Pookiezilla

Just another Netflix newbie who had no idea modern-day treasure hunting was even a thing until watching Gold & Greed. Since then I can firmly attest - I've found my tribe!

I am a first-generation American, born & raised in a quiet Michigan rural setting tucked midway between Detroit and Toledo. My folks still possess a silky French accent; although I learned to speak French before English, over the years I lost mine. I like to say I was made in Canada, because it's true - I was snug in my mom's belly when they came to the States.

I grew up poor but didn't know it, which is a testament to the fine job my folks did in raising my brothers and me, in teaching us what was important in life and what was secondary comforts. We felt sorry for the kids who, amidst the advent of Atari, would rather stay home and play their video games on a glorious summer day instead of coming out to play and explore.

My childhood was filled with outdoor explorations in woods, fields and streams, just be home before it got dark. There was no Internet or cable TV, video games and home computers were just becoming a thing. We had none of those things, however, and didn't even get a VCR until my years upon this earth had attained double digits.
Boredom was an unimaginable concept; so many places to explore, just outside the front door or within the pages of a book! When tested in 6th grade, I was reading at college level. My brother and I would drag the fancy, 10-pound family Websters Dictionary to the living room and lie side-by-side on the floor with it open before us, turning to random pages and challenging each other over what new and mysterious words meant - the one with the most correct guesses got to begin the game first the next time we played.

Over the years, through hard work, frugality and careful investing, my parents became the epitome of the American Dream: they came here only with what they could fit in the car and upon their retirement had become quiet millionaires who still think $20 is way too much to pay for a steak. I've embraced this philosophy as well.

All of this is a small, grossly inadequate attempt to define who I became as an adult: fiercely independent, adventure-loving, frugal in my own life so I can be generous to others. I have a keen sense of and desire for justice in all things due to years of childhood bullying for being an alien, for having an accent, for being poor and not having what others had, for being a tomboy, for being too smart but not athletic or interested in girly pursuits such as makeup or hairstyles, for wearing hand-me-downs from my older brothers which my mom would try to soften by adding lace trim or colorful patches. I earned my degree in Criminal Justice and my career was law enforcement-adjacent.

I've had my share of life's challenges, but who ever really wants to hear about that anyway? Suffice to say I am childless, been on my own since the age of 16, walked the paths of addiction and recovery. I've been abused and found the strength to seek something better. I've been through cancer (carcinoid tumor), sexual assault, a divorce, a miscarriage, a bankruptcy and a foreclosure. I've been persecuted for having girlfriends and only recently discovered the term for me is Pan. I've been unjustly fired from a job for standing up for the truth. Life is hard but I am strong. I am so strong as a result of my life experiences as a whole. Don't call me a survivor and don't see me as a victim. I decide my level of happiness and my outlook on life, and I am a conqueror of my past experiences. I won't bend for injustice and I can't be bought. I won't play social drama games and stink at social politics; I won't kiss anyone's a$$ for acceptance and will always tell it like it is, even when the truth is unpopular. In the end, my integrity, honor and humility are the only things that are truly mine. Everything else is mist.

Don't look for me in the socials, you won't find me. I have no online presence and don't care to create one. I joined Discord when I realized that was where the information was, and have experienced more drama there than I ever want to be a part of again. That has been more than enough, and thank you!