David’s seen a lot. David’s done a lot. Most importantly, he’s learned a lot, through a lot. .
Consider everything you’ve ever experienced. Then, turn every good, fun memory into a worst-case scenario that somehow turns worse…… time after time, year after year. Imagine doing your best to somehow extract a lesson from each heartbreak, each death, each diagnosis, each accident… then, imagine having to keep going, reliving those times via memories you never wanted or wished for, whenever they arise.
Summed up, that’s been what most of the short time David Hojak’s lived so far has been like, so far.
It All Started Out So Easily
Raised in Southern California (where I’ve been most of my life). life was interesting… particularly because of American law, drug & race issues. I saw it all… earthquakes, storms, a riot, starvation & nonstop worldwide poverty.
I had no idea that my life was going to take the turns it would, as I watched… or that I’d be given so many chances to make that one pivotal mistake. Nor did I have any idea that once given a chance, I’d fare as well as I have.
David Hojak’s Role Models Growing Up
Occasionally, as a youth, athletes would grab my attention. I really got into K-1 & the UFC as a kid. Others watched the WWF. I wanted to see real fighting.
Despite that influence, my more expressive role models were musicians. At first, I listened to music based on with what my father introduced me to. It only took off from there. It started with bands like like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Eagles and Queen… as well as artists like Bob Seger & Eric Clapton. These were all the artists he left me vinyl records of.
Eventually came Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains. Others included Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stone Temple Pilots, and Bad Religion. And I can’t forget Metallica, or Nine Inch Nails. Those artists now make my winning adult formula.
Most important parts of childhood
- I enjoyed the fun of growing up, until 1992’s end & 1993’s beginning.
- My best childhood memories: music, friends & family, in that order.
- Good times didn’t end in childhood… they just became more rare.
David Hojak’s Life Had Complications
I attended my first funeral when I was eight, for a family friend/neighbor who was killed in a gang shooting. Starting there, it was at least a funeral a year. We’d known that first neighbor less than two years, by then. The poor guy was in his early twenties… and I was eight. The funeral was open casket. I saw, as a young child, the corpse paint on his neck, with his blue skin beneath, beginning to peel. It honestly scared me. It was my first real exposure to a corpse’s decomposition.
From there, growing up surrounded by drug addicts, life was a series of parties, days-off, late nights & loud music. Seeing all that so young was a perfect way to decide early on that my own life would be different. Few surrounding friends had any idea of what the Hojak family home life was really like. And they didn’t need to know… all they needed to see was me succeeding.
Objectives set forth to avoid the wrong path
- Get out on my own ASAP. Avoid becoming what my parents did.
- Look out for myself, instead of taking too much interest in others.
- Realize that no matter what, no one will matter as much to me as “I” do.
Whichever Way, David Hojak Would Build His Own Home
Everyone’s own misery began becoming my own. Severance & distance from everything were the only realistic solutions. At 17, an unfaithful single mother & I set forth, then moved me out of my parents’ house early-in-life. Nearly eight years beyond her, singularity became a venture that lasted just 3 years. After so long, I was introduced to a girl, and though her father was a Packers fan… ultimately, we broke up, as well. About two years after that, I found myself in my first marriage… which ended suddenly after a medical accident. I wandered on my own geographically for about half a decade afterwards, before ending up back in my home state… eventually happy with a new wife that I’ve known as a friend since childhood.
Where It Now Stands
I’ve given four & a half decades of life to so much collectively. Living it for myself at last feels amazing. Being happy and comfortable with those around me has made a world of difference. Watching so much change around me as I’ve evolved on my own has made a world of difference. The space to think clearly, focus diligently & follow-through post-relocation has me positioned unlike ever before. I optimistically look ahead to my future, for the first time in decades.
You must be logged in to post a comment.