Getting Present

You are a Badass Deck, by Jen Sincero — It’s time to get mighty clear about what makes you happy and what makes you feel the most alive, and then create it instead of pretending you can’t have it.

The cards in this deck were created from a book You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life.

I am not convinced this makes me a badass, however, I will continue to look at this topic in my writing. Because who doesn't want to be happy and feel alive? That may already be me, so where do I go from here?

Get Present - Stop and notice how you feel right now. Feel the air on your skin. Feel your heart beating. Notice the energy inside and outside of you buzzing. Shut off your thoughts and feel your connection to source. B-r-e-a-t-h-e. The more time you spend in the moment, the richer your life will be. Jen Sincero

Okay, right now (I took a moment) I hear the buzz of the computer, I heard a car go by outside. No air on my skin, I took my pulse. I know I run about 80. I said a little prayer acknowledging giizheymanido. (Kind and loving spirit, God, HP or higher power).

I breathe in, count to 4, breathe out, count to 4, repeat. 4x4 breathing exercise solved my anxiety and panic issues in my late 20s.

In my early 20s, I said the serenity prayer repeatedly in one day. Every time I would start thinking about what happened in the past or what is going to happen in the future.

I would think "This happened before, so it will happen again. And that is where I was stuck, in the past or in the future.

The serenity prayer helped me to stay in the present and I don't have to do that anymore, except sometimes when I am stuck on the big C. My example is, this time they are going to find cancer.

I believe it is treatable, probably not curable as that is what I was told. And that happens every time I have an upcoming oncology appointment. Then I focus on that until I have the test results and talk with the oncologist to get an all clear. Until next time.

Most answers reveal themselves through doing, not thinking. Jen Sincero

In early recovery, I was given jobs. I was told it was important to stay busy and to help others. We do this for our recovery. Our job isn't to get someone into family recovery or sober, it is to keep ourselves in recovery by giving back, regardless of what the other person decides to do.

My first job was to chair a meeting after I was there for six months. I think it is after a year now. And I chaired for at least 6 months. Every week I needed to be there.

My next job was to clean ashtrays. That was a tough one as I used to smoke 2-3 packs of cigarettes a day. You could smoke at work, at the hospital, at school (if you were a teacher in the smoking lounge) Across the street from the school if you were a kid.

I didn't know it at the time but that made it so, that meeting and every meeting after was like my house as who cleaned the ashtrays at my house. Handy job that is no longer and thankfully it was for me at the time.

In addition, I helped support others by going on house calls with a sponsor or to coffee to talk about recovery or treatment centers to share my recovery.

I spent time with recovering women, some who had more time in recovery than I to learn from and those with less time whom I could encourage along and listen to.

Recovery has been great! No regrets. Happy, joyous and free. Most of the time!