One Day or 10,000 Days?

Today I am grateful for my five senses and the milder temperatures we have been having.

Today and every day I am grateful for and committed to sobriety and to my recovery from alcoholism. I am taking a break today from my Z-A list to mark a milestone.

Some friends in recovery use a sobriety calculator app for their phones. It tells them how many days and months they've been sober. I pulled it up on my phone a few weeks ago and realized I was nearing 10,000 days sober. I thought that was kind of cool. I almost forgot about it and then checked again yesterday, realizing today is day 10,000.  One minute at a time. One hour at a time. One day at a time.

I hesitated to bring it up. You will hear differing opinions about marking sobriety. All any of us have is today, whether a recovering alcoholic or a "normie." My favorite line regarding this is the caution "Don't get so many years that you forget the days." I strive to live in today, not yesterday or tomorrow.

But it is worth noting and celebrating, and it tells others, especially those new in sobriety, that ongoing sobriety is possible. One day at a time. With help from others and a Great Spirit as each individual wishes to define his or her idea of a Higher Power.

I say yes to today, as I said yes to each of the last 10,000 days. Knowing that without sobriety and recovery, I would not be living the full and rich life I am living. Knowing that if I had continued drinking for another day, 100, 1,000 or 10,000 more, I may not have survived.

Some of those 10,000 days have been amazing and incredible, others have been very difficult and full of despair, most have been mundane. I appreciate every single one of them. Amazing grace.

A special thank you to all the people who have supported my daily recovery in so many different ways over these last 10,000 days. It could not have happened without you.