HOF Speech: Part Deux
Day 300
I've written a HOF speech, you can find it
here if you haven't already read it. My inspirational juices were flowing that day and I wanted to write something that defined how I felt about my quit. I did that, but I also left out one of the most important parts of a good HOF speech...personal recognition. Well, here it is, the HOF speech that I didn't write.
My journey started like any other day, except on this day I had a dentist appointment. I went to the dentist every 6 months like a good boy and I would always refrain from dipping in the mornings before my dentist appointment. I wanted to give my gums time to heal so the dentist wouldn't say anything about my dipping. Well this time it didn't work because I had finished off a can that night before and my gums probably looked like a roast sitting in the Crock Pot for 7 hours. Of course that dentist noticed and gave me the whole cancer speech. I was prepared for that as I had gotten the basic cancer speech before, but this time was different. He showed me my gums and instead of saying "you can get cancer," he said, "you might have cancer," and used the word biopsy. My regular doctor later joked that the dentist was probably just fucking with me that day, but it scared the shit out of me nonetheless. Even after that I was still dumb enough to throw in a few more dips that day. After all, what better way to think about quitting than with a dip in your mouth, right? Around 3pm, I threw out my dip and said that was it, I was quitting for good, it just had to happen. I made it through that day and most of the next day when I got a text from my wife. She mentioned KTC and that I should check it out. At that point, like pretty much everyone in the first 3 days, I was absolutely struggling to maintain any sort of normalcy. The fucking world was crashing down on me and there wasn't a damn thing I could do to stop it. So I logged onto to KTC, managed to find my quit group (April 12) and fucked up my very first roll post. The rest is history.
And now for the thank you notes:
Keddy - First person to PM me and helped me learn how to post roll. I don't think you'll ever know how great it felt to get PM and an immediate response. Made me feel like I instantly belonged here. Thank you.
Dethan33 - First guy I exchanged numbers with and first guy to chat with on the phone. It felt good to identify with someone and know that you were going through the same thing as me. A fellow April 12 member, spreadsheet guru and friend. Thank you.
CBird - What can I say about you dude? Better yet, what can I not say about you? I can't even count how many times we've talked on the phone and exchanged emails. Your conviction gave me strength and you also knew how to talk me down when I was raging. A true voice of reason and a good friend. Thank you.
ERDVM (aka Vadge) - You're one silly fucker. Always good with a joke and could always make me laugh. We haven't talked on the phone recently, but I always enjoyed calling you and hearing the familiar greeting: A chuckle followed by, "What's up phag?" We have more in common in real life than I'm comfortable talking about (you know what I'm talking about). "Well.....she's not fat." Friend. Thank you....phag.
Bruce - One of the late night live chat crew. Damn those were the days. Or as I call them....the Days of Gheys. Those were some fun chat sessions. We've had our moments, bitching at each other like little girls, getting cussed at by Nolaq, but we pulled through. Friend. Thank you.
Bigwhitebeast - Let's see, my first PM from Beastie pretty much put me in my place. Quite humbling, but that was what was needed that day. You've never been one to mince words my friend, let's keep it that way. Friend. Thank you.
Pavetheway - :horrorsurprise: Always quick with a link. First and only guy to exchange addresses with in chat. In retrospect, odd, but it demonstrated trust. Friend. Thank you.
Tstahr - Another fellow late night live chatter, a great character for the narratives, and we share the same quit day. I'm glad you texted me on Day 80 instead of stopping by that convenience store. For whatever reason, I was also struggling that day and it felt good to talk to someone else going through the same thing. Friend. Thank you.
Texasjack - Yah man! First guy to meet in person and drown beers. Glad you made the right choice around Day 40ish. Friend. Thank you.
Wastepanel - The texting machine and lover of narratives. You always had an answer for me during those early days, especially when I needed to hear from someone who had been there before me. Friend. Thank you.
RenegadeMMA - Once we got on the same page it was all good. A text a day keeps the cave at bay. You don't have a computer, but you still post nearly every day via text. You serve as a example to those that use no internet as an excuse not to post. Friend. Thank you.
Rated, BBM, Ranger5, Smack, Bren, IRISH, Auburn and the rest of April 12. Friends. Thank you.
MCarmo, Gmann, Nolaq, Coach Doc, Michelle, Luby, Colonel No Cope. Friends and one ghey. Thank you.
Zam, Crockett, Grizzly25, Buddy Mac, D2Maine, Wedge, cdmavs, T-Cell, rgross, Cmark, Morgan1 and everyone else that I'm inadvertently leaving off this list. Friends. Thank you.
