The term recovery suggests going back to a place: the regaining or recovering of something once lost.

Wellness, whether mental, physical or spiritual, has little to do with the past, more to do with the future, and everything to do with the present. To truly live we must engage: rise with the sun, run the race, inhale fresh air, and sometimes roll with violent, rocking seas. We are the explorers of our destiny on a mission of self discovery.

In managing our health we ideally lose what isn’t good for us and replace it with something better. Do we change it all to lose it all? Is green, clean, and sanitized always better? Enjoying good health doesn’t make us wiser or more lovable. Possibly happier, though, and that’s a goal worth striving for.

And yet our flaws and vices make us human. I have been shaped by my poor choices and misadventures. I would not trade those experiences for anything. My suffering has deepened me, put more me in touch with the workings of my soul, and has increased my capacity for compassion.

Wishing to go back and change outcomes is a misty, dreamy temptation that is utterly impossible. The old self is as dead as shed snakeskin.

What about that would I want to recover?

Stay grounded and look forward.

Happy New Year,

Julie