Sober Villagers

The goal of recovery is balance - that precious middle ground.

Many of us have gone from one extreme to another: years of
taking care of everyone but ourselves, followed by a time of
refusing to focus on anyone's needs but our own.

We may have spent years refusing to identify, feel, and deal
with our feelings, followed by a period of absolute obsession
with every trace of emotional energy that passes through our
body.

We may succumb to powerlessness, helplessness, and
victimization, then we swing to the other extreme by aggressively
wielding power over those around us.

We can learn to give to others while taking responsibility for
ourselves. We can learn to take care of our feelings, as well
as our physical, mental, and spiritual needs. We can nurture
the quiet confidence of owning our power as equals in our
relationships with others.

The goal of recovery is balance, but sometimes we get there
by going to extremes.

Today, I will be gentle with myself, understanding that sometimes
to reach the middle ground of balance, I need to explore the
peaks and valleys. Sometimes, the only way I can extricate myself
from a valley is to jump high enough to land on a peak, and then
slowly ease myself down.

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