Hey Bill,

Look, man, I get it. The words on the screen can mess with the wiring in your head, making your toes do a little dance like they're on fire. Thirteen years on meth, a decade clean, and still not at peace? That's the "riding the dragon" stuff right there, my friend.

- First, let's give a shoutout to your ten years of sobriety. That's no small feat, and having done that, you're already a dragon rider of some caliber.

- Second, you're still wrestling with the dragon because you haven't fully recognized what the dragon is. That fire in the toes? That's the caged lion pacing back and forth inside of you, wanting to bust out but not knowing how.

- Third, don't just read to feel the burn. Dig deep. Deconstruct every sentence, every word until you get what's really being said. Write your own raw truths, dissect them, and then keep writing until you're staring at your own shattered illusions. The illusion of Maya isn't some mystical mumbo jumbo; it's the glass wall you've been staring at without realizing you can break it.

As much as I love hearing that my writing lights you up, what I really want is for it to light a fire under you—a fire so hot you won't have any choice but to stop riding the dragon and start steering it. You say my writing is like fire? Well, fire purifies. Let it burn away what you think you are to reveal what you've always been: pure, unadulterated awareness.

Take care, but don't be careful.

Best,

Thomas