Bumper Sticker Recovery: Make me an Instrument of THY Peace

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Make me an Instrument of THY Peace

Think for a moment on some banners, not just Bumper Stickers from President Obama's Inaugural Address:

"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this earth. And because we have tasted the bitter swill of Civil War and Segregation and emerged from that Dark Chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass. That the lines of Tribes shall soon dissolve. That as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of Peace....To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy...We will extend a hand, if you are willing to unclench your fist....To those nations, like ours, that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect...America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave the icy currents and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that, when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end; that we did not turn back, nor did we falter and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's Grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of Freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

It may be a bit sappy to ponder these words today and I'm sure I'm one of millions that is doing so, but, it is all about me and my thoughts anyway!

Today is a significant day in many ways. As I listened to President Obama's message and chuckled through the humorous, but powerfully spiritual benediction, I had to think about how many messages were there for those of us who struggle in Recovery journeys. I will give President Bush credit for one perspective that is true for today -- history will hold the final answer. My hope is that today will truly be a time for stepping past the walls that divide and beginning to dissolve them. I sincerely hope that this is not a time for a shifting of lines of division and of power, but a time for the "lines of Tribe" to truly pass away. I do remember when people of color had a smaller sparsely furnished waiting room in my uncle's medical office while the far fewer white patients had leather couches and several times the space. I remember segregation and the first time a black kid came to my school. Now, my family is multiracial and I've lost count of how many tongues in the multilingual nature. The differences are less and less each year. And my heart is bigger for it.

I hope that the message that all of us take from this Inaugural Address is that we must move forward and we must begin to change our perspective. This is a universe of abundance and plenty. One of the most difficult challenges of Recovery is moving from the sense of deprivation to the sense of "Eternal Enough" that comes from tapping into the Abundance that is around us. The Principle of Service tells us that the more we give our Serenity away, the more we have. The more we do for others, the more peace and energy and Recovery we have for ourselves. These are age-old Principles that have always worked and always been true.

"The Promises" talk about being "happy, joyous and free." President Obama spoke of delivering the "great gift of freedom" to the future. Think of the joy we could all have in seeing the ecstasy in the eyes of a world that has enough. The true Freedom that could come from knowing that we all can have a share in this magnificent world around us and that, together, we never have to do without. We can never hoard enough to counteract the sense of emptiness that comes from entitlement and deprivation. Yet, when we share from a sense of abundance and all have enough, we all have a joyous fullness that never ends. What an amazing paradox!

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About This Blog

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in, observe, provide and supervise treatment in more settings not only that I can remember, but also that I CARE to recall! I once was invited to sit in on a budding treatment center that put themselves out there as THE newest, bestest and most creative program EVER. They had accumulated a host of visiting gurus to come to enlighten the staff, the patients and the planet on a regular basis. They were absolutely well trained in their model and their staff was on top of it! After a full day of sitting in groups, individual sessions, meetings and meals, I realized that I was seeing a pattern – everybody got the same set of answers. By the end of the day, could repeat the responses that almost anyone on the property would have to almost any statement, question, or answer might arise. I left their feeling like I had perused the psychological bumper sticker rack at the Recovery Roadside Stop. I swore I would avoid Bumper Stickers like the plague.

Among other dishes I’ve added to my yet unpublished book of “Recipes for Crow – When Ya Have to Eat It, Cook It Well” are the many ones I’ve developed around that statement. I quickly learned that these psychological “Bumper Stickers” serve an important function and make my life easier. To keep my intake of eating crow down, I try to label them as such. “Here’s my bumper sticker about…..”

I don’t know if it is because I’m getting older, getting wiser, or they are tired of hearing them, but patients and staff have asked me to write these things down. My grandiose ego always fantasized about the massive, media flooded promotion tour that would follow the publishing of my wonderful book. I’ve written two handouts because I got tired of repeating the story. These handouts are among the most quoted handouts within the patient community. Maybe they have a point.

Recently, my peers who have written books and been on Oprah have resorted to their own blogs to avoid the monumental and overwhelming task of writing books planted the seed of using this medium. After a recent late night courtyard round with a group of patients, where they were not only anticipating the Bumper Stickers, but asking for more, I decided I may want to consider sharing these with more than the inside of my head and my vehicle. (The dogs quit listening years ago!)

My goal is not to write a book. In fact, I’m not sure what my goal is in the long haul. My hope, however, is to start to record for sharing the little lessons that are handed to me every day. If Life has taught me anything, it is that I have a lot to learn. Furthermore, the way I can learn more of the vicissitudes (I love that word. The Analysts LOVE it!) of each of these lessons is to continue to watch for them and to share them with others.

A WORD ABOUT NAMES AND STORIES: I learned a long time ago that I rarely catch things on the first pass. These lessons I share are the crystallization of numbers of experiences that finally helped me to understand how to put “Life” on a Bumper Sticker. I try to make them subtle enough NOT to sound just like YOUR encounter with me. I change the name, the time, the details and whatever else I can. These are not professional case studies. They are stories. They are mostly fictional, based in real experiences. If I told the “real” stories, I would have to get legal consent, have the “patient” review the writing, and have three copies that go to six attorneys and have to have the approval of the Pope. Well, something like that. If, by some chance, you find that I am telling “your story,” please let that be a reminder of how normal, human, typical and wonderful you are. If it’s a little too close to home, drop me an e-mail and I’ll remove that version and change it. Anything I write about, I have dozens of examples. The one I write just happens to be the way the Bumper Sticker resonated that day.