Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
Sometimes in my life I have stumbled into lessons that seem unusual and unconventional. On my recent trip to Mumbai, India I found myself a student once again. The topic was acceptance. I had returned after almost three years for what I hoped was a final round of major dental work, to an exceptional clinic and an oral surgeon who had become a friend. India taught me much … Continue reading Return to India
I have on occasion caught myself staring into the mirror and seeing a bold-faced pessimist staring back. I see a guy with more doubt than faith, and a damn sight more preoccupation in the past than hope in the future. I ask myself, “Paddy Boy, what’s happened to your faith?” The thing is, when I attempt to answer my question, all I come up with is … Continue reading A Simple Faith
What happens when relationships are irreparably broken and beyond the reach of reconciliation or grace? Sometimes, they may be over. But sometimes, I have discovered, they can be unaccountably restored. A foundation of the 12 steps: “God did for me what I could not do for myself.” I deeply appreciate the term “higher power” embraced by 12-step programs of all stripes. It allows everyone, from the atheist … Continue reading Reconciliation
Try reading Finding Contentment from our home page: www.justathoughtbypat.com When Marsha and I arrived back in Seattle last fall I felt a little like Rip Van Winkle waking up to a hometown I no longer recognized. When I first left back in 1971 times were tough. This billboard said it all: As most people know, the town has been booming, fueled by new technology that … Continue reading Finding Contentment
Please check out this second installment in the Search for Inspiration series on our homepage: www.justathoughtbypat.com. In a world so obsessed with success how is it possible to embrace defeat? The book Embracing Defeat, by John W. Dower, describes how Japan did exactly that after World War II, and in so doing, accomplished the greatest turnaround of all time. For those of us who have found embracing … Continue reading Embracing Defeat