I love post like this, for me what I saw in me as a person, physically, ,mentally, & spiritually lagged behind what others saw.
In early sobriety I was so mentally whacked in the first month that I was unable to see that I actually looked better physically then I had in years. What opened my eyes was a lady came up to me after a meeting and told me just how much better I looked then compared to what I looked like when I first came into the rooms. I will always hold a special place in my heart for her, she was 84 at the time and had been sober for 30 years, what she said to me made a huge disserence for me.
After that meeting I went home and took a REAL look at me! For many years I avoided looking at the miserable man in my mirror, his face was all puffy looking with red puffy looking eyes and nasty looking skin! I hated myself then, I looked like death warmed over. The person I saw in the mirror that night looked 10-15 years younger then the old nasty looking drunk I used to see! The puffyness was gone, my eyes were clear and the bags were gone & my skin looked vibrant for some one 52 years old who had spent way to much time in the sun!
As I continued in my recovery I had folks mention that I had lost weight, I really had not, my swollen liver was returning to a normal size. My family in particular commented often on how much better of a person I was becoming, my wife continues to say to me how much better of a man I am today, she ask me where the calm & understanding Martin came from?
Thanks for starting this thread, it reminds me and any one else who has been in recovery for some time reading this just how much we do change on the outside as we also change on the inside.