better days

image credit......ddmag.tumblr.com

It goes a little something like this

In my shoes my toes are busted,

My kitchen says my bread is molded,

Got a good job at the dollar store,

One foot in the hole, one foot gettin' deeper,

with a broken mirror and a blown out speaker

And I ain't got much else to lose.

I'm faded, flat busted; 

I've been jaded I've been dusted.

I know that I've seen better days.

One foot in the hole, one foot gettin' deeper,

Crank it to eleven, blow another speaker and

I ain't got, I ain't got much to loose 

'Cause

I've seen better days I've been star of many plays

I've seen better days and the bottom drops out.

I've seen better days I've been star of many plays

I've seen better days and the bottom drops out.

life has distinctly taken a turn. april 2013 seems to have raced by as it excruciatingly revealed that i am only a passenger on this ride-not at all the conductor (my illusion). so many changes since the spring equinox, i have new time to spare and have once again made friends with my kitchen.  my heart smiles now and again for no reason. i am content to spend time quietly alone while napping, munching, and futzing around. 

i have learned to let go of some ongoing worry. as is commonly known, worry changes nothing tangible so the letting go is a spiritual exercise in which i am hopeful when engaging. the meditative quality of letting go and returning to center has the value of basket weaving to my manic brain. the result is not a straw vessel for fruit and correspondence, but an invitation to serenity, even in the midst of a sci-fi. 

i sometimes forget that every action there is a inevitably a reaction.  and rarely are the reactions as clock able as a light turning on when a switch is flicked. connecting the reactions to my actions can often seem like a jengo game- especially when meandering in a maze of day mares. 

i sat today and chatted with someone who completely lied to me. it was glaringly evident that the truth hadn't arrived, but the absence of truth seems to have become their prosthetic which supports everyday balance and movement. and as i sat with them today, i realized that this prosthetic was not unlike the emperor's new clothes- completely see through- and i couldn't find a good enough reason to share my epiphany. 

faces and voices of recovery released the results of a survey that they conducted earlier this year. i am going to share the basic results which are not at all surprising, but remarkable none-the-less.

recovery, recovery, recovery

advocate, advocate, advocate

ADDICTION RECOVERY IS ASSOCIATED WITH DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENTS IN ALL AREAS OF LIFE

• Involvement in illegal acts and involvement with the criminal justice system (e.g., arrests, incarceration, DWIs) decreases by about ten-fold
• Steady employment in addiction recovery increases by over 50% greater relative to active addiction
• Frequent use of costly Emergency Room departments decreases ten-fold
• Paying bills on time and paying back personal debt doubles
• Planning for the future (e.g., saving for retirement) increases nearly three-fold
• Involvement in domestic violence (as victim or perpetrator) decreases dramatically
• Participation in family activities increases by 50%
• Volunteering in the community increases nearly three-fold compared to in active addiction
• Voting increases significantly
• Reports of untreated emotional/mental health problems decrease over four-fold
• Twice as many participants further their education or training than in active addiction

THE BENEFITS OF ADDICTION RECOVERY OVER TIME

• The percentage of people owing back taxes decreases as recovery gets longer while a greater number of people in longer recovery report paying taxes, having good credit, making financial plans for the future and paying back debts
• Civic involvement increases dramatically as recovery progresses in such areas as voting and volunteering in the community
• People increasingly engage in healthy behaviors such as taking care of their health, having a healthy diet, getting regular exercise and dental checkups, as recovery progresses
• As recovery duration increases, a greater number of people go back to school or get additional job training
• Rates of steady employment increase gradually as recovery duration increases
• More and more people start their own business as recovery duration increases
• Participation in family activities increases from 68% to 95%

The complete survey results are available in pdf format here.

i am really happy to post this citizen king ditty. it seems so 90's pop classic to me.. makes me smile...