life is a choice

Posted on Monday, February 17th, 2014 at 9:30 am

What a long but fun weekend I just had. I hopped in my car Friday night after work with my friend Tami and headed to Fayetteville, NC to get some new ink at Sacred Heart Tattoo shop near Fort Bragg by artist Jenni “The Wild Yenni” and while I do have to go back in a few weeks to finish it up (and will share those final shots with you) I wanted to share the progress thus far because this tattoo is simply amazing.

The tattoo to remind me that life is a choice, one I have willingly made instead of giving up and the dates under the tattoo (which will be tied in when I have the piece finished in a few weeks) each have a meaning:

12.09.1977 – day I was born and I chose to take my first breathe

09.04.2011 – day i quit smoking and started breathing again

11.09.2012 – day my doctor told me I would not live another year

04.01.2013 – day I had my weight loss surgery

As you all know by now I started my journey at a staggering 555 pounds and this weekend I not only got some new ink I also lost another few pounds so the icing on this proverbial cake was stepping on my scale at 5:30am when I woke up to read the numbers TWO HUNDRED NINETY-SEVEN (297) meaning that I can officially kiss the 300s good bye and if I’m being honest, which I do try to be, I cried for a moment after stepping off the scale and sitting down, because for the first time in quite literally more than a decade I’ve not had the number TWO (2) lead off my weight read out on a scale and even though I knew this number was approaching and I thought I was ready for it, I actually wasn’t.

So as I seriously contemplate the next phase of my life in doing far more than I ever thought I would with this weight loss journey I find I am truly rediscovering myself, and in ways I’d not anticipated even in the slightest. I’m working on a podcast network which I’ve mentioned already, but I’m also thinking about getting back in you comedy which while I’ve talked about for years haven’t done in more than ten and in the background I’m also writing a drum cover for an up coming YouTube video on my personal channel that I’ll share once I do it…

I’m rediscovering things that make me happy, I’m re-examining things that make me smile, laugh, cry, relate, want, and love. I’m not even done with my journey and as I approach now being literally half the man I used to be (which is only 20 pounds away) I’ve started to find that I wasn’t prepared for how my life would feel at this point. I knew my taste in food would change and I was as ready as I could be for how to approach eating and exercise, but nothing has prepared me for what I can only describe as my rebirth into the person I am becoming. While I know at my core I am still very much the me that was over 500 pounds I also know that I am a very different person in how I interact now, and I’m learning slowly how to take a compliment when someone say’s I’m attractive instead of just seeing the fat guy in the mirror, and this isn’t a negative post, this is a positive one so when  I say these words I say them not to you, but to myself to remind myself that life is a choice and I chose to live it, I chose to embrace it, and I chose to take it for everything I can. And while I’m still trying to figure out the next phase of my life I do know whatever it is, or how ever long it will be, it’s gonna be freggin awesome because I chose it to be, PERIOD.

And with that I do hope you will al continue to follow this journey with me as I try now not to simply find my lean, but also find myself in ways I can’t even describe, know or imagine.

~rev (297 pounds)

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3 Responses to “life is a choice”

  1. Beth says:

    Seriously proud of the choices you have made, and I am glad to see that you are proud of them as well. It has been a great joy to see you healthy and happier finding a new life… or maybe better parts of the old one. Good luck on your continued journey.

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