I’ve been journaling every morning for about 15 years. It started when things in our family were overwhelming and I needed to ground myself in something solid or beautiful or true. I began with writing a gratitude list each day. Just 3 things. The early entries looked something like this.
My favorite white t shirt, my yoga pants, the sun is out.
Those 3 seemingly small things kept me from shutting down, giving up, thinking that there was nothing beautiful or comforting or gentle happening in my life.
My journaling has evolved into pages, deeper discussions with self, with my spirituality, with big and small questions, with existential inquiry and daily documentary.
I’ve been working with “purpose” lately.
You hear about “purpose” being important in recovery, in being healthy, spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally. It can seem like a tall order, figuring out your capital “P” Purpose in Life. There are so many to choose from, how do you even decide? The idea of it has led to many an existential crisis, myself included.
I started to practice purpose the same way I practiced gratitude and grounding with just a daily purpose.
My purpose today- Move the ball forward on the film in a meaningful way, take a walk, eat well.
Small things.
That’s enough. You don’t have to declare your purpose like you declare your major or your career path. You can choose daily to practice purpose and your big P purpose will likely reveal itself or you can sense into your purpose daily forever. You get to choose.
The trick is staying in integrity with your purpose. The question at the end of the day is “was I on purpose?” It is a way of staying true to yourself.
We moved the ball a little forward yesterday. We revised the “one sentence” that describes family recovery a bit.
“The process of returning to health and wellbeing for each individual in the family system by learning about the impact of substance use on the brain, the body, the family and practicing the psycho-social and physical skills for regulation, relationship and wellness.”
Tell me what you think?
Today we are working with the ethos of “family recovery community.”
I’ll keep you posted on what unfolds.