The top of the hill. It’s like childbirth – once it’s done you forget the pain… NOT.
I have never thought the simplistic AA aphorisms, “one day at time” or “one step at a time” were trite or cliché. I am reminded almost every day, that the journey from addiction to recovery is made in small, miraculous measures. Yesterday Kim and I climbed a mountain (I suppose some would call it a very big hill) and I put “one step at a time” into practice, breaking the insurmountable task of getting from the bottom to the top, into manageable pieces.
I navigate this rigorous hike every time I come to Puerto Rico, but this time I took it step by step. First, I envisioned the long, circling hill that takes us to the starting point; the pond with the ducks on the right in the knoll; the second – steeper hill; and the dirt track that marks the beginning of the point of no turn-back (because Kim and I are guts-ball and neither one of us is going to say, “It’s too hot,” or “I’m tired, wah wah...”).
There is a two mile lead in, with a few preliminary rises and then the path goes straight up (forever) to a gorgeous promontory that overlooks Humacao.
Up on the left is where I want to go… See the peak? See Kim way ahead of me?
It is worth the walk, but painful in the process. This time it was the easiest for me it has ever been. It reminded me of my recovery. That is not to say climbing a mountain or stopping drinking is a breeze, but I’ve put in the work and the end result is very satisfying…
Snippets of beauty along the way…
Keep going you guys. You can do it – dare I spout the AA catch phrase?
