Finding Gratitude

Before I began my journey of recovery, I never spent much time thinking about what type of day I was going to have. I lived in a perpetual state of negativity, feeling like a victim and a martyr. The only solution I had to change the way I felt was my drug of choice. It was an endless cycle.

Recovery has taught me that I wake up every day with the blessing of choice. I can choose what type of day I would like to have. I can choose my behaviors. I can choose to be triggered or to just let things go.

Recovery has also taught me that even in my darkest moments; I can find a blessing and a reason to be grateful. For example, last fall I was injured and out of work for about 3 months. It was awful. Finding locums dentists to fill in and keep the practice going was stressful, production and collections suffered, and my staff stumbled without my leadership. Had I not had this injury, I would not have known that I needed treatment for severe osteoporosis which I am now able to receive. It was a stressful time to walk through, but my overall health is going to be much improved in the long run.

Similarly, on a recent vacation with family our flights home were delayed by weather, causing us to miss all connecting flights. My husband was able to drive to the Charlotte airport to pick us up and get us home. When we entered the Charlotte airport, tired and grumpy that we had been so delayed, my attitude immediately changed when I saw all the other stranded passengers who did not have a husband who could drive to get them home. They had no food, nowhere to go, and no idea when they would get a flight home. I had my nice bed to sleep in that night!

Finally, when intervened upon and sent to treatment for my drug addiction, I thought it was my darkest day. Looking back, I now see that this was the greatest gift my Higher Power has ever given me, one I know that I never asked for and question at times whether I deserve.

I am so grateful that recovery has given me the ability to see my blessings in all of life’s journeys. May this gift be yours as well.

— A Grateful Recovering Dentist —