My story (in progress) is going viral

DetroitDarin wrote: »

Can you tell us how this has changed your mental/emotional make-up? Has your outlook on life, love, music, whatever changed through this or because of this journey?

That's a great question. Man, you know, after thinking about it for a while I believe it will take a somewhat complex answer.

I have always been one to seize opportunities. I have always had a zest for life and adventure. When I was 18 I moved to the Dominican Republic and worked on a shrimp farm... I have moved over 15 times in the last 7 years working for the Forest Service all over the country. Every off season I do trips... However, to answer your question, I would say that the lens that I view (and life) life through has just gotten so much clearer... and brighter. As the weight snuck on I slowly stopped doing the things I loved to do. Instead of going to a mountain lake to fish, I would play music at a bar (still do) or something else. Eventually the thought of doing an overnight backpack trip felt too hard or would beat me up too fast. In those pictures, the first set is of me backpacking around Hawaii. That place kicked me in the rear and all of a sudden I knew I needed to make some changes before it was too late.

Now, I am enjoying life full speed. I climbed my first 14er, I'm going out and doing and trying things I have never done... and I'm not doing too bad at them! I thought I was outgoing and open before... well now I'm sucking up as much life experiences out of this world as fast as I can. I just joined a local play, I'm going salmon fishing next weekend, this weekend I'll be summiting another 14er with several Forest Service friends from around the country. I'll be camping with musicians and playing music in the woods. Life has not gotten better. It has changed completely. The enjoyment I get out of even the smallest things has completely evolved the way I interact with people and places. I feel like I'm living up to my potential, finally.

Mentally I'm happier, harder to stress out, and more bold and confident. I still sometimes scare myself when I go into the bathroom (sometimes I don't recognize myself in the mirror, ha ha ha). I'm more stable emotionally as well. It's a fantastic feeling.

I feel that I still love the same, but without going into too many details I think I have become a better lover and partner. I have also noticed more attention from the opposite sex. I used to date very infrequently and I chalked that up to me being shy or needing to find the right person. Now I am getting hit on and frankly, I'm not sure how to handle that all the time. I had two girls this summer ask me out. Things are changing there really fast and I think I'm just starting to scratch the iceberg on that topic.

Music is a HUGE factor in my life. I don't know if there is a correlation with my journey so far, but I have been playing almost every day since summer. I feel like my creativity has been flowing and I have been doing some stuff I'm pretty proud of. Maybe just being happy all the time helps with that?

In any case, thank you for that wonderful question. I love to think about these sorts of things. I hope it answered your question somewhat!