preparation

A Pile of Dry Shit

One day a famous government officer met a highly respected edlerly master. Being conceited, he wanted to prove that he was the superior person.As their conversation drew on, he asked the master, "Old monk, do you know what I think of you and the things you said?"

The master replied, "I don't care what you think of me. You are entitled to have your own opinion."The officer snorted, "Well, I will tell you what I think anyway. In my eyes, you are just like a pile of dry shit!"The master simply smiled and stayed quiet.

Seeing that his insult had fallen into deaf ears, he asked curiously, "And what do you think of me?"

The master said, "In my eyes, you are just like the Buddha."Hearing this remark, the officer left happily and bragged to his wife about the incident.His wife said to him, "You conceited fool! When a person has a heart like a pile of dry shit, he sees everyone in that light. The elderly master has a heart like that of the Buddha, and that is why in his eyes, everyone, including you, is like the Buddha!"

i find myself in the planning stage of change as the days once again begin the trek to get longer. i have been considering some options for the next project to dive into. part of me wonders whether i should just take a break, but i am not sure that is how i roll anymore. i can take a break when i'm dead. i would like to fuel and flame some passion in my life. and i would love the opportunity to continue to have conversations about recovery. not my recovery any more, but recovery in general- and why it is that the concept of recovery is not the first thing or even the 100th thing that people expect when the topic of addiction or illness comes up. it seems to me that our collective perspective on addiction and mental illness could be characterized as a pile of dry shit. but i hope to remind us that there is a something just like a buddha among us- recovery.

A New Recovery Advocacy Movement 

William L. White & Pat Taylor 

People in recovery from addiction, their families, friends and allies are on the 

move. Some are calling on mayors, governors and legislators to change policies to make 

it possible for people to get needed treatment and recovery support services. Others are 

joining National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month celebrations that draw 

tens of thousands of people and extensive media coverage. 

Local communities of recovery are organizing and sharing ideas, resources and 

experiences. A grass roots media campaign (see www.recoveryiseverywhere.org) is 

countering stigma and putting a positive face on recovery. A network of thousands of 

recovery homes is spreading rapidly to small towns and large cities. Recovery High 

Schools are flourishing, as are special programs for the growing number of recovering 

people entering or returning to college. Innovative peer-based recovery support services, 

ranging from Recovery Support Centers to growing networks of recovery coaches are 

testimony to new creative solutions to addiction. Something is happening in our 

communities -- a renewed spirit of service and activism that has been christened the New 

Recovery Advocacy Movement. 

Faces & Voices of Recovery, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug 

Dependence, the Legal Action Center, the Johnson Institute, the Center for Substance 

Abuse Treatment’s Recovery Community Services Program grantees such as White 

Bison, Association of Persons Affected by Addiction (APAA) and Connecticut 

Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) and hundreds of new grassroots recovery 

community organizations are all part of this exciting movement. Recovering people are 

collaborating with visionary professionals to communicate to the world that addiction 

recovery is a reality for millions of people and their families. This movement is calling 

for a vanguard of recovering people.... www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org