Spiritual Growth

So I told you that opinions are like butts…..everyone has one and most of them stink. Well, let me tell you how I’ve come to this conclusion with my social media fellow addict folks……

I have come in contact with lots of awesome people through Twitter, Facebook, and In The Rooms. The support has been wonderful. I have met all kinds of people . Those who are wearing the Scram bracelet and TOTALLY can relate to that part of my recovery struggle, those who are also dealing with addiction, and family members of those who deal with addiction. It is so cool, everyone has a story!

In preparation for my trip, I wanted to make sure I had at least one book to read while traveling and because I valued their opinion, I asked my twitter peeps for any recommendations of a good book. I said I’d be traveling and needed to find something great. I said I’d read Unwasted and Broken and was looking for an inspirational story of addiction. (Of course, I said all of this in 144 characters.) To my surprise, I received a lot of what I would consider backlash. They told me to read the big book and that I needed to be reading something for spiritual growth.

Okay, wait just a minute here! I could be choosing to read 50 Shades of Gray, but I’m looking for an inspirational story about how someone came to identify their own addiction to alcohol, their trials and tribulations and bumps along the way, how it impacted their family.

I felt very judged by these Twitter peeps I thought were so cool and supportive. They had become vulture-ish. That’s when @FunGuyDave sort of “rescued me” and, seeing that I was kind of getting beat up, said people definitely all have their opinions. He is right!

Anyway, I am proud to report that I found TWO books to read on my trip, one of which is “Living the Serenity Prayer”. I read it on the airplane and it was really good and very relatable. I loved reading about how people with all different struggles, not just alcohol, applied the Serenity Prayer to their life.

As I was sitting there, halfway through the book, on a jam packed Boeing 757 listening to a baby scream bloody murder, a lady puking her brains out (puke splashing all over the 2 people sitting next to her….ew), and someone who I can only assume (and HOPE) was a man snoring so loud that he was beginning to make me CRAZY, I found myself becoming increasingly irritated and trying to calm myself with “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change” and I felt myself become a little calmer.

See? The Serenity Prayer isn’t just for drunks! You can apply it to any situation that you are in!

I am off to the shower. This is the last day of the conference and a few of us are off to do a self guided tour of Hollywood! Whose star would you like to see? I am going to look for John Wayne for my mom and I will be looking for Frank Sinatra for myself. Of COURSE I’ll be looking for Marilyn Monroe too

Have a great day, yall! And if you run into a challenge beyond your control today, just say in your head “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change” and I promise you’ll feel better!