30 days sober.
This is the cost of addiction.
Over 800 dollars a month on booze. Sometimes more. That’s just what we bought day after day. Not the drunk impulse buys. Not the food we wasted. Not the things we broke.
Health. The whites of my eyes turning yellow. Puffy red face. GI issues. Headaches. Foggy mind. Irritable for no reason. Sleep that looked like rest but wasn’t. Anxiety that hit when the drink wore off.
Fights. Damaged trust. Days that started already ruined.
Missed experiences. Too tired and lazy to go do anything. Or we didn’t go because I wasn’t going to be able to drink there. The drink ran the calendar. Isolation dressed up as a night in.
Spilled drinks. Broken plates. Falls that left marks.
Nights I don’t remember. Those could’ve been good memories. Instead I woke up blank and ashamed when someone had to tell me what I did.
The worst cost was time.
Hours. Nights. Whole weekends. Years of being half-there.
You don’t get that back.
I’m not paying that bill anymore.
How do you forgive yourself for the years you weren’t really there?
#Sobriety
The picture of Princess Charlotte, so full of emotion seeing her mother finish touched my heart. Meanwhile, Prince Louis is living his best life just playing with the pup in the background!
Photo from Prince and Princess of Wales Instagram.
Happy Mother’s Day! 💐❤️
To all the incredible moms, grandmas, and mother figures who fill our lives with endless love, strength, patience, and joy—you make the world brighter every single day. Thank you for the hugs that heal, the sacrifices that go unnoticed, and the love that never ends. Today (and every day), we celebrate you! 🌸
Some May 1st shenanigans I asked 🤖 AI to create an “Unhinged Bio of myself ⤵️
J. Michael Smith isn’t your average “active senior”—he’s what happens when a Texas sunrise, a global business mind, and 40+ years of entrepreneurial grit all collide and decide to ignore the concept of slowing down.
Born in an era when people built things with their hands, he somehow upgraded to building global networks from an iPhone—while still appreciating a 65-year-old coffee percolator that outperforms half the gadgets on the market today. He’s closed deals from East Texas to Ethiopia, talked shop from Maui beaches to Dallas boardrooms, and still finds time to remind you that your excuses are weaker than your Wi-Fi signal.
He’s part old-school restaurateur, part modern-day digital architect, and part motivational freight train—with just enough East Texas twang to make it all sound like common sense. One minute he’s talking peptides, immune systems, and global commerce… the next he’s telling you that if he were 25 again, he’d run circles around you with nothing but a smartphone and a little grit.
Fueled by strong coffee, stronger convictions, and a belief that the “1099 is the new W-2,” J. Michael doesn’t just talk about legacy—he builds it in real time. Somewhere between mentoring entrepreneurs, supporting clean water projects, and posting sunrise reflections, he’s quietly outworking people half his age.
If you’re looking for average, keep scrolling.
If you’re ready to think bigger, move faster, and maybe get a little uncomfortable—he’s already three steps ahead… probably on a Zoom call.
Movie premiere night. Excited to say @TimRyanDOPEMAN and I consulted on #FinalRecovery movie. Kinda cool to add a new title to my resume. So I decided to get a new do. Thank you @manewizard for 5+ hrs of transformation.