The Key

“So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key.”

(from Already Gone, written by Jack Tempchin and Robb Strandlund, performed by the Eagles) 

I was sharing conversation yesterday with some friends. Recovery people supporting one another through laughter, tears, moments of clarity, genuine honesty. Our time together is often like that. We were talking about selfishness and self-centeredness. The kind that got us drunk, kept us drunk, and can still get us stuck in our sobriety. 

A little earlier, scrolling social media I came across this quote from Deepak Chopra: 

"If you can observe your thoughts, you are obviously not your thoughts. If you can 

observe something, you are intrinsically free from your observation." 

I was reminded of the significant progress I have made in recent years with just this: not getting stuck in thoughts that only impede me. This is due to several factors, but the biggest is my commitment to regular meditation and mindfulness. 

Then, strolling our downtown area checking out ice sculptures while music from a mobile unit filled the streets, the song quoted above came on. I have often referred to the line above and it is one of my absolute favorites. It is a fitting phrase for people in recovery, and pretty much everyone else too. 

Great Spirit orchestrated each experience I just relayed here. Amazing grace. Grace and gratitude. 

This beautiful ice sculpture, the work of local sculptor Tom Schiller, sums up where these revelations and observations left me--with a heart open wide.