Ok I guess it's my turn.
My Father is a great man that taught me the morals I needed to be a gentleman and a man of God for my entire life. I have truly been blessed in my life. I have always had a very strong will. I grew up in the sticks of Oklahoma (the country that is). Worked my ass off on my grandfathers dairy farm every summer. Hauling hay, milking the cows early in the morn and then again Late in the evening, fixing fence, bottle feeding the calves, etc... I was a skinny ripped kid. Not the skinny ripped like your imagining. I was like the starving kind of ripped. I have always given every ounce of effort into everything I've ever done.
So my Dad has always lifted either at the YMCA or in his garage. My older brother was never interested in lifting and my little brother was a preppy little spoiled brat. I love them both for just being who they are. But my Dad tried so hard to get us interested in lifting. I of course was the one that just wanted to be like my Dad because he was Superman to me. He was shot in the chest and the bullet came out his shoulder in Vietnam. He was also shot in the mouth and spit the bullet along with his tooth out into his hand. Like I said he is Superman. Anyway I started helping my Dad workout in the garage for a couple years and he slowly was allowing me to lift a little bit from time to time. This was from the age 14 to 16. Of coarse when I hit 16 I lost some of the time I had to workout so my Dad joined the YMCA with a friend of his from work and started working out there. Fast forward... Once I graduated high school I reunited with my Dad at the YMCA until his job moved him 2 hours away when I was 20. My Mom thought it was the end of the world to move, lol. But we visited at least once every couple weeks and talked on the phone everyday.
As for me that's when I started working out with some really big guys and got into AAS. I also learned about eating to get big. At the age of 27 I was 6'1" 240lbs and around 10%bf. I was finally one of the freaks. Then I got married. My beautiful Wife already had two kids before we met, they were 4 & 6 when I came into the picture. A man with zero responsibilities in life getting dumped into an entire family was not something I was ready for. My Wife and I had some huge fights along the way at the beginning but we always managed to make it through them. I remember getting extremely pissed off when I would have to go get the kids to take them to practice instead of working out. I was an extremely selfish prick but I never showed that or lead on that it bothered me in front of the kids.
Then my Wife got pregnant and wanted to quit her job so I let her (not like I had a choice). One day before the baby was born my Wife and I got into a fight about me not being able to afford my food and how I had lost all my weight because of it. I was down to 190lbs or so. But that was not an ordinary fight. She got up into my face and told me I didn't love the kids because all I do is gripe about not being able to workout and then I snapped and open hand slapped her. I walked out of the house planning on leaving her when God grabbed ahold of me and closed fisted knocked the shit out of me. (In a matter of speech). I fell to my knees and broke down by the car and my Wife as furious as I've ever seen her ran out to me and grabbed me hugging me and apologizing to me. That's right, she apologized for what she had said about the me not loving the kids. I right then and there told her I was done with working out. I sold my home gym and never gave it a second thought. Shortly after that my beautiful daughter was born then a couple years later my Son was born. I now had 4 kids and I had to put a halt to that shit quick, lol. So I got cut.
Fast forward... I was 35 I think and my Wife asked me if I missed working out. Well of course my answer was heck yeah I miss it but I can't afford all my food and I don't have the motivation when I know what it takes to be big. And she told me that since the kids were all in school now that she would go to work. (Forgot to mention she has been going to school for her RN this whole time she wasn't working). So she went back to work and I bought my home gym and started working out again. (Also my Dad retired and moved back to my town and joined the YMCA again here). So after getting back into things I wanted to see if anything had changed during my absence. So I tried to go back to GenXXL forum and Anabolex forum to find out they no longer exist. So I done some searching and found my new home Meso. Talk about motivation and a shit load of information. I was in love at first site, lol. So I joined up and got hooked immediately. My Dad being back in town and listening to all the guys here on Meso my motivation just skyrocketed. I have been back at it ever since and I even worked out with my Dad a few times here and there. Of course now my Wife works out with me and we go to a local gym so she can tan, ok I tan also, lol. I even workout with my middle Son at the gym and sometimes at home depending on my work schedule.
I want to be as good of a Father as my Dad has been to me and I want my children to learn the same morals and discipline that was taught to me. I also want them to think I'm Superman [emoji6] But don't get me wrong I want to look good for my Wife also because she is hot as heck.
So my motivation comes from God, my Dad, my Wife, my children, and all of you here at Meso.
I really feel for what you guys that had it so rough have went through. And I'm very proud of the accomplishments that you have all made. I have never even smoked one joint or touched any drugs at all so I can't relate to those of you that have dealt with that in that aspect, but I can and do give you all the respect you deserve for coming this far. You are all a great inspiration to me. I'm just a humble old country boy that works his ass off to be the best I can be for me and my family.
I'll be 38 this month and I'm feeling like I'm 70, lol. Not really but I can't lie and say I feel like I am 27 again because that just isn't the case. Getting older takes its toll, especially when working out and trying to keep up with my kids. (Dam what I would give to have their energy). So anyway I workout still but just not to the same extent that I used to. If I miss a workout because my kids have a practice or game it's no big deal anymore. It has taken me many years to get to this point in my life, but a few years ago I finally figured out what really matters. I can be Superman and a loving Father and Husband. I just have to keep God where he belongs, in my heart.
Sorry for the long spill and I realize I didn't have to go into so much detail, but I wanted to. There is a whole lot more to this story but I'll save it for another time. Keep up the great work everyone.
BM