HOPE MONTH: DAY 11: “Difficulties and adversities viciously force all their might on us and cause us to fall apart, but they are necessary elements of individual growth and reveal our true potential. We have got to endure and overcome them, and move forward. Never lose hope. Storms make people stronger and never last forever.”― Roy T. Bennett
We hit places in life that appear to be devastating and feel overwhelming. This is where we find out who we are. This is where we find out what we are truly made of and how this whole Universe jumps in to support and guide us to a new place.
My old sponsor used to say that addicts are very comfy in our ruts. We carpet them and hang drapes and furnish them, so we never have to leave them. However, we are often visited by the storms of life and the whole damn thing comes down on our heads.
That is how life works. What we have left is the foundation we have built in our recovery that will bring us back to the basics of just “One Day at a Time” and all the other things we had to cling to in the beginning. We eliminate all the foo-foo and get back to the real stuff. Everything else falls away. What we don’t know is that all of it is used up and it is time to move into a whole new dimension of life. We cannot fathom it in that moment, but the Universe is giving us a giant cleansing of old stuff so we can move into the energy of a new phase.
15 years ago today, my lovely husband passed on. We had an incredible 8 months of life together from the time he was diagnosed until he died. What a ride! I am eternally grateful for the friend who challenged me to make it the best time of my life. I did, with the generous help of the man I loved, and we had a wonderful end of life-time.
I had no idea what was going to happen the next day or the next. It was overwhelming, because I did not know how to be a young widow or to move past the life we had created in our short marriage and life together. We were both all in and there was nothing in store for me without him.
But, life came forth and I moved into the next phase and have had several since that time. Each shift has been earth-shattering in some way. And the Universe, with the love and support of my posse(s), has been very generous and loving every step of the way.
In each shift or new phase, I think, “Oh. Okay…it is like this now.” Then I step into that and cannot fathom how it will change, but experience has taught me that it will and has and not to hold too tightly to any one aspect of my life, but enjoy the shit outta it and ride it for all its worth. That is what we do in life. That is what every single person I know is asked to do.
Surprises come, and I have to remember to greet them all with gratitude and grace…what a challenge that can be! I love my life. I love the richness of the tapestry and even when I thought a knot should be untied, I can now see its purpose. And, today I know that most of the difficulty in this stuff is created by me, I am happy that I know this also. What a gift to live in gratitude for all of it. Peace!
Dolphin Hug 