Soberlife

This book, The Book of Joy, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams – It’s just what we all need right now. It’s been so hard to find joy over the past 9 months and this book exudes joy. ...

I am grateful for a week away from the daily hustle and bustle. It will be good to be in a different place for a week. I am grateful for the mountains. I grew up in the shadow of the Appalachians and being in the mountains feels like home. ...

Things are really hard right now. Every day, I feel overwhelmed. Like so many others, I’m navigating uncharted waters without so much as a compass. The uncertainty of the moment weighs heavily on my mind and the challenges we face as a family feel insurmountable. It’s a game of wack-a-mole. ...

I am grateful that it is Friday. It’s been a long stressful week and I’m ready for some downtime. I am grateful for the upcoming week, which I am taking off from work even though we may not follow through with the original plan of traveling to NY state to see family for Thanksgiving. I am grateful for the flexibility I’ve developed over the years. I was once very rigid in my approach to life which made change and uncertainty difficult to bear. Being willing to be flexible makes sudden curves in the road easier to navigate.

I am grateful for the strength to make amends and ask for forgiveness, I wasn’t always good at recognizing when I was in the wrong in the past. I am grateful for the forgiveness others afford to me, it shows that I’ve made progress rebuilding trust with people I’ve hurt. I am grateful to be able to forgive others. Letting go of anger and resentment and forgiving others heals as much as or more than it heals others.

I am grateful for my legs and feet. They carry me through this world, enabling me to live an independent and free life. I am grateful for my arms and hands. Not only are they are fundamental tools I use for daily tasks but they help me connect with others, through handshakes and hugs. I am grateful for my eyes and ears. They help me observe and understand the beautiful sights and sounds of daily life, small glimpses of the mysteries of the universe among us.

I am grateful for the chill in the air as the seasons turn toward winter which reminds me of the essential impermanence of all things. I am grateful for soft, warm fleece sweaters and flannel shirts which protect me against the chill. I am grateful for luxurious hot coffee on the couch while the sun light streams through the bay window, a small sense of peace unfolding before the hectic day.

I am grateful for self restraint. It doesn’t come easily, but things work out much better when I can keep my cool. I am grateful for the writings and teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh — they help me find peace in an otherwise chaotic world. I am grateful for my church which welcomes all people regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, creed, or belief system. I never thought I’d feel comfortable in a church community but I do in this one.

I am grateful for the low angle of the sun at this time of year. It makes for beautiful photographs. I am grateful for my newly repaired, 16 year old Barbour jacket. It has been with me on many adventures around the world. I am grateful to have had lunch with my mother on the front porch yesterday, even if I still cannot hug her because of the risk of coronavirus.

I am grateful for waking feeling rested for the first time in a long time on this sunny morning.I am grateful for my wife who has stuck by me through the good times as well as the bad times.I am grateful for some quiet time alone this morning to read and reflect before the family wakes up. It is rare to have a few minutes of unscheduled solitude.

I am grateful for the flexibility and support that my son's school shows him because he really needs it.I am grateful for technologies like FaceTime and Zoom which allow us to see each other even when we can't be physically present with our family and friends.I am grateful for my Twitter community because we support each other at a moments notice from all around the world.

I am grateful for the rain that we are getting. While I’d prefer a nice sunny day, I know that rain is essential to our interdependent web of life.I am grateful for the opportunity to meet my friend HD for lunch. It’s been a while since we caught up in person.I am grateful for the opportunity to begin my 49th trip around the sun this morning.

Have you ever been afraid for your life? Not just scared, but really concerned that you just might die — right here, right now. I have. It was a late summer evening and I was 15 years old. School had already started but the sun was still high enough in the sky that we could go out after eating dinner and cruise around town on our bikes — we ate early, 5:30 every day. My brother and I had ridden into town on our freestyle box bikes and met up with our friend Matt to go to Sheetz — Central PA and North Western MD’s incarnation of a 7-Eleven, except they didn’t have Slurpies. ...

I’ve been thinking a lot about empathy lately, in part because the tone of our nation borders on uncivil at best and out right bellicose at worst. Indeed, the tone of the nation is not uniform. There are pockets of civility, at the individual level, but by and large, the tone of our national conversation rears its ugly head by envisioning anyone who does not think or act in the manner that we do as the enemy. ...

As the pandemic reaches the seventh month here in the United States, and our death toll continues to climb — in part due to mismanagement and disinformation on the part of the highest levels of our federal government — we are assaulted by science denial and lies on a daily basis. We watch as the President intentionally sows distrust of the electoral process, spreads baseless conspiracy theories, and has calls for his cult like followers to actively participate in voter intimidation at the polls, as it becomes more and more likely that he will lose the election. ...