Peaceful River or Raging Rapids
Today I am grateful for a January "heat wave" locally and for the conversations I had with my friend Sheila yesterday.
The other day some recovery friends and I were talking about peaceful rivers vs. riding the rapids of life. We are talking about the peace or chaos we create in our own minds--the place where our disease truly rests. The alcohol is gone, but the "ism" is still there.
The "ism" is impacted by the circumstances and events of our lives, which may or may not be chaotic at the time, but more impacted by our thought processes. Left to their own devices, our alcoholic minds are adept at obsessing, overthinking, magnifying the negative and the fear, and becoming quite self-centered.
Such thinking crowds out sane and rational thoughts. Such thinking destroys the peace we strive for and instead creates the treacherous rapids of a racing mind. We used to quiet that mind with our drink or substance of choice.
In recovery, our job is to quiet the mind in healthier ways. We have plenty of options and tools to apply and we each work to find what helps us reach some peace. We also each help each other. And many of us, me included, turn to a source of power beyond human.
I tend to call that power Great Spirit. I appreciate this term because for me it encompasses so much--from nature, to the hearts and souls of other humans here to be my messengers of support.
I don't know anyone who is always meandering down the peaceful river of life, but I do know people who have fewer raging rapids than they used to. I strive to be one of them. Living gratefully, just for today, is a good way to keep the boat upright and stable. Paddle in hand, I proceed.
The other day some recovery friends and I were talking about peaceful rivers vs. riding the rapids of life. We are talking about the peace or chaos we create in our own minds--the place where our disease truly rests. The alcohol is gone, but the "ism" is still there.
The "ism" is impacted by the circumstances and events of our lives, which may or may not be chaotic at the time, but more impacted by our thought processes. Left to their own devices, our alcoholic minds are adept at obsessing, overthinking, magnifying the negative and the fear, and becoming quite self-centered.
Such thinking crowds out sane and rational thoughts. Such thinking destroys the peace we strive for and instead creates the treacherous rapids of a racing mind. We used to quiet that mind with our drink or substance of choice.
In recovery, our job is to quiet the mind in healthier ways. We have plenty of options and tools to apply and we each work to find what helps us reach some peace. We also each help each other. And many of us, me included, turn to a source of power beyond human.
I tend to call that power Great Spirit. I appreciate this term because for me it encompasses so much--from nature, to the hearts and souls of other humans here to be my messengers of support.
I don't know anyone who is always meandering down the peaceful river of life, but I do know people who have fewer raging rapids than they used to. I strive to be one of them. Living gratefully, just for today, is a good way to keep the boat upright and stable. Paddle in hand, I proceed.
Comments
Post a Comment