The Story of the 2nd Stang
12-06-2012, 10:41 AM
#1
The Story of the 2nd Stang
OK...so you all remember this pic from the other thread...
So before i begin the story, i will be leaving out names (except my own) and places (except those which pertain to my part of the story) due to the fact that most of the things at the end of this are not finalized or still "pending".
I have no problems telling any of you my story because I try to "pay it forward" as best i can and how i can and have learned from a lot of grave mistakes in a very short time. If you want, google my name (Clark Webster) and you will see for yourself...
A little over 2 years ago, I was in a really bad place. I had a huge falling out with my sister-we are very close-and with some friends because I was an alcoholic. Things started spiraling out of control, i had no place to live, felt like a burden to myself and those around me as well as not feeling any self-worth with my existence. All my friends were married, with a house and kids...i had NONE of that and i saw no way at my age that it was going to happen, so i turned to hiding everything behind drinking until i passed out.
Mind you, this was at home (or the room i was renting) because i somehow had enough thought not to drink & drive. Nobody needed to be the victim of my actions except me. At its height, every night after work it was 4-5 sometimes 6 24oz beers, pass out, get up and go to work. Add in the miserable tolerance i have for cold weather, snow (this all happened in Ohio) and all of the self doubt, i was a ticking time bomb.
One day in late February of 2011, i decided enough was enough. The weather had broken for a few days, roads were clear...so i packed a duffle bag and leaving everything else behind, i took off! My first thought was to get out of the cold, so i headed south thru Kentucky to get to I-40 to head west.
I stopped in motels and drank every night, then woke up feeling an urge to get farther away from my problems and life in general.
My journey took me along I-40 all the way to California, approx 7 days with the way i was travelling. There were many druken nites in hotels along the way where i was very, very close to commiting suicide. Somehow i managed to stay my hand and would just keep driving to get further away.
By the time i had reached Cali, detectives had frozen all of my accounts, so i was out of money and out of gas. My last stopping point was in Ventura, California where i left my car in a parking lot, unlocked with the keys in it!! I threw the duffle bag over my shoulder and started walking, leaving the last of "me" sitting there for whomever to find.
For 3 days i walked along the beaches and surrounding hills of Ventura, scrapping for food and shelter and trying to disappear. By day 4 i had had enough of life and was just over knee-deep in the pacific ocean staring at the Channel Islands thinking to myself "i'll just swim...i know i'll never make it and it will be all over!"
It was about then, that i broke down and had some life-altering thought about who i was really hurting and what would it be like to find me like that. It wasn't fair that somebody else had to clean up my mess.
I walked 5 miles to the nearest police station, turned myself in, was admitted to a mental hospital for a week and drugged up to keep me from thinking.
After that, i was able to pull myself together and drive from Cali to NC (not alone mind you), to where i am today. I am happy to say that i am better off, alcohol free and enjoying life (big kudos to all of you) again. I realize that i am not 100% and i may not ever be when it comes to understanding why i did this to myself, but it's definitely a far cry from where i was 2 years ago!
The healing process is constantly ongoing as are the self-checks and knowing that i have the will power to not let myself slip back into that oblivion.
So onto the 2nd part of this story:
There was a person-who at the time i didn't know-who was VERY instrumental in helping my mom and sister with the effort to find me. She set up FB pages, got the word out to other forums, called police, etc. etc.
During my drive home, we would chit-chat thru FB and i came to find out she lived in NC...somewhat close to where i would be staying. So we made arrangements to meet and had a great time. We continued to talk for the next several months, but then she pulled a disappearing act as well. She had mentioned she had cancer and a Dr misdiagnosed her and gave her only about a year to live. I thought, "What a wonderful opportunity to help the same person who helped me!", but i can understand how that type of news would make someone completely shut off the outside world. After going for a 2nd opinion, the new Dr claimed her "cancer free"!
I had not heard from her in close to a year, up until about 3 weeks ago when i decided to message her, because i never really knew what had happened or if she was still even around.
Well, one thing lead to another and now after a year and us both "finding" each other, we are together and enjoying some well-deserved "make-up time" we'll call it. It's hard to imagine how life works sometimes...but there it is...
So, the plan is (once all of the crappy red tape is over with), to put a house and a 3 car "man cave" on the property she inherited (still needs to be surveyed, titled and cleared) and enjoy life together...go places and do things, stop and smell the flowers, etc.
Yes, the Mustang is hers, but i've already got permission to do whatever i want to it...lol!
I'm sure you will all meet her in due time, because we both plan on being active with our fund-raisers given what we have both been thru.
Just want to thank all of you who read this and being such a wonderful group of people and individuals! I always look forward to our get togethers...as it really is a fantastic cure for what may ail you!
So now you know the rest of the story...
So before i begin the story, i will be leaving out names (except my own) and places (except those which pertain to my part of the story) due to the fact that most of the things at the end of this are not finalized or still "pending".
I have no problems telling any of you my story because I try to "pay it forward" as best i can and how i can and have learned from a lot of grave mistakes in a very short time. If you want, google my name (Clark Webster) and you will see for yourself...
A little over 2 years ago, I was in a really bad place. I had a huge falling out with my sister-we are very close-and with some friends because I was an alcoholic. Things started spiraling out of control, i had no place to live, felt like a burden to myself and those around me as well as not feeling any self-worth with my existence. All my friends were married, with a house and kids...i had NONE of that and i saw no way at my age that it was going to happen, so i turned to hiding everything behind drinking until i passed out.
Mind you, this was at home (or the room i was renting) because i somehow had enough thought not to drink & drive. Nobody needed to be the victim of my actions except me. At its height, every night after work it was 4-5 sometimes 6 24oz beers, pass out, get up and go to work. Add in the miserable tolerance i have for cold weather, snow (this all happened in Ohio) and all of the self doubt, i was a ticking time bomb.
One day in late February of 2011, i decided enough was enough. The weather had broken for a few days, roads were clear...so i packed a duffle bag and leaving everything else behind, i took off! My first thought was to get out of the cold, so i headed south thru Kentucky to get to I-40 to head west.
I stopped in motels and drank every night, then woke up feeling an urge to get farther away from my problems and life in general.
My journey took me along I-40 all the way to California, approx 7 days with the way i was travelling. There were many druken nites in hotels along the way where i was very, very close to commiting suicide. Somehow i managed to stay my hand and would just keep driving to get further away.
By the time i had reached Cali, detectives had frozen all of my accounts, so i was out of money and out of gas. My last stopping point was in Ventura, California where i left my car in a parking lot, unlocked with the keys in it!! I threw the duffle bag over my shoulder and started walking, leaving the last of "me" sitting there for whomever to find.
For 3 days i walked along the beaches and surrounding hills of Ventura, scrapping for food and shelter and trying to disappear. By day 4 i had had enough of life and was just over knee-deep in the pacific ocean staring at the Channel Islands thinking to myself "i'll just swim...i know i'll never make it and it will be all over!"
It was about then, that i broke down and had some life-altering thought about who i was really hurting and what would it be like to find me like that. It wasn't fair that somebody else had to clean up my mess.
I walked 5 miles to the nearest police station, turned myself in, was admitted to a mental hospital for a week and drugged up to keep me from thinking.
After that, i was able to pull myself together and drive from Cali to NC (not alone mind you), to where i am today. I am happy to say that i am better off, alcohol free and enjoying life (big kudos to all of you) again. I realize that i am not 100% and i may not ever be when it comes to understanding why i did this to myself, but it's definitely a far cry from where i was 2 years ago!
The healing process is constantly ongoing as are the self-checks and knowing that i have the will power to not let myself slip back into that oblivion.
So onto the 2nd part of this story:
There was a person-who at the time i didn't know-who was VERY instrumental in helping my mom and sister with the effort to find me. She set up FB pages, got the word out to other forums, called police, etc. etc.
During my drive home, we would chit-chat thru FB and i came to find out she lived in NC...somewhat close to where i would be staying. So we made arrangements to meet and had a great time. We continued to talk for the next several months, but then she pulled a disappearing act as well. She had mentioned she had cancer and a Dr misdiagnosed her and gave her only about a year to live. I thought, "What a wonderful opportunity to help the same person who helped me!", but i can understand how that type of news would make someone completely shut off the outside world. After going for a 2nd opinion, the new Dr claimed her "cancer free"!
I had not heard from her in close to a year, up until about 3 weeks ago when i decided to message her, because i never really knew what had happened or if she was still even around.
Well, one thing lead to another and now after a year and us both "finding" each other, we are together and enjoying some well-deserved "make-up time" we'll call it. It's hard to imagine how life works sometimes...but there it is...
So, the plan is (once all of the crappy red tape is over with), to put a house and a 3 car "man cave" on the property she inherited (still needs to be surveyed, titled and cleared) and enjoy life together...go places and do things, stop and smell the flowers, etc.
Yes, the Mustang is hers, but i've already got permission to do whatever i want to it...lol!
I'm sure you will all meet her in due time, because we both plan on being active with our fund-raisers given what we have both been thru.
Just want to thank all of you who read this and being such a wonderful group of people and individuals! I always look forward to our get togethers...as it really is a fantastic cure for what may ail you!
So now you know the rest of the story...
12-06-2012, 11:37 AM
#2
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Thomasville, NC Where we beat headers into submission!!
Posts: 7,233
WOW... I'm glad you're here, yeah we bust your chops for driving slow but that's what makes us like a family.
I'm glad that you guys found each other again and It is great that you make each other so happy.
I look forward to meeting her.
I'm glad that you guys found each other again and It is great that you make each other so happy.
I look forward to meeting her.
Last edited by Jeffk; 12-06-2012 at 11:45 AM.
12-06-2012, 11:37 AM
#3
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: NC
Posts: 2,217
Wow, that's a lot to take in.
I'm immensely proud of this group, not because of our love for Mustangs, but for the ties it has created between the people. It's incredible to see all the bonds that are created and the lives that are altered by a common interest. While I know it isn't the only aspect of your life, I'm glad you've found a family, both here and with whomever this other person is. We've definitely enjoyed your company and you'll always be welcome here.
I'm immensely proud of this group, not because of our love for Mustangs, but for the ties it has created between the people. It's incredible to see all the bonds that are created and the lives that are altered by a common interest. While I know it isn't the only aspect of your life, I'm glad you've found a family, both here and with whomever this other person is. We've definitely enjoyed your company and you'll always be welcome here.
12-06-2012, 04:51 PM
#7
6th Gear Member
I'm glad you are here and that you guys found each other again. What a long hard road you have traveled to get where you are. Just remember this, you were exactly where you were supposed to be, did exactly what you were supposed to do, you are exactly where you are supposed to be right now and surrounded by those you are supposed to be with at this very moment.
12-06-2012, 05:30 PM
#8
I'm glad you are here and that you guys found each other again. What a long hard road you have traveled to get where you are. Just remember this, you were exactly where you were supposed to be, did exactly what you were supposed to do, you are exactly where you are supposed to be right now and surrounded by those you are supposed to be with at this very moment.
If it's one thing that i learned thru that ordeal...no matter how far you shut yourself out or try to remove yourself from things, there is ALWAYS someone who cares for you!
The hardest part was hearing friends say "All you had to do was call" and trying to explain that i was so far gone it was the last thing i was thinking and didn't want to burden them.
With that said...i honestly and sincerely mean this when i say "All you have to do is pick up the phone and call me!" No questions asked, no judgements made...i would help any way possible because I wouldn't want any of you to go thru what i did.
12-06-2012, 06:24 PM
#10
6th Gear Member
Make sure you give me a chance to get you prices on whatever mods you have in mind too, when you are ready. We could schedule a weekend, Friday night through Sunday, here at my place and build us a Mustang. I have the room for y'all to stay.