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!

Enough IS Enough

Ronald is a very talented man. He has had a line-up of careers that many would envy (and from which some would run like the wind). He first came to see me at a turning point in his career -- he had no reason not to be successful, but seemed to be perched on the brink of doom at any moment in time. Being rather bright, the "therapy" part of his treatment become quick work. Over the months and years, despite seeming to continue to stumble and "splat" over success, he managed to nurture his romance into one most would admire and even express jealousy over. He joined a company that was hurting and helped it heal and become successful. His free time was filled with travel and writing and all sorts of fun things. After that, his visits were rapid updates that led to the "issue" or "problem" for which an "answer" was sought. It always seemed as if he handed me some phrase or concept that I could "tweak" just a tiny bit and hand back to him and which would become "THE ANSWER."

So what was so wrong this time? When Ronald came in for his "15,000 mile checkup" as he called our 3 or 4 times a year sessions, he told me he was looking to see if anything was really wrong. As he described the the wonderful trip to another continent which he had taken with family (complete with pictures that were perfect), he beamed with glee. As he talked about the time he spent roaming the streets of a foreign land meeting new-found old friends, he became more and more ebullient. Almost out of the blue, his lilting joy came to an abrupt halt as he said, "I'm scratching things off the list as fast as I can."

I paused to let the moment settle into the quiet, half out of not quite knowing what to say and one-quarter out of fearing he was feeling some sort of terminal sense. I finally broke the silence by asking him if that was such a bad thing. He seemed truly puzzled as though he had no idea. We continued to discuss his experiences and he felt as though he was filling with a sense of peace. Each of the things he had wiped from his list were things he swore he would do one day. He had done each of them and had done some for more than one day. Between what he had done and what he had on order to learn, he would have very full hobby time for many months to come. This, for Ronald, was not a bad thing. In fact, it was a source of ecstasy! Out of the blue, came the BS for the moment:

"Enough IS Enough!"

For Ronald, at that moment, not only was HE enough, but each item on his list was Enough. For many of us and for so much of our lives, we save our time, our money, our energy, our "stuff" and everything else for those special things on our "Bucket List" (The things we want to do before we "kick the bucket.") Far too many times, we either do them in a rush, unprepared emotionally or mentally and lament how we need to do them again and do them right. Or, even worse, we put them off until either they are no longer an option (How many of us never stood on the observation decks of the Twin Towers in New York City?) or WE are no longer an option. (My knees won't ever climb Mt. Everest!) Ronald had stared a journey from a very stagnant place in his life where nothing was ever good enough because he found himself to never be good enough. As he wrestled with those demons, he learned to accept himself and to accept his strengths and his flaws. When he last sat across from me, he seemed to really see that HE WAS ENOUGH.

As a result, he ate healthy meals -- which were enough, but not excessive. He traveled and saw sights he dreamed of seeing and soaked up every morsel of every sense of every stop he made. When he moved on, despite wanting to return, his trip was Enough. While he dreamed of going back to these places, what he dreamed was another, new trip, not the one he had already taken-- THAT one was Enough. His time with his closest ones was (most of the time) just enough, leaving room for finding time for more, yet always being a satiating experience. If he was still learning a new musical instrument and needed more practice, the rough tune he could squeeze out was, in itself, Enough. As this realization permeated his being, I had to ask the obvious: "Can you add more to the list?"

The wide-eyed answer joyfully erupted, "YES!" His hopes, his future and his joy seemed to soar.

Enough IS enough!