Coach Bill / Dad, Entrepreneur Special Educator, American Political Scientist, Writer, Musician.

It is few and far in between that two activities, such as skateboarding and surfing, can be found to so completely deliver a strengthening of so many life skills, as well as provide therapeutic benefits all at once. Both individual sports require the dynamic interplay of executive function and cross-hemispheric neural connectivity at heightened levels, placing them in their own pantheon of 'go-to' therapeutic intervention activities to use. In addition, the proprioceptive component that comes on-line and gets toned is of particular benefit to youth and adults with neurological and/ or gross motor skill deficits, such as commonly found with those on the autism spectrum, downs syndrome or varied 'special needs.' Proprioceptivity is our ability to know where our body is and how fast it is moving through space. A surfer's proprioceptive response makes them self-aware of the positioning of their limbs and stance on the board, as well as how fast they are moving...

There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in the shallows and in miseries… And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures. -William Shakespeare The future has arrived, the flood is reaching its crescendo. The time to strike the iron with the hammer is about to reach its full pitch in South Norwalk, Connecticut. Grab your voices, bring your longboards and head out in to the water. Paddle out beyond the surf using the channel and meet in the lineup.  Strengthen your heart legs, Make your core flexible and ready to take the pounding of the waves; Push harder past the break, go forth beyond to the calm… Awaiting the next set, position yourself Ready with #EpicCommitment, ride it all the way in -William Stowell (Coach Bill) Scene 1 There are brothers and sisters of ours who are not given the oppo...

"...each moment requires a sensitive mind that is constantly changing and constantly adapting..." -Bruce Lee Water takes the shape of whatever is immediately around it. It is adaptable. Water also allows itself to be transformed into a new substance and is essential to life. Humans consist almost entirely of water also. It is a part of us, it is around us and we breathe it in from the air as well. Matter soon dries up in its absence and becomes hard and solid. Can we be fluid in adapting, shifting and transitioning like water does and take on some of its most essential characteristics? Can we be fluid like water and grow in greater alignment with changing circumstances and relationships?  Can we be fluid, yet still retain our integrity?  Having a rock, solid foundation in life is important. A great tree anchor itself by spreading its roots and clasping great rocks as its outermost extensions search for sources of water. The tree is immovable, yet f...

For a time, injustice will seem to rule the day, yet the ballast in our hearts drive us collectively to shine light into every corner and eventually unjust ways meet an end. Damage can also be done by the hearts and minds of those who look to serve themselves and their agendas over the plight of others. People like this live in heart-poverty and have narrow thinking. They even go as far as to look to enlist others in their doomed mission with persuasion, manipulation, bribery, rewards and coercion. Of all the injustices found, one of the greatest is poverty. Poverty of the mind, of the heart and of the body. It can be inflicted on a whole mass of people and has been used repeatedly as a master weapon against people. Sir Francis Bacon, for example, said that ‘knowledge is power.’ In purposefully keeping people ignorant and disempowered you can exact subtle control, influence and power over them. You can easily divide them, search out their would-be leaders and subjugate ...

If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how AMAZING you can be. -Maya Angelou The caged bird sings because its cage door is open. It is not actually a prisoner though it seems to live in a jail. The caged bird sings because its heart is free to fly. The caged bird flies and comes back to its master because they have a bond, an agreement, whereby both benefit. The master enjoys to see the bird be free and to see it come back every day. The cage door is left open because the master of the house is wise and filled with understanding. What is the state of your heart? Is it free? Is it nourished? Do you feed it every day like you feed the belly and the mind? Your heart has emotions coursing through it but is it the emotions? Your mind holds all that you think you are and all the capabilities needed to do what you do, but are you just your mind? Your body holds you upright and takes action, but are you just your body? Could it be that feeding your heart, is...

Life is so short. When we are young, time seems to move incredibly slow. At school, the clock hand would seem to never make it to snack time for me. Now I look back and see how fast life moves. If we don't stop and enjoy where we are with what we have we miss out on enjoying the moments and people that are in it. Life is precious then. Should we wait for our bank accounts to be just right for ourselves (or for others) before we say that 'we have arrived?' John Lennon said that life is what happens when we are making plans. Sounds easy to understand but in our individual quest to pay our bills and reach the end of the work week our lives unfold and are lived. This is a matter of great importance which I look not to take for granted. Everything matters. Every interaction is important, from the least to the greatest. Our thoughts and actions influence what is to come or not to come. Likewise, a fickle mind (ever-changing) will experience a great degree of stop ...

The power of forgiveness is a mighty, yet misunderstood strength. It is somewhat silent and subtle in its doing. It is seldom seen or experienced and when it does manifest it is underrated. The act of forgiveness is a personal journey of letting go of wrongs and trespasses done onto one and it seems to absolve the perpetrator of all wrong doing. It seems to at least. The truth is far more powerful. Victims can easily become perpetrators by exacting revenge using the ancient  'eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth' principle. A child who has been neglected and abused in her upbringing may know no other recourse but to walk the same learned lines she was taught in her youth. History repeats itself in this way. Cycles remain unbroken and wrong actions are consciously or unconsciously taught to new generations.  Once in a long while though, a person of a different mark will break the mold and step out of the norm magnanimously. In our modern day there are few that fi...

What is important? What is of value? On the surface, the world with all its happenings and events race by non-stop.  Our need to make money to pay for our living is a constant pull upwards. Weekends roll in and we collectively sigh and reach for a calmer pace. Monday and Tuesday surely come back in and we repeat the cycle. If you like what you do your outlook is easier, but if you are not head over heels passionate for your work the prospect of returning to work may seem arresting. Time flies, weeks go by. Seems like it was last year just yesterday. Everything repeats itself. Those will young children get a new lease on life. The kids are not routinized to the ways of this world and tend to brim with life and joy. I know how it is. I have kids of my own. Still, everyone must work and a predictableness to our lives is constant. Some like this to be the norm. Predictability.  That is fine. Some of us do not. Some of us like order mixed in with spontaneity and adventure....

It is a tale of two cities. In one city we  have the poor people of South Norwalk. They are African-Americans, they are hispanics (with and without U.S. citizenship) and they are white people, all of which hover around the poverty line, more or less. In this city, opportunity does not pass through the hands of the majority of the people, but rumbles through their streets in fast-paced construction vehicles. In this city, the drug-dealing is out front and center in front of what use to be the heart of the community, the South Norwalk Community Center. Aged men, like Tyrone Campbell, 71, amble by homeless and without a sense of direction. There is no future in store for senior citizens like him. He is not currently productive or desired by anyone, so he just ambles by. He cried to me in a recent conversation and it became hard for me to see his socio-economic state. All I could see was his humanity and want of dignity. I saw my late-maternal grandfather in him. We spoke of th...

Gentrification is a legal way of ethnic cleansing. It is a process through which cities and states award projects, grants and monies to 're-develop' land and make it 'nicer'. On the surface it looks like progress. Construction vehicles and cranes come in giving the semblance that a town is 'on the move' to better itself. New residential buildings are built, streets are repaved, trees may be planted and a children's park may be birthed. Ceremonies whereby politicians and private business pat each other on the back on a job well-done would make the front page of your local newspaper and all seems well in the world. But under the surface a nest of rats and serpents plot and align special interest to take care of each other and reign supreme. If you scratch the surface just a little questions surge up. When redevelopment is done in a poverty-stricken town, such as South Norwalk, Connecticut, does that not begin to raise the cost of living in that i...