Tag Archives: Sobriety

Self-Care During Uncertain Times

“Self-care is how you take your power back.” – Lalah Delia

“When we give ourselves compassion, we are opening our hearts in a way that can transform our lives.” – Kristin Neff

First, before I write anything else, let me simply state, I’m grateful. I’m alive, I woke up in a safe and warm home, I’m 75-years-old, and I have a gift of this new day. I’ve learned not to take anything for granted and to acknowledge I’m loved and I have abundance in my life. Life is not always easy, yet it’s worth the commitment and work of self-care. I may not have everything I want; yet I have everything I need. I’m lucky. Continue reading

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Life Is Good. I’m Grateful. Thanks, H.P.!

For my Door County LGBTQ+ writer’s group, Write On, the prompt this month was ‘Thank You.’ At first, it didn’t seem inspiring, until I realized that thank you and gratitude are cut from the same whole cloth. As a person in recovery from substances and behaviors that no longer serve me, gratitude is an acknowledgement of the commitment and work that was required of me, and a thank you for the support I received from others, including a belief in a power greater than myself. Continue reading

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Dispatch from the Hideout: Home Alone Edition

“There’s a difference between solitude and loneliness.” — Maggie Smith

“Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is richness of self.” ― May Sarton 

This past week I hit the wall to use a metaphor. The difference between solitude and loneliness became viscerally clear. I consider myself someone who enjoys my own company and solitude, who goes to great lengths to protect it, and over the years has learned to be both independent and resilient, two skills critical to survive the pandemic. Continue reading

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