The Pursuit of Happiness: Cory’s Version

Cory sat in the Urban Alliance office, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. For the next hour I listened as he dispelled my thinking. Cory, I found out, had recently left a dead-end comfort zone because he cares so deeply about being sober and watching his little boy grow up.

Several months earlier, he was at the end of the proverbial rope and almost didn’t make it into the Momentum office. The church-like setting with the steel framed side door didn’t exactly lure him in. “I almost walked away,” he admitted. However, sheer desperation propelled him into what he perceived as an ominous setting and that’s when things changed. Quickly. Within two weeks of starting Momentum, he sensed it was the right place for him. Deep down, he knew he had to bring hidden personal issues to the front and deal with them. And so he did.

Cory has worked to overcome many barriers. With only a bit of hesitation, he told me about two felony convictions and a history of drug use. Poor choices took him down some dark roads. During the six-week Momentum program, he faced his past and slowly recognized future possibilities. This was especially difficult because, right after he started, his son’s mom died. Almost overnight, Cory became a full-time dad to three-year old Max.

Cory smirked as he recalled the plea to “trust the process,” a phrase he heard frequently during his time with Momentum. He did learn to trust, but it came in small waves, as he realized his own resiliency within an environment that included people he respected, and trusted.

After completing the Momentum program last spring, Cory forged on and successfully finished a three-week Warehouse Management and Inventory Control Academy. He then secured a full time job at Sigma, a home, and a car. As we ended our time together, Cory told me, “Without Momentum, I may not have my son and I may not have landed in a good place. The universe came together on this one.”

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