Celebrating Others...

Last Sunday I was feeling particularly smug. After all, I'd done about 30 chin-ups, rode my bicycle 8 miles, then came back and did over 100 push-ups – all before 6 AM.  At 73 I’m pretty pleased with my physical conditioning and overall health.

Then I read the morning newspaper.  On the front page was a story about a 73-year-old woman who’d  just completed a trip to the top of Mount Everest.  And she had done it for the second time! All of a sudden my hour and a half workout took on a different perspective.

As I continued reading there was another story that got my attention. A local woman, CEO of a local nonprofit, celebrated her 60th birthday by completing a triathlon. For those of you who don't know, a triathlon is 112 mile bicycle ride, a 26.2 mile run, and a 2.4 mile swim.

I'm not sure how I felt about all of this, because these are world-class accomplishments for anyone of any age or conditioning. And I didn't decide to try to duplicate either one of these feats. But still, these stories had me thinking.

I guess because I look at the world through the glasses of recovery, I'm simply grateful to be alive at this point of my life. Many of my contemporaries and peers succumbed to drug addiction or alcoholism – or are spending their lives in prison for offenses they committed while pursuing their disease.

I mostly look at the world with the idea that everything is as it's supposed to be right now. I cannot compare myself with others and maintain serenity. I can admire what others do without having to be them. I know that my initial gut reaction to the accomplishments of others is an echo from who I used to be. I once envied the accomplishments of others – and felt less than because I wasn't equal to them.

Today, because I'm in sobriety, I can celebrate the accomplishments of others.  All I have to be is the best me I can be. The rest I must leave up to God.