okmulgee paper

Local carpenter rebuilds

his life one day at a time

Jim Hudnall's blog provides updates and inspiration

By HERMAN BROWN

Daily Times editor

Jim Hudnall wakes up each morning facing a major challenge. The 42-year-old carpenter is rebuilding the Black Apartments. The massive construction job will stretch weeks into the future. Even so, the rebuilding job is nothing compared to Hudnall's other challenge.

"I'm trying to rebuild my life," he said. "I want to live."

Hudnall has chosen to say yes to life. In doing so, he must forever say no to crack cocaine and alcohol. For him, it's a constant battle against those deadly demons.

On Thursday, Hudnall shared his story with the Okmulgee Daily Times. He sat in an apartment at 10^th and Seminole and reflected on the events that led him his rebuilding job in Okmulgee.

As recently as June, Hudnall was a crack-smoking handyman in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The father of five was little help to his family and friends. His paydays were wasted on drugs and booze. The real victims of his drug-fueled lifestyle were his four sons, his daughter and his supportive ex-wife.

Hudnall knew he had to change. He realized drugs were ruining his life – and would likely kill him. Even worse, his irresponsibility was a growing danger to his loved ones. That point was driven home on the final day of June.

"I was smoking crack (cocaine) and drunk," he said. "One of my children got into a situation and I was unable to handle it because of my state of mind. I called my (24-year-old) daughter that night while I was high and drunk. I told her I was ready to quit."

Hudnall was determined to stop his downward spiral. But he knew it wouldn't be easy. He had tried to stop before. On those earlier occasions, he always fell back into that lethal lifestyle with a week or two.

This time, he promised, it would be different. Perhaps it was because of what he saw in the mirror. He had far more questions than answers.

"All of the sudden I am 40 and have not a clue as to who I am, or what I believe in, or where the rest of my life is going from here. How could I let me get here? How have I wasted all these years?"

Hudnall didn't have the answers. But he knew his climb from this horrific life must be played out in front of the world. He was determined to help himself. He was also determined to see others benefit from his looming journey.

"I wanted to somehow be able to write about it and help other people to quit as I was quitting."

Not familiar with computers, Hudnall had no idea of how to get his message out to others. Luckily, his wonderful daughter solved the problem. She went on her computer and set up a blog for her father. She provided him a spot on the Internet to keep a daily journal of his daily struggle. The world was now watching!

"That was all her," he said. "She set it up for me and made it real easy. All I had to do was write my daily blog. She got it on there for me."

On July 1, 2010, Hudnall sat down in front of his daughter's computer and launched his personal blog. It was appropriately called "The Book of James – A Guide to Getting Your Life Back."

Day 1's blog opened with the following sentence: "Today was a great day; I'm not getting high!"

The newest member of the 'blog society' then introduced himself to the fellow citizens of the World Wide Web. He opened up his heart and bared his soul to everyone who visited his site. He started out by recounting his early descent into darkness.

Jim remembers drinking and smoking cigarettes and marijuana at the age of 11 or 12. He was then farmed off to several foster homes over the next few years. His downward plunge halted, for a while, when he lived with a man named Scott.

"Scott taught me how to work and how important it is to earn what you have," he recalls. "He instilled important values that are still with me today."

Sadly, the work ethic was the only positive lesson that remained with him. The othr good advice was lost in the foggy world of drugs.

"I have been lost in every other part of my life," he admits.

The California native was introduced to Meth when he was 18 years old. He was using needles to shoot up a decade later. The destructive lifestyle stalled briefly when he was sent to jail for a year.

Hudnall then moved back to Chattanooga, Tennessee. His plan was to get away from the strong cravings for Meth.

"I was successful because there wasn't any good Meth in Tennessee at the time," he said. "So I started smoking crack."

Despite having a family and a job, Hudnall spent years abusing drugs and alcohol. He wanted to quite, but never could make the successful step.

"You just continue avoiding the issue and (keep) getting high," he said. "It was all I can do, all I can focus on, all I know, and my routine. It rules my life!"

Even as he wasted his money on crack cocaine, he knew how horrible it is to his life.

"On crack, the good side is NOTHING! The bad side is it controls you. It leaves you broke. It makes you neglect your family and friends and the list of bad reasons goes on and on. Am I really that stupid? Really? That's pretty embarrassing!"

The new Jim Hudnall decided to write about his struggle in the blog. He promised to write an entry in the blog every single day. Each of his entries outline his ups and downs, but show the world he was staying off drugs and booze. The real trick is to write in his blog each and every day – no exceptions.

"If you don't hear from me tomorrow, I am a true idiot," he said on Day 1. But they did hear from him … each and every day since July 1.

On Sept. 9, Hudnall sat in front of his newest powerbook computer and hammered out his most recent experiences and thoughts. It's Day 70 of what he hopes is a blogging journey to forever. The subject of his posts drifted away from the battle with drugs and alcohol. His current blog tells of he he plans to stop smoking cigarettes. He's reducing the cigarettes to only one an hour. The goal is to snuff out his final cigarette very soon. If he's able to tame this nicotine monster, he's expecting "a kiss from a beautiful woman." That's nice motivation for the soon-to-be ex-smoker.

In a related note, Hudnall's blog led directly to him re-locating to Okmulgee. A longtime friend in California began reading his posts. He was aware that the blogger was staying clean and trying to change his life. The friend's father had purchased 20 rent houses and the Black Apartments in Okmulgee. They needed help with construction and repair projects at the local properties.

"He talked his father into sending me out here, before he got here, to start helping. That's my friend John Jr. That's how I ended up out here."

Hudnall really enjoys living in the community. If all goes well, he hopes his family will join him here in the not-too-distant future.

"I like it here," he said. "I'm seriously thinking this is going to be the home for the rest of my life. I want to be a part of this community and a positive role here."

Today, Hudnall is very proud of how he handled his first month in Okmulgee. Nobody knew him or knew of his battle to avoid drugs and booze. Had he been weak, he could have gotten drunk without anyone noticing him.

"I kind of went through a stage to where 'do I want people to know about me here?' But as I was here two or three weeks, I said 'yes, I do!' Because I started having thoughts … and I do what people to recognize me; to say 'that's the guy that's not drinking or doing drugs.' So it was very important for me to talk to you and try to get my story out."

The message is being spread far and wife. In fact, his blog reaches countless locations around the world. There have been 6,400 people in the United States visit his blog site. There are another 52 from Canada, 19 from Nigeria, 14 from Iraq, 11 from Luxenburg, 8 from Germany, 5 from Mexico, 2 from Australia, 2 from France and 2 from Iceland. These are the people reading his posts each day and providing constant feedback and encouragement.

"This is my passion right now," he said of the blog. "This is what saved me. Let me tell you how serious I am: The blog comes before my work! I want to spread that to as many people as possible. And I don't want to slip back to where I was. Every day that I sit here and take the time to write about what I went through that day, it keeps it fresh in my head that I don't want to go back to my old life.

"I want to continue to show how far a person can go, from being on drugs to being the mayor of Okmulgee! I told 'em I'm staying here. I may be the mayor one day. I'm serious. I mean, how far can a person go? My goal is to show people that the sky is the limit."

Jim Hudnall's work on the Black Hotel will continue for weeks, maybe months. But the repairs to his life will continue for years.

"I never want to go back to what my life was before," he said. "But I know it's up to me to make the right decisions each and every day, from now on."

His growing circle of friends will follow his journey with the daily entries to his blog. He hopes that everyone in Okmulgee will start to read his posts. Those, he hopes, will provide inspiration for others to overcome whatever roadblocks are in their lives.

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WHAT TO FOLLOW JIM'S BLOG?

Jim Hudnall's daily blog can be found at www.The BookofJames-GuidetoGettingYour LifeBack. He adds a posts every day, seven days a week.