R.A. Dickey: Wherever I Wind Up
New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey has been catching attention across the nation with his new book "Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest For Truth, Authenticity and the Perfect Knuckleball." According to Mr. Dickey, "It is a book of redemption and hope but in order to get there you gotta walk through some dark places…"
Those dark places start with chapter 3: The Summer of 1983. Dickey reveals that he was molested by a babysitter when he was 8 years old. That molestation led to many issues including thoughts of suicide, infidelity and more. "As you grow older you just really have all kinds of trust issues and things that come out of toxic shame," Dickey told The Norris & Davis Show on Baltimore's 105-7 THE FAN.
Listen to the interview here:
Podcast
Writing the book was a very difficult process of healing for Dickey, an English major in college. "I feel like God has given me a really unique story. I started writing in 2008. I tried to write the hardest things first but it was just too painful. I didn't have the vocabulary yet. I didn't have the equipment to hold it well. I hadn't done my own process enough to be OK with it."
With his process complete, Dickey can share his story with the hopes that others understand the pain many in society go through. "This is a story of redemption and hope. Although my life wasn't necessarily easy I think there are a lot of people with similar stories. My hope is that some young person will be able to read the book and feel that they are not alone."
R.A. Dickey was 8 years old when his traumatic experiences began. He had some words of warning for insensitive listeners who namelessly and jokingly texted the morning show stating that having an affair or being involved intimately with a teacher should be any teenage boy's fantasy, "As older people look back on a situation like that, like the teacher and a 14-year old boy, and as a grown person that may be a fantasy of theirs so they may project that onto that situation but in the moment it's doing all kinds of damage that is unseen."
It seems Mr. Dickey has found his quest for "Truth and Authenticity." Now he can focus on that perfect knuckleball.
