We are closing in on the first year of creating the Chapter 3 Stigma body of work between the podcast and this here “newsletter”.
Never could I have imagined this turning into what it has become. The concept of this project came to me as I sat in a sauna at the local YMCA in Minnesota in the weeks after losing Lucy. I used this time to cut out distractions, to be alone, to sit, to stare and to think. There was so much to process in the weeks after losing Lucy, that Alyssa and I each took time apart during the day to be with ourselves as we navigated and tried to discover what our “new normal” would be as a family.
On this particular day, I was thinking about what Lucy’s life could mean for my journey in recovery. I was wondering why my resolve hadn’t wavered. I was genuinely sitting in amazement that through it all I had felt no rage and no feelings of abandonment from God. I still trusted and had faith in His plan, as difficult as our role was at that time.
And then, I thought back to a question that Dustin asked me on the MTNTOUGH podcast, “What would you say to those struggling out there with alcoholism?” I sat that day and thought about that question further, and had a revelation. I want them to know that they are not alone.
It was with that vision in mind that I started Chapter 3 Stigma. It was not to share war stories nor was it to show how flowery and amazing my life has been since entering recovery. It was created with the aim to show the gross, gritty details of my thought patterns and my own struggles. I built this with the vision of sharing how much work is required for living a life in recovery, but how incredibly worth it that work is and how enriched your life can become from it.
So a year has past, and I have largely put my head down to create, communicate lessons, and detail the insanity and the suffering that I had built up in twelve years of struggling through my battle with alcoholism. I have had moments during this past year that have stopped me in my tracks as people have reached out and I get to read, or hear, first hand from them how this body of work is helping.
To recognize the one year mark of this work, I’d like to recognize YOU, the reader. The amount of gratitude that I feel that each of you permits me to place my untethered, and often discombobulated, thoughts in your inbox each Friday morning is not a privilege I take lightly. So thank you for listening, for sharing the work and most powerfully for reaching out.
To celebrate the one year, I have an ask for you all. Engage - let me know what has been helpful, what you want to hear more of (or less of), or send me questions that you still have that you feel might not have been addressed.
The 12th Step of the Alcoholics Anonymous step work is entirely about creating a life of maximal service to others. It is my vision for this body of work to be a part of my own 12th step. Respond to this email or drop a comment on this post.
I am humbled every chance I get to share this perspective and these learnings with you, and I love you all for the support and engagement during this first year.
That’s all I’ve got.
Kyle