IT REALLY ISN’T SO BAD
I am reminded daily how much I have grown as a person in recovery. How things that used to be a big deal simply aren’t anymore. I suppose that is called being mature, prioritizing, or being an adult. Whatever you want to call it, it is a good place to be in life. I can remember when I was in the depths of my addiction, how everything seemed like it was the end of the world to me. A guy not calling me back, a stain on my favorite shirt, over-waxing my eyebrows…OK, that could have been a disaster, but thankfully they grew back! So much time wasted on the ‘what ifs’ and ‘why me’ that I forgot to enjoy the present moment. There is that old saying that really does ring true, “Don’t sweat the small stuff!” So what if you leave the pizza box on the kitchen counter and it attracts ants, or you borrow something from a friend and have to return it with a small imperfection. You can’t dwell on what happened. You simply have to evaluate the problem, fix it if possible, and try your best to move forward. It is hardly the end of the world.
I could sit here everyday and dwell on the fact I wasted 12 years of my life as an alcoholic, but I refuse to do that. Dwelling in the past does nothing but keep you from moving forward to a bright, full future. I recently had the pleasure of meeting some of the women from a local treatment facility during a training run for an upcoming Heroes in Recovery 6K race. I was paired up with one of the new members of the facility. She openly shared her story of addiction, loss, and trying to find her way out of the life her addiction had created for her. As she spoke, I could tell that she was still fragile but had come a long way. So much of the conversation stayed with me, but the one thing that really hit home was the fact she said she continued to relapse because she couldn’t get over the guilt of losing her children due to her addiction. She described the grieving process as being similar to what you go through when someone dies. Thankfully, additional treatment had been offered to help her cope with the guilt. After she finished telling me her story, you could see her eyes light up as she spoke about being in contact with her children and happily rebuilding a relationship with them. At that very moment I realized she was finally free of the guilt, shame, and had forgiven herself. After many attempts at treatment, it was clear that this time was going to be the successful one. She was finally living in the present moment and had found the path to a full life in recovery.
I can only hope that everyone gets to that moment in life. Whether you are battling an addiction, mental illness, divorce, losing your job, or just having a bad day, remember to be grateful, enjoy life to the fullest, and most importantly be in this very moment each and every day. We can’t get it back once it’s gone, so make the most of it!
www.heroesinrecovery.com
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