May 26th, 2021 - Vacation, Healing, And Hope

Originally released on May 26th, 2021

We share a candid health update, worry for a close friend, and a plan to slow down without losing momentum. The break is real, the mission stands, and we explain why cannabis, boundaries, and better systems matter to our work.

• doctor-advised reset and a real vacation
• concern for Mark’s silence and outreach to family
• use of cannabis for medicinal and recreational reasons
• managing high blood pressure without prescriptions
• apology to a neighbor after a manic episode
• grief for lost family and friends shaping purpose
• collapsing from overwork and choosing limits
• DME resources and a scholarship program to drive change
• no advertising and a community-first approach
• commitment to return with focus and honesty

Chapters

• 0:00 Honest Vacation Update
• 0:34 Worrying About Mark’s Silence
• 1:15 Big Visions And Odd Life Details
• 2:57 Cannabis, Health Choices, And Boundaries
• 4:01 Apologies, Family Roots, And Identity
• 5:01 Collapse, Overwork, And Reset
• 5:55 Loss, Gratitude, And Forward Motion
• 6:39 No Ads, Real Change, And Farewell

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hey, how's it going people? No music, no effects, no nothing. Hey, lots of stuff going on here lately, and I just wanted to drop this. I am on vacation. Still on vacation. I'm gonna finish out this week on vacation and take next week as well. Uh Doctor recommended. They are actually asking me to try to limit my work hours to 40 hours a week. Get that. So, in any case, in the meantime, I will be singing a lot, dancing around my yard and watching movies on the back deck, that sort of thing, and having fun. The one thing I'm concerned about most right now is my best friend Mark, M3. I haven't heard from him in since a couple weeks ago, over 10 days, right before I had to drop off the grid for a little bit for health reasons, and I'm getting concerned. So making some calls tonight to hopefully to family members to try and track him down and figure out what's going on or how I pissed him off. You know what I mean? That sort of thing. Otherwise, everything is well, and I really appreciate those who have reached out and all of that business. It's been it's been uh really heartwarming to to hear from you. I really don't remember what I wanted to say in this spot other than other than I'll be back. DME resources and the new scholarship program is going to change the world. And I know it sounds grandiose, I know it sounds, you know, out there that I know these some people. You know what I mean? Like that I, you know, sold a 69 Chevelle to Ricky Craven in 1996. Like, you know, that's weird. That I was born on the day uh the very first imp for the internet, or DARPANET, as it were, at the time, was uh delivered to UCLA to create the DARPANET. The very weekend the internet was created. That's kind of weird, right? That I had this uncanny, often unwanting ability to digest information from a lot of different sources simultaneously, and I've had ADHD and OCD my entire life. Now I guess we're looking at bipolar as well. But despite all of those things, my friends, I have accomplished uh quite a bit of shit behind the scenes. And it's been a long road, man. I've met so many amazing people that have done so much more than me, uh, so many heroes, so many really, really fascinating characters, so many people who've sacrificed so much for the greater good. From presidents, literally, to uh, you know, media stars. I don't like dropping names. But, you know, these days that's how you get attention, and I am finally at the point in my career where I can be completely honest with you folks. The truth is I have used medical marijuana or used marijuana both recreationally and medicinally since I was a teenager. I moved west, though a big part of my reasoning for walking away from the stability of government employment and move west was the medicinal use being uh legalized out here on the Pacific Northwest and how advanced it was. And Mark actually was a big part of that for Oregon. You might know him by the screen name Hunt or Hunter. In any case, so you know that was very important to me because I use it medicinally. I don't like prescription drugs. Uh in fact, I've had high blood pressure for some time and and I've beat it without prescriptions, thanks to a little help from my doctor and red yeast rice. You might want to give that a shot. So I know I'm rambling. It's just it's just the meds. They'll st they'll stabilize. That's what the next week and a half is for, to get me to uh stabilize again. My neighbors hopefully will forgive me at some point. I sent a gift card to the one poor soul that I happened to call out by name as I was in the middle of a manic episode, and I don't expect forgiveness, but I do want him to know I'm sorry, you know. But in any case, I've been very, very happy, and that seems crazy, right? Yesterday was my brother's birthday, May 25th, and he would have been 55 years old. My dad was born January 7th, and you know, both of them are so much of why I am who I am. The empathy that I can't turn off, and the heart that my brother needed most. That's who I am. And uh it's kind of awesome most of the time. So I want you to know I'm okay. We're good. Our family is hunkered down, we are isolated, we have been well isolated for quite some time, and I was prepared for this, and my body physically needed this. I had for the first time in my career collapsed on a business trip to testify in a homicide trial and in the hotel elevator, and I knew I was in trouble at that point. So I talked to my employers and have been trying to cut back my hours, but uh it's not my just my employer, it's it's me. It's it's you know who I am and what I do. I can't turn it off. So I'm trying to find ways to uh manage that, and this podcast was part of that, you know, part of bringing my family back together when they needed family most. My mom was going through quite a lot. Mark was going and is has been going through quite a lot uh in his family, uh, with his dad passing. Mark and I have had a few other uh close friends pass, colleagues and and and and people like Bobby L, who was on our team, another guy that just had one of the biggest hearts I've ever encountered. And uh stuff like that, you know, and so it can be so sad, and and but without all of that, we wouldn't be where we are today. And that's pretty amazing. If you think about it, if you think about you know how we got here, it gets sad. If you think about where we're at and where we're going, oh boy, it becomes a happy story. And that's what I'm experiencing right now, and I hope to bring you along uh with me. One or two at a time is fine with me, not doing advertising. You know, I'm gonna let my friends help me, help them, and I think we're gonna make some real big changes to this world, and it'll be worth paying attention in the next couple of years. Thanks so much for your time and for uh dealing with my manic nonsense. Lady I'll uh I'll be back soon from vacation and certainly wish you all the best, as always. Until then, take care.