Early in recovery, I didn’t have a license; it was difficult to get anywhere; I had to depend on other people and ask for help.  People kept telling me “this too shall pass.” Oh, how I hated that statement. I wanted to punch a few people in the face.  But they were right.  Times were tough because I had a lot to repair–my legal situation, my relationships, my livelihood and my life.  It seemed like it took forever, but then I think of how much damage I caused myself.  I had no one to blame but myself for my predicament and I was the only one that could salvage what was left.

But that was 13 years ago and amazingly, it did pass.  Sometimes it was just putting one foot in front of the other.  It taught me the value of staying in today and not worrying about tomorrow because sometimes today is overwhelming enough.  Rotten things still come, for such is the nature of life.  Getting sober doesn’t come with a guarantee that my life will always be a yellow brick road.  It still takes work, sometimes it’s hard and I don’t want to do it.  But if I continue to just keep working away at the program, I work through those hard times without drinking.  I don’t cause the tremendous wreckage that was my past.

Remembering that “this too shall pass” frees me to sit back and experience the ride, whatever it will be, without judgment, without chasing, or leaving claws marks.  Nothing is permanent, and the more I understand that, the less suffering I will cause for myself.

TJ