The Small Joys of Recovery



After having a sandwich at a local eatery today, I stopped in a small grocery and got a double dark chocolate protein bar for dessert. There were some tables outside the grocery, so I sat down at one. A man came out of the grocery, looked up at the sky and asked me “You think it’s gonna rain today?”

The skies had been overcast all day and so I said “Yeah, we’ll probably get a little rain.” Before I could even take a bite out of my protein bar, he started talking about weather-related conspiracy theories. I don’t mean global warming here. I mean ideas along the lines of governments manipulating weather patterns to purposely cause catastrophes.

I personally don’t believe in these theories and I tried to say so, but it took a while. I could barely get in a word. When I did get a chance to disagree, he backed off and went into other conspiracy theories.

Ten minutes or so later, he headed on his way. I sat and realized that it wasn’t too many years ago when I would have felt compelled to try and save this man from himself. This was one of the many “needy” type people who needed me to rescue them and make them sane.

Thankfully, I didn’t have any such urges today. I was able to be courteous, stick to my own beliefs, express them without any need to people-please and simply be myself. I wasn’t focused on his needs or on trying to save him from what I considered to be eccentric thinking. No more caretaking for me.

Thank God for recovery!

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