Читать книгу Meditations for Pain Recovery - Tony Greco - Страница 13

JANUARY 4

COURAGE

EMOTIONAL BALANCE

“In recovery, we begin to know courage by watching and respecting others who tell us they are afraid and then find the spiritual and emotional resources to walk through their fear to do the right thing.”

Of Character: Building Assets in Recovery

Walking through pain, fear, shame, guilt, loneliness, and anger without heading down a path of destruction is the goal in recovery. These are all feelings that, in moderation, are necessary and vital to the human experience. The problem with addiction is the extreme to which I feel these feelings. The problem with chronic pain is the lack of tolerance I have for any other feelings beyond the physical pain. When all my energy and resources are being dedicated to that single source of one kind of pain, it feels impossible to deal with anything else, and if I let it, a small thing may become the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back. It takes a special kind of courage to live free from active addiction. It takes a leap of what can seem like superhuman strength and courage to live free from addiction and with chronic pain. This courage may not start within, but that’s where it leads. The path to courage is paved with steps, sponsors, meetings, prayer, and meditation.

When I’m feeling discouraged, I act on courage; I go the extra distance, with an added result of developing more strength and a closer, deeper relationship with my higher power.