Duke Watrous

I am a libertarian, a patriot, and a firm believer in individual responsibility. I am a father, a son, and a brother. I love my kids more than anything.

In my life I have been a ranch hand, an amateur vet, a horse trainer, a chicken herder, a fisherman, a river floater, a welder, a mechanic, a gardener, a landscaper, a hunter, a telemarketer, a film coupon book salesman, a phone book delivery man, a security system salesman, a traveling book salesman, a guardian of my brothers, a crew chief for a magic show, a furniture mover, a parasail boat captain, a house rehabber, a fence builder, a truck driver, a logistical analyst, a small business owner, an entrepreneur, a job creator, a traveler, a board game inventor, and I have four stepped under the hot Texas sun in a prison field squad.

I have been madly in love, and I have experienced profound betrayal. I have been through a bitter divorce, and I have fought for my children within the legal system. I have created wealth and gone bankrupt with the crashing economy.

I now realize that when I thought my life was at its bottom, my life was really perfect.

A single moment can change the course of your life. A single moment in time can destroy what you hold most dear. Some events in life leave you only two options: make the most of your life, doing something important to help others, or the exact opposite, just let go and slip into that inky blackness of emotional abyss. There is no middle ground to live a normal life. The death of my daughter was more than I could bear, but sometimes when your soul is sucked down a black hole, it is ejected out the other side.

Author website: dukewatrous.com

Book sales benefit the Ashley Watrous foundation. www.ashleywatrous.org