The Tale of Ol’ Cole: Part 3

Hello fellow traveler and welcome back to my story as it stands thus far! It seems as though you are still reading this blog and I want to let you know how much I appreciate that. I hope you have been able to find something that resonates with you. In this final section I will tell you about the insight I received as to what I was specifically called to do, what I went about doing to get to where I needed to be, and what some of the results were. So, shall we dive right in and begin the ending?

My Apostrophe:

Smee: I’ve just had an apostrophe!

Capt. Hook: I think you mean an Epiphany…

In an article written by Erick Godsey he explains his idea of what he calls the acorn game.  I will just briefly quote him here because he does a better job explaining it than I can. If you would like to read the entire article, click here.

“There is a force inside us akin to the force inside and acorn bound to a certain commitment- to manifest the oak tree.

The oak tree in us is our potential- the being we know we have the ability to manifest if we did everything we know we are called to do, and we stopped doing all those things we know keep us small.

In each of us is a potential human that if made manifest in the world would change the world.”

 I understood this now and I felt it in my bones, but I didn’t know one key thing: What was the oak that I had to become? I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I knew that alcohol was the first step to moving toward the life I deserved. I had begun that journey but was still a little lost in how to go about the next step. I was like a dog who had actually caught the car he was chasing. Now what do I do?  It was frustrating but I knew I was on the right path and in a better place with alcohol behind me.

And then…It was a beautiful spring day in Tennessee, there was a one of those breezes that hits just right. You know the kind that shakes the leaves and puts a smile on your face? Parked under the branches of a giant oak tree- fitting- I was talking on the phone with a good friend.  We talked and worked through some thoughts and feelings I was having relating to this very issue. In the course of our phone call we both concluded that helping people through honest and compassionate conversation was what I loved to do. I realized on that day that my calling was to pursue a career in service to others as a life/habit change coach.

“Strategery” And What I Did Next:

I dove further into books and podcast to get a better understanding of myself. I knew that I had to discover everything about who I was and what drove me to think, do, and desire the things I did. I read books that discussed myths, fairy tales, and Jungian psychology. I read quit-lit and self-help books. I listened to podcast by all the people that were where I wanted to be and that had wisdom and knowledge I was seeking.

I created for myself a good routine I continued to write in my journal every day, I got out in nature, hiked, read, did breathwork, meditated, and focused my free time on discovering who I was so I could be at my best to serve others. I began to trust that the Universe had my back.

In December of 2020 I enrolled in Annie Grace’s coaching certification. I knew, with all my being, this was the next step for me toward my calling to serve. In March 2021 we began the course that has now brought me further along on my path to serving those who seek guidance. I learned so much through this course, and I am eager to bring that to those who are working along a similar journey on their own path.

“It takes time for the acorn to turn into the oak, but the oak is already implied in the acorn” -Alan Watts

The Effects of the Journey:

So far, over the course of this journey I have regained health and vitality. I have lost 85 pounds and counting. I have improved my finances. I have made tremendous mindset shifts that will only serve to benefit me as I go along. I always had an idea of what life could be like on the other side of the dark forest of alcohol and I had finally found a clearing from which to gather my resources for the next leg of the journey

I had become free of alcohol and its control. In my life, it is no longer an issue. For me, alcohol is small and insignificant. I tell folks that it is like getting offered a cigarette now.  I have never been a smoker at all. If someone offers me a smoke, I have no problem turning it down. Cigarettes are not even in my world. It has become like that for me with alcohol.

I now have direction and meaning in my life because this substance is gone. I know that, without alcohol in my life, where I am headed is far better than where I use to be. I began to feel Alive! It wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns, by any means. All the feelings that had been numbed by booze came roaring up, and nothing was left unexamined. Joy, pain, love, fear, guilt, happiness were all there in my life and I felt them all! I am so very grateful for that.

Being in alignment with my true calling has made its way into my life. I found what I was lacking and that is to serve and to be of service to others. That means being a coach, being a guide to others as they pass through their own dark forest. I understand that to find meaning in this life, it is me who has to make that meaning. It is my responsibility just as it is your responsibility to map your own meaning onto this grand life you have.

My Message to You:

I am not anyone special. For most of my adult life, I have pretty much been a vagabond who occasionally works in kitchens every now and then when he needs a little money. I closed out this last section with the results I have gotten, but that is not to brag about how amazing I am. Rather, I want you to understand that if I can get my sorry butt in gear and do this, then the badass-beyond-measure that you are can do this as well! You have this potential within and you know it! You have that same desire and power within you just like the acorn has within it. There is a mighty oak that is you waiting to be expressed into this world!

It is a tough journey. Any journey of lasting change and transformation is tough, but is also necessary and rewarding.  There would be no point to it if it were easy.  As you move along through it you will stumble, you will encounter those threshold guardians, you will find allies and guides, you will climb mountains and face dragons. They all have something to teach you.

Thank you so very much for investing your time and energy into my story. I hope that it has given you hope and inspired change within you. No matter how you feel or where you are on your journey, know this: You are capable. You are worthy. You are loved. What is on the other side of this is the meaning you make and the change you seek.  I wish you all the best and God’s speed!