September 7
Genius
I am often bonded to a self which thinks I know everything and when in doubt believes I should know even if I don’t. Freeing me of this requires the constant support of friends and neighbors’ assuring me that in a capricious world willingness is a more practical resource; it packs neatly and handles most jobs with aplomb. Staying consistently free from the bondage of self requires truckloads of willingness and the spirit of humility and sometimes even forgiveness. I am freer when I like myself, for the true bondage of self is the hatred of self.
Acknowledge the marks left by the street you came from
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YES---THAT TOO
When kindness becomes weakness,
When mental agility becomes emotional instability,
It’s time to reassess everything.
I cannot leave things off my inventory
Because my Grandma, society or the preacher says
It’s a good thing to be.
Every blessing can be a curse.
All my characteristics have their dark side.
I have to list the entirety of my cargo
And keep a watchful eye.
I have to moderate my investment
In all my abilities or lose myself.
Warmth is nice but I don’t want Death Valley.
Integrity requires balance
Or depraved indifference will be the outcome.
Weak or strong, right or wrong.
It all goes on the scale.
You are reading selections from More Sober on the Way to Sane and Lines From My Life by Sherrie Theriault
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