A New A-Z List Focusing on the A-Word
Today I am grateful for the safety of my sister Aileen, her husband John and stepson Peter and all impacted by Friday's earthquake in Anchorage. I am also grateful for people who step up in so many ways in so many different situations.
Aileen had just flown out of the Anchorage airport not long before the earthquake. I consider what it must have been like in that 30-40 seconds for those who experienced the quake. It is not unusual for Alaskans to feel some of the many quakes they get each year, but this one had to be pretty scary.
A few seconds can be life-changing, or just a few more seconds going by unnoticed. Sometimes life happens to us, sometimes we make it happen.
I have been pondering an A-Z gratitude list for my blog for a while, going back and forth on whether or not to do one. It was Aug./Sept. of last year when I last did one. They are enjoyable and give me focus to my posts for a few weeks when they otherwise tend to be random.
There's nothing wrong with random, and I haven't run out of ideas yet, but yesterday I got the inspiration to go with a new A-Z list. This one will revolve around alcoholism and recovery. I do not take recovery for granted, and I do make daily efforts to maintain it. It is in the context of working recovery that my gratitude practice was born. The two are inextricably interwoven. Without recovery, I lose everything else. It is vitally important.
Aspects of recovery are woven into my posts often, whether readers realize it or not. Those aspects will be more obvious in the coming weeks.
I referred to alcoholism as the "A-word" when I was struggling to come to terms with my drinking problem. I didn't want to be an alcoholic. Who does? I didn't set out to become one. Who does? I didn't understand the disease and how very wily it is; in my body, but even more so in my mind, heart, and soul.
I had a lot to learn. I still do. It started with some acceptance that I have a disease, not a weak will.
Aileen had just flown out of the Anchorage airport not long before the earthquake. I consider what it must have been like in that 30-40 seconds for those who experienced the quake. It is not unusual for Alaskans to feel some of the many quakes they get each year, but this one had to be pretty scary.
A few seconds can be life-changing, or just a few more seconds going by unnoticed. Sometimes life happens to us, sometimes we make it happen.
I have been pondering an A-Z gratitude list for my blog for a while, going back and forth on whether or not to do one. It was Aug./Sept. of last year when I last did one. They are enjoyable and give me focus to my posts for a few weeks when they otherwise tend to be random.
There's nothing wrong with random, and I haven't run out of ideas yet, but yesterday I got the inspiration to go with a new A-Z list. This one will revolve around alcoholism and recovery. I do not take recovery for granted, and I do make daily efforts to maintain it. It is in the context of working recovery that my gratitude practice was born. The two are inextricably interwoven. Without recovery, I lose everything else. It is vitally important.
Aspects of recovery are woven into my posts often, whether readers realize it or not. Those aspects will be more obvious in the coming weeks.
I referred to alcoholism as the "A-word" when I was struggling to come to terms with my drinking problem. I didn't want to be an alcoholic. Who does? I didn't set out to become one. Who does? I didn't understand the disease and how very wily it is; in my body, but even more so in my mind, heart, and soul.
I had a lot to learn. I still do. It started with some acceptance that I have a disease, not a weak will.
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