flower.

Consider a flower. It begins as nothing more than a seed, trapped in a world of dirt and despair. It has nowhere left to fall, and it struggles through the rocky path and the crumbly earth towards a light that it cannot even see. But it feels the warmth and so it trusts that a light is there. After much difficulty, it pushes through the ground and emerges a bud. It is curled up, safe, but unable to experience life. With just the right mix of vulnerability and courage, it unfolds petal by petal until it has bloomed in its full splendor. Recovery is like this process of growth and blossoming. Continue to trust in the sunlight of better days, and you will emerge the beautiful, strong woman you were created to be. That, to me, is the essence of recovery. I think that very often, we cannot tell what we are supposed to be working towards, and it is as if we are ambling around blind and scared. But we have faith that as long as we keep working hard a fighting with our demons and cultivating that inner flower that wants so badly to open up, we will make it to the other side. So smile another day. And laugh and cry and hope and dance and love and rejoice. For the time has come to live the lives we were meant to live. I refuse to operate in a dark domain of fear. I refuse to cower away from the beautiful tomorrows that create my future. Just for today, I will make choices that empower me as a strong woman in recovery. Just for today, I will amplify the voice that tells me I am calm and strong and quiet the one that tells me I am weak and broken and just one more A or marathon or pound away from being good enough.