It’s the end of a 6-month venture of travelling across this great country and I’m heading into the pause of summer, for travelling that is. Back up in September!
There are quite often so many thought-provoking and insightful takeaways from my trips that it is hard to give up a few summer months for rest sometimes. I feel like there is something really magical, albeit hard knocks at the door sometimes, on the road. There is this constant feeling of being with people exactly where they are in their lives and in their recoveries. That means a lot to me. To be standing next to or helping someone up – that’s what we do. We love – we support one another.
Some of the most thought-provoking and life-altering events for me have happened while I’m on the road. Some good and some bad – as is life. Growth often doesn’t come from comfort, but rather discomfort. I can’t quite explain, in words, the depth of growth or insight, but I can measure it in ways that I feel.
If you feel life, if you allow yourself to lean into the discomfort, there are endless opportunities for you. Where once I was unsure, I am now sure. Where once I was scared to fly, I fly effortlessly. Where once I felt ‘not good enough for anything, now I feel good enough and guess what? I’m not waiting for the other shoe to drop anymore. I have learned to take chances (healthy ones) and to believe in myself. I am no longer scared.
Coming out of recovery and in the maintenance stage of my life, I feel freedom, I feel stronger, and I feel comforted that I am not defined by my past, but by my actions now. There are so many things I learn about my community, my peers, this vast country of ours, and myself while on these travels.
It is one of the most exciting times of my life. I feel loved and supported by many, and there is something exciting happening out here. Recovery, addiction, drugs, alcohol, rehab – they aren’t as ‘taboo’ to talk about anymore. There is a dialogue happening out here. It is much overdue, but it is happening and it is beautiful. Lives need saving – so let’s do this shit.
