadelphia Youth Study Center. Inside of this tall, monstrous building were things hidden from the general public. Due to overcrowding there weren’t enough beds, so a lot of kids had to sleep on the cold floor, on gym mats or thin wool blankets. The damaged walls were covered with graffiti, and most padded chairs were ripped with wobbly legs. The moment I arrived I began to feel bad for all the kids staying there. Not only was the building in terrible shape, but on top of that, the place was severely understaffed. One day, a staff member informed me that my case manager was working on getting me a Greyhound Bus ticket and arranging my trip back to Virginia. And then she asked me, “So, whatcha gonna do after you leave here and get back home?” Within her question I found my purpose. I knew from that moment on I would try my best to lend my voice to the underserved, either through my writings or through youth advocacy and mentorship. None of us are perfect. I’ve made some bad decisions in my life, but one decision I’m definitely proud of is serving those who feel misunderstood or thrown away. Once I got back to Virginia, I remember having a conversation with Ms. Birdie West (R.I.P.) She taught horticulture and she was one of my favorite teachers at Spotsylvania High. We were talking about seeds, and Ms. West said that once a seed is put into the ground all it wants to do is reach for the sun. Regardless of your circumstances, I hope that each one of you will continue reaching for the sun. Many of you have already found your why, and you’re blessing us every day with the work you do. If you’re still searching for your why, don’t worry, one day it’ll find you. Never forget that you are uniquely special and don’t ever let anyone convince you otherwise. By the way, the old Philadelphia Youth Study Center (which stood for decades) was eventually demolished, and the new Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Services Center was built around fifteen years ago. – Randolph Randy Camp (Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp)

Changes: New Paths, New Friends, New Life

CHANGES: NEW PATHS, NEW FRIENDS, NEW LIFE...
Stepping out of our comfort zone can certainly be a major challenge for some of us. Moving across town or relocating to a new state is definitely not an easy task but the rewards and benefits from accepting these challenges and taking these risks can be great. Recently, I’d moved from New York to Iowa and it’s been one of the best decisions I’d ever made. In so many ways I still feel as though I’m on my walkabout, at age 54 still growing, still learning. – Randolph Randy Camp
*(photo: Author Randolph Randy Camp with daughter Randie at Gray's Lake, Des Moines, Iowa, September 2015)
More at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

The Journey Continues: Breaking Bread

It’s the middle of August 2015. I’m in my mid-50’s and I’m still on my ‘walkabout’, still learning and growing. Recently, I’d graduated from college and received an Associate of Science (A.S.) Degree in Mental Health Studies – Substance Abuse Counseling.
As I explore and venture deeper into this counseling field, I hope that this college degree and my academic accolades, such as making the Dean’s List three times, won’t be the very thing that will swell my head and, ironically, separate me from the very people whom I’d intended to help. I hope that I won’t become the administrator or the executive behind the fancy oak desk who had never step foot into a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen.
Some of my best conversations have been with “street people” and the homeless. And there’s no better feeling in this world when you’re able to break bread and get to know another human being at a soup kitchen. It would be an outright shame if my fancy college degree actually kept from those who are still finding their way and climbing.
Now that I’m equipped with this college degree, maybe it will open some doors that were once closed to me…and just maybe, I’ll find my way in and prop the door open for those afflicted with an addiction, those in need, and those breaking bread at the soup kitchen. – Randolph Randy Camp
More at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

The Wishful Traveler

I grew up poor in rural Spotsylvania County, Virginia. I was a nerd and absolutely loved going to school because it was an escape from my sometimes dismal surroundings. I loved reading books about different cultures around the world and I would dream about going to these exotic places one day.
When I’d joined the US Air Force (after high school) I was able to travel the globe and actually visit some of the places and cultures I’d read about as a child.
I was fascinated by the Australian Aborigines, and when I was fifteen years old, I took part in my own ‘walkabout’. Let me explain: When I was 15, I went on a ‘journey’ from my rural hometown in Virginia to the bustling City of Philadelphia. Well, the juvenile court system said that I was a ‘runaway, and you should’ve seen the look on their faces when I tried to explain to them that I was simply on ‘my walkabout’.
Thank God for the US Air Force because during my numerous overseas tours, I was very fortunate to visit one of my favorite places, which is Japan. Not only did I visit mainland Japan while traveling in the Air Force, but I also got a chance to see the Island of Okinawa, Japan as well.
I certainly know what it’s like to ‘want to see the world’ but you maybe stuck in a financial bind and unable to fly and travel at will. Please take a lesson from me and just go to your local public library and you’ll be amazed at how far those books will take you. - Randolph Randy Camp


Learn more at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

Still Learning n' Growing

It's the beginning of March 2014 and nearly 37 years ago I had an experience that I still think about today. When I think of those pivotal moments of my life, especially the life-changing events of my early years, my mind drifts back to my 'walkabout.' It was early Spring 1977. I was turning fifteen and doing quite well in the 10th grade at Spotsylvania High in rural Virginia. A strong urge of wanting to explore and escape came over me during this period of my life. I absolutely loved going to school and learning about different cultures in other parts of the world. I'd learned how the Australian Aborigines would send their juvenile boys to survive on their own in the wilderness as a passage into manhood. The Aborigines called this 'the walkabout.' After saving up enough money from doing odd jobs like picking up hay on local farms and weeding out flowerbeds, I boarded a Greyhound Bus and went on a journey to the city of Philadelphia. The juvenile court system classified my journey as "running away", but to me, it was my 'walkabout.' The journey itself, coupled with my experiences on the streets and a brief stay at the Philadelphia Youth Study Center, actually changed my life forever. After seeing and breathing the smell of old urine and dried up alcohol on Philadelphia's dirty sidewalks it made me truly appreciate the simple, natural beauty of little ol' Spotsylvania County in Virginia. It was at this time in my life that I began to recognize how important the Rappahannock River (in Virginia) was in my life and how it would help shape me as a person and a writer. My 'walkabout' to Philadelphia really opened my eyes to a lot of things. After returning back to Spotsylvania County, I had this renewed sense of "I gotta do something", so I started reaching out more, mostly through my stories and writings. I wrote to magazines, and my very first published article was a local newspaper piece entitled 'PUT SOMETHING BACK' for the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. Still, to this day, when people would ask me what do I consider the best thing I'd ever written, or what stories or books am I the most proud of as a writer, I always say the 'Put Something Back' newspaper article I'd wrote as a teenager. Periodically, when I meet a troubled young person who might be a little confused or feel a little misplaced, I would share with them my walkabout story, and hopefully, they too, will begin to recognize the simple, natural beauty (of both people and things) which already exists around them...(we just don't see it until we venture out.) So  now, here it is the year 2014 and in many ways, sometimes I still feel like I'm on 'my walkabout'....still learning and growing. -  Randolph Randy Camp, More at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

RCSTORIES : The 'Walkabout'

CLICK HERE RCSTORIES: Stories & Songs by Randolph Randy Camp: Remembering My ' Walkabout ' : Writer Randy Camp:

NEW K.A.N.S.A.S.Dissatisfied with the way the adults are running the nation, a well-organized, underground society of intelligent kids demand the right to vote and to be given their own statehood or else. (The kids believe that voting should be based upon a person’s IQ, not their age.

Synopsis: ‘NEW K.A.N.S.A.S.’ (Kids’ Alliance National Society And Sanctuary): Discouraged with his lack of ability to control his own destiny fueled by his parents’ divorce and already fed up with the way the adults are running the country, a twelve year old boy forms a society to give children the Right to Vote and attempts to establish their own State in which to do it. All hell breaks when the U.S. Government starts to hunt down the leader and his underground network. In the meantime, the secretive children’s society is growing to an unbelievable size and there’s no stopping them now! TAGLINE: “Don’t underestimate the power of kids”
Although I’d originally wrote ‘NEW K.A.N.S.A.S.’ as a live action feature, it could also work as an ANIMATED feature-length movie as well. (The ‘Kansas’ in NEW K.A.N.S.A.S. stands for Kids’ Alliance National Society And Sanctuary)
U.S. Copyright: PAu002651984 (Original Screenplay Draft/ Author: Randolph Camp)
Learn more at AUTHORS DEN http://www.authorsden.com/randolphrcamp and WRITERS NET http://www.writers.net/writers/81919


‘NEW K.A.N.S.A.S.’ (Kids’ Alliance National Society And Sanctuary)

 

Posted on July 21, 2012 by rcstories1

Book ISBN: 978-1478273721...........Set in rural Virginia, ‘FALSE DANDELIONS’ is a contemporary Southern crime fiction novel filled with romance, small town secrets, broken dreams and murder as locals from Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg, including a young disabled Iraq war veteran, stop a misguided band of Washington, DC criminals from setting up shop in their quiet town. When Lamar returned home from Iraq they gave him a hero’s welcome but he actually never felt like a true hero until he pulled off his greatest mission ever. A mission that will make this disabled vet a local legend, and a mission that will literally blow you away. Jesse is a rising star but when his mother’s body was found in the murky waters of the Rappahannock, he trades his prized guitar for a shotgun. Ever since Turtle was little, he was always somebody’s errand boy. Now, twenty years later, he decides to break the mold and that is just the beginning of many mistakes Turtle will make. Randolph Randy Camp’s ‘FALSE DANDELIONS’ is about the lives and dreams of underdogs. When you’re stuck in a nowhere place, physically or mentally, you dream of leaving. When you’ve been a nobody and strive to become somebody, sometimes you succeed, sometimes you don’t. Once again, this prolific award-winning writer paints a straight forward picture of contemporary Southern life and reminds us that, regardless of your income or race, there’s a touch of Jesse in all of us and there’s a little Turtle in all of us.
‘FALSE DANDELIONS’ is available in paperback and eBook (Kindle) on Amazon.
Writers Guild of America, East Reg# R25183, October 2008
US Copyright Office Reg# PAu 3-414-222, October 2008

Connect and 'LIKE' Randolph Randy Camp on FaceBook at http://www.facebook.com/rcstories

Remembering My ' Walkabout '

It's the beginning of March 2014 and nearly 37 years ago I had an experience that I still think about today. When I think of those pivotal moments of my life, especially the life-changing events of my early years, my mind drifts back to my 'walkabout.' It was early Spring 1977. I was turning fifteen and doing quite well in the 10th grade at Spotsylvania High in rural Virginia. A strong urge of wanting to explore and escape came over me during this period of my life. I absolutely loved going to school and learning about different cultures in other parts of the world. I'd learned how the Australian Aborigines would send their juvenile boys to survive on their own in the wilderness as a passage into manhood. The Aborigines called this 'the walkabout.' After saving up enough money from doing odd jobs like picking up hay on local farms and weeding out flowerbeds, I boarded a Greyhound Bus and went on a journey to the city of Philadelphia. The juvenile court system classified my journey as "running away", but to me, it was my 'walkabout.' The journey itself, coupled with my experiences on the streets and a brief stay at the Philadelphia Youth Study Center, actually changed my life forever. After seeing and breathing the smell of old urine and dried up alcohol on Philadelphia's dirty sidewalks it made me truly appreciate the simple, natural beauty of little ol' Spotsylvania County in Virginia. It was at this time in my life that I began to recognize how important the Rappahannock River (in Virginia) was in my life and how it would help shape me as a person and a writer. My 'walkabout' to Philadelphia really opened my eyes to a lot of things. After returning back to Spotsylvania County, I had this renewed sense of "I gotta do something", so I started reaching out more, mostly through my stories and writings. I wrote to magazines, and my very first published article was a local newspaper piece entitled 'PUT SOMETHING BACK' for the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. Still, to this day, when people would ask me what do I consider the best thing I'd ever written, or what stories or books am I the most proud of as a writer, I always say the 'Put Something Back' newspaper article I'd wrote as a teenager. Periodically, when I meet a troubled young person who might be a little confused or feel a little misplaced, I would share with them my walkabout story, and hopefully, they too, will begin to recognize the simple, natural beauty (of both people and things) which already exists around them...(we just don't see it until we venture out.) So  now, here it is the year 2014 and in many ways, sometimes I still feel like I'm on 'my walkabout'....still learning and growing. -  Randolph Randy Camp, More at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

Randolph Randy Camp’s ‘TONY’S BIKE’ Logline:

During his summer break, a kid detective helps the local cops solve a murder in rural Virginia.

‘TONY’S BIKE’ Plot/Summary:

Ever since Ricky Curtis was six years old he wanted to be an investigator. Now, at twelve years old, Ricky runs his own Private Investigator Agency out of his bedroom. Thus far, most of Ricky’s cases have centered around missing bikes. Ricky and his new sidekick, twelve year old Sheila, are caught off-guard when they discover a murder while investigating a stolen bike case. Realizing that young Ricky Curtis knows the backwoods better than they do, the local cops gladly accept his assistance in solving this heinous crime.

TONY’S BIKE, Original Screenplay Draft, U.S. Copyright Office Reg# PAu 002013080, Author: Randolph Randy Camp

 

*Learn More at  http://randy0312.wordpress.com/

"...THEN THE RAIN" is now available on Amazon. *Connect and 'LIKE' Randolph Randy Camp on FaceBook at http://www.facebook.com/rcstories         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            "FALSE "FALSE DANDELIONS" a contemporary Southern crime fiction novel is now available on Amazon.

Posted on July 21, 2012 by rcstories1

Book ISBN: 978-1478273721..............Set in rural Virginia, ‘FALSE DANDELIONS’ is a contemporary Southern crime fiction novel filled with romance, small town secrets, broken dreams and murder as locals from Spotsylvania County and Fredericksburg, including a young disabled Iraq war veteran, stop a misguided band of Washington, DC criminals from setting up shop in their quiet town. When Lamar returned home from Iraq they gave him a hero’s welcome but he actually never felt like a true hero until he pulled off his greatest mission ever. A mission that will make this disabled vet a local legend, and a mission that will literally blow you away. Jesse is a rising star but when his mother’s body was found in the murky waters of the Rappahannock, he trades his prized guitar for a shotgun. Ever since Turtle was little, he was always somebody’s errand boy. Now, twenty years later, he decides to break the mold and that is just the beginning of many mistakes Turtle will make. Randolph Randy Camp’s ‘FALSE DANDELIONS’ is about the lives and dreams of underdogs. When you’re stuck in a nowhere place, physically or mentally, you dream of leaving. When you’ve been a nobody and strive to become somebody, sometimes you succeed, sometimes you don’t. Once again, this prolific award-winning writer paints a straight forward picture of contemporary Southern life and reminds us that, regardless of your income or race, there’s a touch of Jesse in all of us and there’s a little Turtle in all of us.
‘FALSE DANDELIONS’ is now available in paperback and eBook (Kindle) on Amazon.
Writers Guild of America, East Reg# R25183, October 2008
US Copyright Office Reg# PAu 3-414-222, October 2008

*Follow Randolph Randy Camp on Twitter  @rcstories 

One summer. Seven hearts. 29 Dimes. It wasn’t your typical LA summer. No one could’ve predicted what happened that day in Silver Lake. It was a summer of passion, confusion, and growth.
                                                     One hot, crazy summer.
                                                      Seven hungry hearts.
                                                     29 Dimes.
Award-winning, prolific writer Randolph Randy Camp creates a moving, tender love story amid a wild, crazy summer as Teki, Ronnie, Pepe, Brittany, Kalib, Tip, and Valerie each will have an experience that will forever shape and change their young lives.
Valerie has the kind of natural beauty that belongs on magazine covers. All the guys in Silver Lake dream about her. One guy will get lucky this summer and win her heart.
A gifted storyteller, Randolph Randy Camp offers the reader a realistic glimpse of the Los Angeles community of Silver Lake. If you still believe that love can happen to the most unlikely people and love still can be found in the most unusual place, then Randolph Randy Camp’s ’29 Dimes: A Love Story’ is certainly a must-read for you. 
                                       One Summer. Seven Hearts. 29 Dimes.