Alive and Thankful.

New Year's Eve 2014 at Òran Mór in Glasgow, Scotland.

As this year draws to a close, I'd like to thank everyone who has continued to read this blog. Your continued support of this personal adventure of mine is absolutely appreciated. What started out as a means to fight off my inner demons has morphed into something much more amazing than I ever expected. Two years ago, I was at one of the lowest points in my life. Depression and anger were eating me alive. My health, both physical and mental, were abysmal.

I decided to make one last-ditch effort. Instead of giving in to my faults, I pushed back and chose to improve myself. Over the life of this blog, I've changed a great deal. Writing has allowed me a means of release. The deep-seeded anger slowly left me over these past few years. Today, as I like to refer to it, I'm an angry man in recovery.

My physical health has changed parallel to the internal improvements. I started out weighing a whopping 340 pounds. I would eat when I was stressed because I didn't have a proper means of handling my emotions. My idea of portion control was pitiful, to say the least. Today, I'm down to around 280 pounds... and I'm not done yet. I've shed an entire wardrobe of clothes. I can now wear sizes which I never thought would be possible. My ability to breathe and exert myself are the best I've ever experienced. I can use self-control to limit how much and how often I eat. For the first time, I am able to feel my ribs and muscles I never believed I had! Hopefully, I've added years to my life. I want to be around to see where we're headed as a global civilization. I want to travel and see places far and wide; friends both near and far.

Let's face it... I was slowly killing myself before I started this blog. Now, I am alive and thankful to be a better version of myself.

I have you, the reader, to thank for all this. You've listened to me talk about some very personal issues. Some things I definitely feared writing about and making public. But, I decided long ago that fear was not going to control me. Now, I am able to write about a wide range of diverse topics, both serious and comedic. Some topics you may enjoy, some you may not. But you know what? That's okay. We're all different. We all enjoy a multitude of various activities and interests. What counts is that you've been here with me through it all.

I hope you'll stay with me through 2015.

From your friend... brother... companion... student... teacher... ally... fellow human,

Jared