Grind and Gravel
Today I am grateful for the laughter shared between recovering people, and for chocolate in its many variations.
Not being able to land on just one “G” word, I am going to take a shot at two of them with my writing efforts in this post.
GRIND. The daily routine. The parts about our home and work lives that most seem like drudgery. The complacency that can come with a length of sobriety. Many of these things are necessary, or at least recommended (i.e. doing laundry at home or attending a work meeting, staying sober, etc.), but we may not have the best perspective about it. If all we do is grind and regrind, it can get pretty discouraging and uninspired.
We all feel this grind at times. My goal is to not stay stuck in it, and I find that living gratefully sure helps the mundane and repetitive seem less so. Laundry again? Balled up socks, again? OR: I have family to do laundry for. We can afford a variety of seasonally appropriate garments. And that washer and dryer of our own and electricity to power them? They sure are nice too.
We can choose how we approach the grind each day. GRIND or GRATEFULNESS?
GRAVEL. I’m not even sure what brought this word to my mind, but it offers challenges for sure.Have you driven on gravel roads? They can be tricky, dusty, bumpy. I grew up living along gravel roads with a gravel driveway. I was a seasoned gravel road driver. Not anymore. I am more cautious.
It can be easy to lose control in a vehicle on gravel if inexperienced or speeding. It can be even easier to lose control riding your bike on gravel. I took many a tumble as a youngster bike riding on our gravel roads. I would get up and survey the damage. This process usually started by pulling the stones out of whichever knee they had gotten stuck in when I fell.
I carry scars on my knees from childhood scrapes, and in my heart too. The road of our lives is sometimes smooth pavement, sometimes rougher gravel, sometimes nothing but dirt. Just getting up and moving forward is tough some days, easier and joy-filled on others. Survive the grinding and gravel-filled days and a new view opens up. Gratitude and fortitude help me survive, then thrive.
Not being able to land on just one “G” word, I am going to take a shot at two of them with my writing efforts in this post.
GRIND. The daily routine. The parts about our home and work lives that most seem like drudgery. The complacency that can come with a length of sobriety. Many of these things are necessary, or at least recommended (i.e. doing laundry at home or attending a work meeting, staying sober, etc.), but we may not have the best perspective about it. If all we do is grind and regrind, it can get pretty discouraging and uninspired.
We all feel this grind at times. My goal is to not stay stuck in it, and I find that living gratefully sure helps the mundane and repetitive seem less so. Laundry again? Balled up socks, again? OR: I have family to do laundry for. We can afford a variety of seasonally appropriate garments. And that washer and dryer of our own and electricity to power them? They sure are nice too.
We can choose how we approach the grind each day. GRIND or GRATEFULNESS?
GRAVEL. I’m not even sure what brought this word to my mind, but it offers challenges for sure.Have you driven on gravel roads? They can be tricky, dusty, bumpy. I grew up living along gravel roads with a gravel driveway. I was a seasoned gravel road driver. Not anymore. I am more cautious.
It can be easy to lose control in a vehicle on gravel if inexperienced or speeding. It can be even easier to lose control riding your bike on gravel. I took many a tumble as a youngster bike riding on our gravel roads. I would get up and survey the damage. This process usually started by pulling the stones out of whichever knee they had gotten stuck in when I fell.
I carry scars on my knees from childhood scrapes, and in my heart too. The road of our lives is sometimes smooth pavement, sometimes rougher gravel, sometimes nothing but dirt. Just getting up and moving forward is tough some days, easier and joy-filled on others. Survive the grinding and gravel-filled days and a new view opens up. Gratitude and fortitude help me survive, then thrive.
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