When I was nearing 40 I thought I was coming to the end. Really, I didn't expect to survive past 42 or 43.
And why would I? I was living like a wild dog. I was addicted to heroin and alcohol. I was in and out of jails. I didn't work and had to steal, cheat, or lie for everything I had. I never got lost, because when I was homeless I had no place to really be. But that life became boring. In fact, I didn't care whether I lived or died.
But one day I had what some might call a spiritual awakening. No, God didn't whisper in my ear, nothing like that. I might have been drunk even, when I decided that I must do something different. I was sick and tired of being a worthless bum. Long story short, I went to a detox in Mesa, Arizona, where I stayed 11 days. And from there to a halfway house.
That was a little over 31 years ago and at the time I never dreamed that life could be as good as it is today. Is it perfect? Mostly. It has it's ups and downs. But that's life. All about changes. Of still learning new things. Of trying to be a better human. Of learning to be calm in the middle of a storm.
Once in a while someone will ask when I'm going to retire. Never, I tell them. Because to me to quit working and striving to help others is a death sentence. I have a mission in life and I plan to carry it out.
I was given a new life when I got sober. And I'm going to honor that gift I was given on January 13, 1991.
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