Nobody asked, but I'll fill you in on my story. Those who know me will remember that I used to post many times a day. I guess I embarrassed myself a few months ago when I announced that I rarely used BIAB and was hardly involved in music at all. That's when I largely dropped out. There is more to the story, though.

I went through a catastrophic divorce in 2000 which rendered me homeless and destitute. I remarried in 2013 and am inexpressibly happy now, but I had to pull myself off the deck to get here. Between 2000 and 2013 I moved, on average, once a year. One year I moved three times. Things were lost. Things were stolen. Things broke. It sucked.

The larger story is that I was dealing with PTSD, major depression, ADD, a heart attack, and significant physical issues that I wouldn't discover until 2014. My ex kept hitting me legally, financially, and emotionally. But I still hadn't hit bottom.

In 2011 I was evicted from my home of five years because the landlord, who I thought was a friend, decided he wanted me out. I ended up renting several rooms 35 miles away and a universe apsrt from such a life as I had made. One of my housemates was a brain-damaged ex-convict who eventually threatened to kill me. I went into hiding for the three months it took for him to be evicted. It was another major shock to the system. I have omitted a lot, but those are the major points.

In early 2013, against all odds, I met the woman who became my wife. She is a musician, former EMT, Emmy Award-winning makeup artist, and all-around wonderful person. That alone was the start of my recovery and ascent to new heights. It keeps getting better, too.

Big finish coming. Trudy had wonderful health insurance, which I had been without since 2000. I hadn't had energy for decades, had narcolepsy (fell asleep 3-4 times a shift at work), and was having trouble breathing, A trip to the ER for the latter set me on a course which revealed uncontrolled diabetes and severe obstructive sleep apnea. Once those were addressed my mood improved, I lost weight, I got more rest, and i discovered that what I had thought was lack of motivation was actually the combined effect of everything else that was wrong. The final piece was successfully addressing the PTSD.

Today I wake up rested and happy. Trudy and I have both retired, so get to enjoy each other's company full time. I now have the energy to do a few things a day. I have a 15-year backlog from which to recover, but it's happening. Life Is Good.

Watch this space. cool

Richard

"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."