When in Doubt, DON'T. #7

In all things, I try to be more Christ-like. There are days I fail; I lose my temper, I gossip, I judge. The list goes on and on. The idea is to continue on my journey of being more Christ-like; to never give up. No one is perfect, least of all, me.


Yesterday, I made brief trip to Brunswick. I breezed by the McDonald's for an iced coffee. There was a man with a cardboard sign. Hungry, need gas money with a cigarette in his hand and the lid up on his truck, backed into an area where someone otherwise wouldn't have broke down because there's nothing back there.


Immediately, my intuition threw up two red flags, SCAM. Where he was parked and the fact that he had a cigarette. Being a former smoker, I know they're not cheap (not even the cheapest pack). 


In situations like that, where's the line? Was my intuition wrong? Should I have given that man money? My point is, I passed judgement immediately. How could he do that, I thought. The fact is, the situation could have been genuine but, one thing came to mind:

"When in doubt, DON'T"

My Gramma has always told me this and she's been right so far.

Four Glorious Years

Four years ago today, I detached myself from a habit I thought I was unable to live without. I was a complete mess and so was my life. I'm not saying it was easy. In the beginning, it certainly wasn't easy at all;  but I'm proof that you can. 

I am openly honest about my former drug addiction and I have no desire to be otherwise. If you're interested in judging, that's you and Your Walk. I am completely comfortable with who I am, who I was and who I strive to be. I always say this because it's true: 

If I'd not been there, I wouldn't be here. That's my motto, I guess you'd say.

Honesty is an important step for my recovery. I'm not exactly sure how the 12 steps work, but my steps have been honesty and support from those I love. Unfortunately, along my way there have been looks of disbelief and judgement; which I'm sure happens to everyone to who makes a change in their lives. For some reason, people tend to judge that that they do not understand or are unwilling to remove from their lives.

I wish I could wrap my arms around every one that experiences this pain in their life and tell them, it gets better. It gets easier. It gets glorious! 

I want so badly to be a recovery advocate. I want to shout my story from the rooftops and help those that need it. Sadly, I know from my own recovery, you have to have the "want to" before anything changes. I struggled with drug and alcohol addiction in some form or another from 15 years old. I am now 32 years old and completely drug and alcohol free! So, when i say life is glorious, that's an understatement. 

If you read this and have any suggestions on how I may go about being a recovery advocate, please feel free to comment here. Also, feel free to share this publicly or privately to anyone you feel may need to hear this! SUPPORT IS KEY!