The Tattoo I Usually Don’t Talk About

Yesterday, we had our weekly team call.

I genuinely enjoy that time together. The topics can range from business initiatives, candidates, and everything we’re working toward to…well, tattoos.

Yesterday, we got through the business and somehow the conversation turned to ink.

It turns out our team has some tattoos.

I love it.

People started showing theirs when they were visible, sharing what they meant and the stories behind them.

Then it came to me.

I have three tattoos. Two of them, one on each arm, carry more meaning than I usually explain.

On one arm is a cardinal with my mom’s and grandparents’ names underneath it.

Hannah and I get a lot of cardinals in our yard. Every time we see one, we say that my mom and grandparents are coming to visit us.

Maybe that sounds strange to some people.

I don’t really care.

It brings me comfort.

I wanted to carry that thought with me every day. So now I do.

On my other arm, near my wrist, is something even more personal.

It’s a date.

3/5/2017.

My sobriety date.

It’s something I usually don’t talk about unless someone asks.

The truth is, I don’t talk much publicly about my sobriety at all, even though getting sober is the most meaningful thing that has ever happened to me.

On March 5, 2017, my life began to change.

I can’t begin to list all the blessings that have come since that day.

The relationships that have been restored.

The people who have entered my life.

The experiences I’ve been given.

The opportunities I’ve had to help someone else who was struggling.

I owe everything to the way of life I entered into that day.

And I never want to take it for granted.

After our call yesterday, I kept thinking about why I’ve been so hesitant to share this part of myself here.

Some of it is deeply personal.

Some of it is the anonymity that surrounds recovery.

Some of it is probably fear.

But last night, I came to a simple conclusion:

If being honest about my sobriety helps one person who reads this, then stepping out from behind that anonymity is worth it.

So there it is.

My name is Matt.

My sobriety date is March 5, 2017.

Yes, I’m a recruiter. I love what I do, and I take that responsibility seriously.

But my mission is bigger than recruiting.

My mission is to help others who may be struggling.

I lost my mom to this disease. I would give anything for her to see the life I have today.

But I know she’s proud.

I feel it every time a cardinal lands in our yard.

And here is the part I never want to forget:

When I help someone else, I’m usually the one who gets helped the most.

That’s how this works for me.

I don’t stay sober by keeping what I’ve been given to myself.

I keep it by giving it away.

If you’re struggling, you don’t have to do it alone.

Reach out.

I mean that.