Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
A new year has arrived and I’ve been waiting for a spark of inspiration to launch me into 2019. Quite frankly, its been hard. Inspirational moments have been hard to come by. I’ve felt like a nomad in a parched desert in search of a watering hole, only able to find bitter wells. I find my spirit has soured, turned in on itself, and tricked … Continue reading Getting Out of Your Head
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
My good friend Hiraman Gavai offers some thoughts in this morning’s post. I met Hiraman many years ago in Brussels when we both worked for the same non-profit. He currently resides in Pune, India with his dear wife Mangala. While we’ve been separated by distance we speak a common language, one the writer Henry David Thoreau calls the language of meaning. Hiraman and I caught up again … Continue reading Friendship
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
Noble fathers have noble children. ~ Euripides I recently attended a meeting where men shared intimate stories about their relationships with their fathers. Some felt broken and bruised by their fathers, others told of fathers who provided protection and tender loving care. Then there were the stories of “adoptive” fathers, the self-selected fathers who were stand-ins for absent or deceased fathers, or who provided supplemental … Continue reading Adoptive Sons, Noble Fathers