FreeOwl

The reality is that Life can be challenging.

Bad things happen.

Stress befalls us.

People leave, people die, people cheat, people steal.

We hurt ourselves.

We hurt others.

We have depression, anxiety, fears, sadness, loneliness.

Sometimes, the reality is, life sucks.




The reality is also;

Life can be wonderful

Incredibly good things happen.

We find ourselves blissful and relaxed.

People join our paths, people support us, people are born, people are wondrous gifts....

We help others.

We lift ourselves up.

We have excitement, joy, passion, togetherness and love

Sometimes, the reality is, life is beautiful.



The reality of it is, that Being Human is all of these things.

AND.....

Being Human in Reality.... in SOBRIETY... is what we're here for.


Embracing sobriety won't mean sunshine and rainbows for eternity.
Nor will it mean agony and suffering until death.

It will mean living your cherished life as deeply, as fully, as REAL as you can.....

It will mean that the beauty, the awe, the sorrow, the fear, the challenging and the amazing - will all be real.... will all be yours.... will all be what you were meant to live.

for over 5 years..... I've lived it.

And I can tell you that after 25+ years of drinking and drugging - these 5+ have been the best.

Embrace it..... this sober life..... grab it for all you've got.

You won't be sorry. I promise.

Suzieq17

I needed to hear this today. Thanks so much for posting this.

dafunbra

ScottFromWI

Thanks for the reminder Owl, a little touch of reality is always a good thing :-)

WaterOx

Hey that's a great post and congratulations on 5 years. That's an amazing inspiration, FreeOwl!!!!!

You truly are free!

CRRHCC

Nice post. You are describing the, "Addictive Belief System," and the need for gratitude.

Is life easy, fair and painless for you? Do you always get what you want?

Intellectually, the answer is no, but emotionally, many of us believe that life should​ be easy, fair and painless and we should always get what we want. When this type of belief system fails, in other words, when life is not easy, fair and painless, many of us, attempt to regain control of how we feel, with a quick fix or mood changer of substances or other errant behaviors. Welcome to the Human Race, where life is not perfect and we all race to avoid emotional pain, change our mood and seek the need to, "feel better."

tomsteve

Kaneda8888

Freeowl, wonderfully said. I couldnt agree more. Despite the ups and downs, the last years in sobriety have been the best years of my adult life. Just to wake up every day knowing full well that it is a brand new day without feeling any guilt, shame or remorse is priceless in itself.

Dee74

Thanks for sharing that FreeOwl

D

Unshackled

Thanks for the post FreeOwl and congrats on the 5 years.

Ayers

Lovely post , thank you FreeOwl.

And I love your name. Love owls .

Snowydelrico

MLD51

I got a little choked up reading that. 4+ years of sobriety for me, and despite many ups and downs (lots of downs) I can honestly say I am grateful to be sober and having the best years of my life. When things happen that don't seem "fair" I no longer overreact. I just pick myself up and get through it, without needing to resort to alcohol to dull the pain. I feel so free!

brighterday1234

FreeOwl

This morning, after a friend round here pointed out that I'd abandoned several threads.... I thought I'd spend some time reviewing those. I never really realized there were some I'd abandoned. I suppose that happens when we step away from the forum for a while. I'm glad for the reminder, and for the opportunity to review these. I'll bump a handful of them up to the top in response. Please bear with me.

Mizz

I see you are going down memory lane!
Great posts, FreeOwl.

Anna

You are so right, FreeOwl. Thank you for the post.

lifewithart

Thank you so much for the inspiring post! I really appreciate the time you took to write this and congrats on your five years! Wishing you all the best going forward