Daily Reflections: Gratitude and Life Beyond Addiction

Every morning, I have a ritual. A cup of coffee in hand, I sit on the patio of my apartment and take a few quiet moments to reflect. I think about what life looked like during my addiction and I try to bring myself back to that headspace, though it’s never quite as vivid as it once was. Then I shift my focus to today. To the life I have in recovery. And in that space between who I was and who I am now, I see the profound impact recovery has had on me.

There hasn’t been a single morning that I’ve done this practice without being overcome with gratitude. The life I live today is one I never could have imagined back then. I’m a living example of the saying: “If you had asked me what I wanted when I got sober, I would have sold myself short.”

Back then, I would have never picked honesty, integrity, or gratitude. But that’s my truth today. I’m grateful for all of the wins, the losses, and the lessons. That’s life. And if we can live in acceptance and gratitude, we can walk through anything with grace.

The universe has big plans for each of us. We just have to be willing to show up, do the work, and keep going.