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Today I am feeling deeply fortunate.

The time finally arrived for my wife to bring our first child into the world at 4:27 a.m. on April 6th!

Now I am relaxing on paternity leave with my new family, soaking up the reality of my new life.

Today, as I was laying down to take a nap after rocking in the chair with Ada Ray, I began thinking about how fortunate I am.

I feel fortunate for a couple of reasons.

I am ridiculously grateful to be able to have the pleasure of hanging out with my baby. Another thing I have been thinking about is how crazy it is that I have ended up at this place in life.

Something I have made clear on My Life Experiment, is that I am an addict in recovery.

There was a time in my life when I was at an extreme bottom, my liver and pancreas were very sick. And my mental, emotional and spiritual health were virtually decimated.

I was a 26 year old little boy, very scared, and hopelessly lost. My chance at any sort of better life was quickly fading way.

Fortunately, the state of being I knew then, is a state of being that is distant in the past. Though also close to my heart so that I don’t forget where I’ve come from.

Today I am living in the manifested possibilities that I could have never imagined possible in 2008!

My new live has all been made possible because of the recovery program I follow. It has helped me keep my mind in reality and have healthier, mutually enjoyable relationships.

Over the last TWO YEARS ALONE I have been able to.

1. Graduate from College.

A lot of money was spent on multiple attempts at college years 19-23. I simply could not stop using long enough to get my head straight.

The failed attempts did a great deal to fuel my shame and convince myself that I was not a very smart dude. But December 2015, I received Bachelors’ Degrees, in Philosophy and Psychology, earning a 3.75 GPA. Not bad for someone who received 45 days of suspension his senior year of High School, and a D- average throughout his high school career!

It felt amazing to rewrite the history of my past failed attempts and wasted resources!

2. Got Married.

The history of romantic relationships throughout my life was a complete mess before recovery. I put myself in dangerous situations to maintain them.

I also spent many years isolating myself from potential relationships, after an early heartbreak that I used to amplify my using. But October 2016, I married a wonderful woman and the cowriter of My Life Experiment!

3. Bought a House.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever believe I would be able to live in my own house!

My life before recovery was mainly about cramming multiple people into single bedroom apartments, basement dwelling, and running back to my parents place after another failed attempt at living somewhere else.

On December 15th of 2017, my wife and I moved into our new house!

4. Became a Father.

As I said above Ada Ray came into the world just 6 days ago in the wee hours of the morning. Of all the other beautiful developments that have arrived in my life, I don’t know if any of them can top her arrival.

I was pretty much convinced that with the way I treated my body for so many years, that I wasn’t going to be able to become a dad. But here she is now, crazy beautiful and has my heart forever.

Why the Fortunate List?

I put this list together to reflect on the crazy journey my life has been from active addiction and into recovery.

Reflecting on these life victories, has me feeling very fortunate that I didn’t die and that I found this new way to live!

This list also represents lost hopes and dreams that reawakened in the course of my journey!

I didn’t create this list to brag about getting my way in life to all of you. But, definitely to attempt to inspire a little hope into some that may feel hopeless about potentially recovering their lives. And thus, even more hope for myself.

I know that feeling of hopelessness very well. But now know that it need never return at that level.

Hope for Becoming One of the fortunate.

Whether in recovery from active addiction or other mental illness, there is hope! There is a path back to sanity. I found mine in a program for addicts!

But there are mutual support groups for all sorts of personalities, disorders, and traumatized individuals.

There are resources available. If you are struggling please reach out and find them. You are worth it 😊

I know that reality can seemed stacked against us when it comes to thinking of the lost time and all the family members we might have hurt. But there is no time to waste, get help as soon as possible, and get on the path to wake up your lost hopes and dreams!

Here are few a web pages set up to help individuals get hooked up with support!



–www.samhsa.gov/find-help – This website is a national resource with links to help find the nearest treatment centers to you, the Suicide Prevention line and other great mental health support resources.

–www.NA.org – Website for Narcotics Anonymous. Despite the name, NA is not just for users of Narcotics, but all sorts of substance use disorders (whether diagnosed or not). If you are looking to stop using any type of drug (including alcohol), and recovering your life, then check it out.

–www.AA.org – Website for Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcoholics Anonymous focuses on recovery from alcoholism. If you are looking to stop drinking and recovering your life, then check it out.

The beauty of Living a Fortunate Life.

Life is a beautiful thing. I have not always been able to see that life is beautiful, but now I consistently live in this reality.

And now, because of the fortune I have had in recovery, I have great hope to know that only more amazing opportunities and experience is possible.

I have no idea what my life is going to look like over the next 5 years, but what I do know is that the path I am on will ensure that it will be amazing!

Thank you for checking out My Life Experiment today, it was my pleasure to fill you in on my experience.

As well as the resources above, Therapeutic Writing has been a tremendously helpful habit to keep. If you join My Life Experiments email list on the sidebar, you will receive a printable copy of our Therapeutic Writing Guide. You will also receive our articles directly to your email.

Much Love,

Travis Hagen

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Hello, we are Travis and Casey Hagen the writer’s and owner’s of My Life Experiment. As recovering Individuals, we are no strangers to leaving behind dysfunctional ways of living. Over the years we have become adept at managing our intense mental and emotional worlds to find healing from the past, peace in the present and new ways to bring about success for our futures. There is plenty for us to share with you about finding better ways to live. So please follow us on our journey as we share what we know, and continue to share as we invitably learn more.

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