Real Life, Real Love, Real Loss

Realism—regarding things as they are; to be realistic. What makes one real? Is it to simply exist, to be oneself, to be loyal to facts, or is it the ability to examine the world in real time and to comprehend the actuality? Realism is the ability to remain true despite outside influences, illusions that deceive the mind into believing something that’s not real, accumulating into an outcome of wishful thinking while ignoring facts. Simply existing testifies to real, the fact that we can track events in real time testifies to the fact that we all possess the ability to be a realist. I am personally a realist; all of my decisions are based on facts, not on the outcome I most desire. In 2012, I experienced my greatest loss. The death of my mother. I have lost many things before, but nothing of this magnitude. Within my body, there are two contradicting forces, heart and mind. My heart, as deceptive as ever, used the love that I have for my mother against me. It deceived me into believing that she would live forever. My mind, not accepting the deception, influences my heart by considering the fact to date that what lives, dies.

No matter how we decide to view things that take place over time, over the course of our lives, there is one true and undeniable fact. It’s real. All have, at some point in their lives, experienced real. Real life, real loss, and real love.

In recognition of how real experiences have affected my reality, I have endeavored to capture them in the form of a book. In this book, I relate how real life, real love, and real loss have led me to my present circumstances—serving a fifteen-year prison sentence.

-- Frank Sims Jr.