“Keeping Things Fresh”
We talked about keeping recovery fresh today in our Zoom 12-step group. That is an important topic. Routines and rituals can be very healthy. However, they can also become another “r” word: ruts. And, as someone has said, “The only difference between a rut and a grave is depth.”
It’s not just recovery from addiction that needs to be kept fresh. Everything needs refreshing on a regular basis. Marriage, the spiritual life, work, exercise regimens, study, diet—all need to be kept fresh.
But how?
I suppose that step one is to recognize that I am responsible for staying fresh. If something in my life has become stagnant, it is not someone else’s fault. Stagnant is something I do to myself. So is fresh.
Several helpful comments were made during the meeting. One person said that he uses gratitude for things, people, and experiences to keep his recovery fresh. He also said that, when someone mentioned something that they did to improve their recovery, he would often try that out. Some things worked and some did not, but some of the things he had stolen for others had made a huge and healthy difference in his life. As I listened to the discussion and reflected on it afterward, I said to myself, “Keeping recovery fresh is an individual responsibility, but it is a together kind of task.”
And in that same vein, another person said that serving other people was the main way in which he kept his recovery fresh. If I’m feeling stale, serving others is like a fresh (and refreshing) breeze blowing through my life.
So, what am I going to do today, right now, to refresh my recovery, my marriage, my spiritual life? Well, writing this blog post was one thing. Perhaps reading this post and passing it along to someone else might be part of your own refreshment.
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