Somewhere I heard that life is a test

I been through the worst but I still give my best

God made my mold different from the rest

Then he broke that mold so I know I'm blessed - Aloe Blacc

I've heard many times in my life, "That which does not kill you only makes you stronger.

Today is the start of a new year, a new resolution. Many will use January 1 as the launching date of a new approach to life or whatever they seek for self or professional improvement.

For me, my new resolution began on March 30, 2020, the day I jumped in my six-speed stick Camaro and bid adieu to my wife and kids with the simple message, "I don't know when I will be back, but I will be back."

After 17 days of pure hell, this was the day I was able to finally leave my house where I had been confined with a near-deadly case of the coronavirus. You'd be amazed at the thoughts and recollections that run through your head in a ten-mile drive when you've had your life flash before your eyes.

Four days earlier, I had become the poster boy for the virus very few in our community could relate. I wrote a commentary called "You Think You're Invincible," telling those in racing what I had kept as a big secret out of fear of being ostracized for having a "plague," which few people understood.

As I shifted the gears amid tears, praise and reflection, I made a vow to reengage in my life with the stuff I had taken for granted. The last year or so has been physically, emotionally, and financially challenging to say the least.

I will be honest, and I might not have admitted it, but traveling to the drag races became tougher than I would have liked it to have been. See, when you get the "virus" and all the physical issues it leaves you with, part of the after-effects include mental aspects of not wanting to experience this hell again.

I used other excuses to cover for not going to the races, just being honest here.

In the meantime, I worked on myself. I worked on my passion for the sport, reenergizing it. I worked on getting my physical health, losing years of weight I'd put on neglecting myself in the name of doing this job. That neglect had opened the door for me to get sick.

So when I wrote my commentary the other day highlighting the positive aspects of drag racing, I guess maybe that's the part of me that chooses to see what I have instead of what I don't. I've learned it's okay to be grateful. I've also learned perfection is all in how you view it.

Our sport wasn't perfect back in the day. It isn't perfect now, nor will it probably ever be. And I'm okay with that.

So what can you expect from CompetitionPlus.com in 2022? You can expect our team to give it our very best to deliver regular news you can trust—original content which gets to the heart of the matter. More video content that engages the viewer. We will also be partnering even more with quartermileclassifieds.com to simplify the world of online classified advertising.

Exciting new sponsorship programs are just around the corner as well.

So this year, I will return to the tour full force because I am now at a place in my health where I feel confident.

I'm down 41 pounds since the 2020 Bakersfield March Meet, the last race before I got sick. Today, I will participate in a five-mile race in my hometown of Spartanburg, SC, something I've been training to do for some time now. Winning isn't my objective; finishing the race is.

Suffice to say, that which did not kill me only made me stronger.