A quote about sobriety hit me like a brick this week:

“Success is never permanent and failure is never final. Keep your focus on staying the course.”

My mind immediately went to all the stories and personalities I have encountered in the podcast world, where I spend at least an hour a day if not more (working out, cooking, cleaning, sometimes driving). So many voices have driven home to me the truth that each one of us is unique, like an exquisite snowflake. Our issues with alcohol (or any other behavior or substance that promises relief or “good times” and ends up taking away our freedom of choice and leaving us miserable) are all different. They have different roots, they developed differently, we have different patterns of misuse or abuse, and we will or are finding different approaches to healing that are ideal for our very special snowflake natures.

This is Recovery as it should be: enlightened, evolving, and so high and wide in its scope that it can hold all of us in its loving arms. No matter how you are approaching your recovery (recovering your autonomy and freedom as you end some degree of addictive or at least unhealthy behavior patterns) and your uncovery (uncovering all you can be and do and express and become), someone will relate to your journey. Someone will say “me too.” Someone will emphathize. Someone will be here holding that space for you and with you. I love the openness and generosity of spirit and genuine caring that goes on in this little corner of cyberspace.

I’m all for the Power of Now and Be Here Now and Is-ness and being present to the moment and Zenning the shit out of everything. I just wish that the ability to connect with and live from my Center came in a little pill. Or maybe an essential oil I could rub on the bottom of my feet. Sadly, it requires working with my constantly gyrating, dizzy, noisy, scattered, distracted, often anxious mind that so easily falls into traps like magical thinking on the high end and catastrophizing on the down side. That little piece of real estate between my ears can turn on a thin dime into a bad neighborhood with far too many critics, irrational sensitivities, huge pits of self-defeating beliefs and habits reeking with the stench of self-recrimination, terrifyingly dark places, and distorted mirrors. Plus other stuff.

That’s why I love this book so much: The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer

Ekhart Tolle is a great teacher but Michael takes it one step further with simple, highly relatable, memorable analogies that make it easy to identify the moment we feel the first pang of needing/wanting to “close up” or “hang onto” or “push away” an experience followed by helpful hints for staying centered and open and letting life flow through. One of my all-time favorite analogies for staying centered and identifying with The Observer (our Soul/Spirit) is the concept that being human means you have a crazy roommate (with its own constant dialog) living inside of you. (For a teensy glimpse of MY roommate, refer back to paragraph one!!)

Just wanted to share this easy read and fascinating approach to mindfulness with my peeps along the path.

This post is by MaggyD , the author of the blog Maggy Doodles and an active member of BOOM the private, anonymous community inside the Boozemusings website.

More by Maggy :

Sobriety is a Portal

Beath and Allow

Breaking Down the Myths: What can Alcohol REALLY do for You?