Start The Morning With The Sunrise

Mexico is a beautiful place to visit. Where we are staying the weather is warm, the ocean is close, and the people are so friendly. I am so glad that I can work from home in Mexico. My boss went to bat for me to be the first to work away from the office in Minnesota.

Others tried I was told and failed to establish the ability to work from other parts of the country and world during this period of work from home. I thought I would ask as my fiancé had plans to leave Minnesota before Christmas for Mexico.

Because her daughter is expecting a baby, Stephanie's plans to be away from Minnesota were extended also. Her daughter had no idea how long they would be living in Mexico, as her husband was deported.

Once Stephanie drove down to Mexico, she relapsed. She ended up in detox and then treatment. Getting back together with Stephanie after her relapse and treatment will be harder than I expected.

And I had to admit that I was afraid and had some trust issues. She asked me if it was okay for us to get some couples counseling and I agreed so fast that she looked at me strangely and asked, “What are you not telling me? We are getting back together, right?”

When I admitted to Stephanie I was afraid that our relationship would not work and I had trust issues, she said, “I love you and I want us to work and that is why I want to continue to get help. I am afraid too. I want to believe a relapse won’t happen again."

Then she said, "I can tell you from what I have learned that I can only live this day only and for this day I will not drink or use drugs! For this day I will know peace. I can not promise you anything, except that I love you and expect to for the rest of my life!”

We did have a few of the couple sessions offered during treatment. Our plan in those sessions was to move in together when she was discharged from treatment. She agreed to the place I found when she had the opportunity to see it.

She thought it would be perfect for us for the several months we would continue in Mexico. Our plan was for both of us to continue our individual work from home/Mexico.

My plans are to retire from my position in a few years, which means I do not have the flexibility Stephanie has as she can work from anywhere. She is an artist and much of her art sells online. Then once Sara and Jose’ baby is born, we would stay for another month or so and head home to Minnesota.

My research is going well, and Stephanie says that she is so happy that she found the recovery she has! She had the time in treatment to deal with much of her early trauma and still understands that there is more. She is excited about her aftercare plan.

Stephanie wants to go to more meetings than she did before, and she is hoping to find a sponsor that she can stay in touch with when she leaves Mexico.

She did not talk with her sponsor much in Minnesota and they did not attend any meetings together, and she was hopeful she could change that as she told me it was more her than her sponsor at fault for that.

I am happy with my group in Mexico. The group I attend is an open meeting that welcomes several different support group members. Not something I am used to and yet it works for me. I will miss the group when we leave here. Some of us always get a meal or coffee after the meeting.

My recovery is solid and I will handle this. The truth is that being in another country, with most not speaking my language, no family, no friends and no trust was very scary at first. I feel like I have a family here more and more as each week goes by.

I called my uncle Sam and let him know I hadn’t found a sweat lodge in Mexico. I told him that I was struggling. He said, “It is important for all of us to find family when we are away from home. As Native people, we adopt family wherever we go!” He then added, “Wherever we live.

And I have found that recovery is the same thing. Making connections wherever we go. Those connections last us the rest of our lives in my experience.” Sam said he would pray for me. He told me to put my tobacco out. Get up in the morning at sunrise and go out and pray.

I have been going out at sunset I told him. It was something that I saw many people doing here in Mexico. Watching the sunset over the ocean.

Since I started to wake to the sunrise and end the day with the sunset, my fears have subsided and my trust has been rebuilt. Living life one day at a time is the very best and we both agree to that! The sunset is the end to a successful day with Stephanie and I doing our best together and in recovery!

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Authors Note: I wrote this in 2021 as fiction. I had hoped to write more fiction and I thought if I wrote a piece about me as the opposite sex it may work. Instead, I related more to Stephanie and minimized the male part.