Not OG but been around 15.5 officially, and go back to 2005 as a lurker. FBGs has been a pretty sizeable chunk of my life. 50K POSTS sheesh what kind of life is that? lol
Was a work hard, play hard New Yorker, grinding through the ranks as an accounting executive in tech. Moved here in late 1999 and the first 15 years were good to me.
Now a nonprofit executive. It's a supportive, caring environment, I work with genuine friends and not anything like the ruthless environments I survived earlier. It's satisfying work but by no means defines who I am. Personally, have maybe never been more content. Got remarried last summer and my wife is an amazing life partner. Kids are doing great. Oldest is off to a good start in his career as an engineer, has two girls who are adorable. Youngest is finishing her first year of high school and tracking toward a career in performing arts. Health is good. Wife is super health conscious and I've developed good diet and exercise routines.
I went through some awful things 2018-2020.
<blows out>
I've had a lot of turmoil in my personal life, struggled with mental health issues. I'm a combat vet with PTSD, major depression, anxiety, et al. Those comorbidities went undiagnosed for three decades.
Was always open to treatment and saw counselors for single-issue stuff: grieving, divorce, anger management. Never knew I had a mental illness bc....well, I guess that wasn't what we were looking for? I'm pretty good at masking, just never really got to the root of it. My darkness was hiding in plain
site sight, so to speak.
The fantastic outcome of becoming homeless (not a euphemism) is eventually I found my way to an amazing VA medical center. There I discovered some very specific treatment that helped me get a handle on things. I spent two full years in a 5 day, 30 hours per week intensive group program which unlocked a lot of things for me. Formed great friendships and acquired a plethora of tools. Off meds and therapy now, though I would say managing my mental illness remains a daily maintenance thing and always will be.
I've had a lot of pain and mental anguish in my life. Concurrently my life has been blessed by so many caring, gracious and loving people. We had a small wedding last year (little over 100 guests) and I was overwhelmed by how many great friends were there who have stuck by me through it all. I've done some pretty janky things and in now way am deserving of the friendships and loved ones who fill up my life. We host a weekly small group and it's not unusual for a typical week to have 3-4 dinners here or at a restaurant with different friends. My wife is my ride or die, but we both love being in community with other believers.
FBGs has not been a deep, personal community for me in the same way it has for many. It really is a great place and
@Joe Bryant should be proud of what he has fostered. It's been a welcome respite for me, a (mostly) safe place for me to retreat to at any hour of the day. Like when I was sleeping on trains and stumbling around NYC trying to figure out how to get my life back, this was a place I could come to and feel normal for a few moments.
These days I'm mostly back in TSP, where I started back in 2005-07 before TimDrafts sucked me into the FFA. Over the last 7-8 years my relationship with my Creator has become my everything. I find it difficult to find FBGs who are like minded, so I avoid a lot of topics. But I do appreciate that this place is full of funny, knowledgeable, incredibly talented, and most importantly, uncommonly kind people.