Our local recovery coach, Jeffrey, from Wisdom Tree Projects, meets me in front of Union Station – we are subway-training it. My desire to be independent costs me $20 of subway tokens… I needed 1. That’s 6 tokens and some change. Kinda funny, kinda not –lesson learned. I enjoy things now that used to give me serious anxiety. Growth rarely comes out of comfort – challenge accepted!
Tonight was no different. Well, only different in that I tried something new and it didn’t make me anxious. I thought why not have a check-in and hang-out period before the meeting? That way there is just time spent in a safe space with open dialogue and no necessary direction, but a lot of active listening and sharing. It was spectacular!
The four hours that we spent together felt like one hour. It was rich in meaning, vulnerability, and honesty, with a ton of connection. We shared and held each other’s space respectfully. These moments on the road fill my heart with so many things… it’s almost hard to pinpoint it, but it comes in the form of love, feelings of hope, and are garnished with courage. It comes in the form of compassion for others, for ourselves, and sometimes delivers darker times with lighted pathways. How blessed I feel and how full my glass is when I am with them.
What Did I Take Away Tonight?
Connection is key. ‘My trauma matters’ in the context that each person has their own trauma and it may be different or varied to other people. Meditation matters! Two new apps/people to look up: Simple Habits and Tara Brach.
Last but not least: Live your truth. Unapologetically.
The Poem I Shared That Night:
The Man In The Glass
By Peter Dale Wimbrow Sr.
When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn’t your father, or mother, or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
He’s the fellow to please – never mind all the rest
For he’s with you, clear to the end
And you’ve passed your most difficult, dangerous test
If the man in the glass is your friend.
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.
All I know is this: It’s about the connection to love, the longing to be supported and heard. So, guess what? I have all the time in the world for that!
