Clarity, Gratitude, and the Second Chance

The Sunday Sermon from the Road Back

I used to think quitting drinking would make me soft.

Turns out, it made everything sharper.

I don’t walk around quoting mantras or chasing serenity — I just see things clearer now. And what I see is this: the people around me are better off. My kids. My crew. My customers. Even the people I used to snap at when I couldn’t sit still in my own skin.

You don’t realize how clouded you were until the fog lifts.

Now I wake up early, not because I have to — but because I get to. I cut leather. I write. I work. And I thank God, every damn day, for a second shot at life with eyes wide open.

This ain’t about preaching. It’s about owning your path.

I messed up plenty. But I didn’t stay down. And if you’re reading this — if you’re standing on the edge trying to figure out whether to jump into the unknown — just know this:

It gets clearer.
You get stronger.
And it’s all still in front of you.

We don’t run this brand to sell fake lifestyle dreams.
We run it because clarity’s worth chasing — and the leather should match the man who earned it.
And we’ve seen what’s out there — once you get to the other side, you can’t unsee it.
The noise. The gimmicks. The hollow talk.

That’s not us.

This is built different. Because we are.

— Crank & Stroker

Read Hitman — written back in 2015, when the road was darker and the comeback hadn't started yet. It’s proof that the long road doesn’t end you — it shapes you.