A Peek Into The Life Of Rick Henry Christopher

Introduction: Rick Henry Christopher, a talented writer from Orange County. He is a dedicated son. He has his own YouTube Channel. He created his own Facebook Vocal group. He love listening to music and walking in his spare time.

Mariann: Rick, if you have any spare time, I would love to interview you ?

Rick: I can do this. I may want to read over the interview before it is published.

Mariann: Yes, I give out a draft before I published them 🥰Thank you , Rick. First question, Where are you from ? Are you still living in the place you were born and raised?

Rick: I live in the OC. I was born in Kern County, California but was brought to The OC before I was a year old.

Mariann: What was the first story you wrote about, when did you wrote the story(how old were you)?

Rick: It was in 1973 age 13 about a single mother raising her son. She was a well known actress with a hit TV show. She was very beautiful but accident prone and broke things wherever she went. It was very humorous the way she'd try to fix things only to make it worse.

This was for my creative writing class which was an elective in Junior High School. The class and teacher loved my story.

Mariann: What do you like most about writing? What is your ultimate goal in writing ?

Rick: Writing is an escape for me. I enjoy challenging my mind to come up with storylines that are unique and relatable.

I don't really have a goal. I just enjoy the art of writing. I guess my goal is to simply write.

Mariann: How long does it take you to write a story and a poem ?

Rick: It varies. There have been times when I sit down and write a poem in five minutes or a short story in three hours. Then there's those times that I spend as long as 6 weeks writing a story. It just really depends on how in-depth the story or the poem is and how much research I have to do to make it believable and relatable.

Mariann: What does your writing space look like? What is your real life schedule ? How do you start your day and end your day ?

Rick: I do not have a writing space at this moment. Because of the very high demands of taking care of my mom on a 24/7 basis I write wherever I can. I do not have a quiet space for writing. I'm usually multitasking as I write. I carry my phone with me and write on my phone. I may be in the process of feeding my mom while I'm writing or I may be doing any number of tasks while going back and forth with my writing.

I don't have a regular start time or sleep time. Due to caring for my mom I have to go with the flow of things. Some nights I do not get to go to bed until 6:00 am. Other nights I am sleeping at 7:00 pm. It all depends on my mom's level of agitation or how the medications affect her.

Mariann: How do you incorporate your YouTube channel into your schedule?

Rick: Like everything else I compose the interview Questions while I am tending to other things. I do the video editing and production while holding mom's hand if she's agitated or while feeding her. I usually have one hand on the keyboard and the other tending to mom's needs. The only part of my show I must have quiet for is recording my video parts. I usually do that at 3 in the morning because my mom is usually sleeping at that time. But even with that I have a monitor near me so I can keep an eye on her. She can wake up at any time and mom takes priority over everything else. I find ways to accomplish my projects.

Mariann: What do you do for Self-care? What’s the best word to describe you?

Rick : I walk everyday for about 20 minutes. I listen to music. My Vocal, Facebook, and YouTube projects. I was consulting with a therapist for about three months.

The best word to describe myself would be dedicated.

Mariann: If you were a book What title would you give yourself?

Rick : If I were a book it would be called Committed (there's a double meaning there). 😎

The little emoji with the sunglasses is kinda like my signature!!!

Mariann: What accomplishment you are most proud of? If you can change one thing in your past what would you change?

Rick : I am most proud of what I am doing now. Taking care of a very sick person is a major challenge. I have done a lot of research over the past two and a half years in all aspects of my mom's illness and normal aging process. I have every benefit available to us and have secured grants and now hours from the state of California in order to have a full-time caregiver with us. I put in a lot of time, make many phone calls daily, do tons of paperwork, and much negotiating in order to make sure my mom gets the proper care. I am very proud of the work I am doing right now. I am on this ship with my mom and no matter how rough and rocky the waters get I will not abandon ship.

I would not change anything from my past. Like everybody else I have made my mistakes and I have always been one that acknowledges them and I am not afraid to apologize when it is warranted. I love myself with all my bumps and bruises - I'm keeping all of me just the way I am.

Fun Fact : most popular story that has over 5,500 reads

Mariann: If you can change the world what will you change ?

Rick: I would change the United States Constitution to better reflect the needs of a United States with a population of 335 million very diverse people. The US Constitution was written by a panel of all white men for a United States that had a population of 2.5 million. There is just no way the Constitution as it's written, even with the amendments, is suitable for the United States in the year 2023.

Mariann: Who are your favorite vocal creators?

Rick: There are so many outstanding creators on Vocal. I really can't narrow it down to a few favorites. Because they are all a favorite for one reason or another.

I try my best to support as many creators as possible. I must apologize that I haven't been reading as much lately. My mom has suffered a major decline in the past 3 weeks and the adjustment has been very rough on me. But with a new medication regimen things are beginning to calm down and I will be back out there reading as much as possible.

Mariann: How many vocal Facebook group do you belong to ? Why did you create your own Vocal Facebook group?

Rick: I am a member of 7 or 8 Vocal groups on Facebook.

I began Vocal + Assist because I needed a new outlet from the stresses of my daily life and I saw an opportunity to develop a group that would foster reads and engagement and build community. I've been doing the website, blog, forum, Facebook thing for more then twenty years and I understand how algorithms and search engine optimization work so I knew that I could develop an active little community. It ends up Vocal + Assist has been very therapeutic for me. It has been a great escape from the roller coaster ride of emotions I am experiencing due to witnessing my mom's slow yet brutal decline. I truly love Vocal + Assist - we have a great thing going with that group.

Fact: Rick had 4.6% prostate cancer , had radiation treatment over 2 years ago

Mariann : Thank you , Rick for this interview opportunity and fitting me in your busy schedule . It was a pleasure to get to know you more .