The meaning of Forge Through to me is a sense of repurposing no matter what.
After 33 years in the front line as a first responder, my tank emptied and my bucket filled, the “Black Dog” bit and wouldn’t let go. On Thursday the 23rd of July I was pensioned off. I likened myself to an old piece of farm machinery sitting in a paddock, that had become redundant and was replaced by a new shiny implement.
On Sunday the second of August, in the company of Adam (fellow forger and creator of BC) I was granted entry into this magnificent group and thus our journey began.
Deano and Wolfman (later joined by Bottsy and Panzer) spoke to Adam and I about their vision and the journey we were about to embark on.
Soon after it came time for material selection. I saw a piece of the old discarded farm machinery that I thought represented me. It was a plough disk, that was just inconspicuously leaning against the wall near the roller door. I decided to use that.
With that, I made the first move into a new life, by cutting a chunk out of it. For the next 24 hours this innocuous object became the benchmark for a new beginning. I heated it, I hammered it, I shaped it, I tempered it, I swore at it, I ground it, I shined it, I sharpened it and finally I polished it.
The moral to my Forge Through story is, play the hand you have been dealt. Help yourself and with the help of others and by focusing on and using your previously captured skills you can re-invent yourself. Just like that piece of old discarded farm machinery.
Thank you Forge Through
SFP - Retired first responder