I've decided to not include names in this blog due to privacy concerns, but this is just a list of things that people in my journey recently have shown me that inspires me.
1) I know a young man who's been grappling with loneliness and insecurity. I've seen him want to give up on himself. But I've also seen him ask for help, express what he believes he needs, and take the steps necessary to start a journey that hopefully leads him to discover the amazing person we all already know he is. I wish I would have been brave enough to look inward in that way, at that age.
2) There's another guy that has impressed me a great deal that maybe doesn't realize it. I still don't know his whole journey but in the past few months, I feel like I have witnessed a soul truly flourish. One of the first things he said to me was that he was going to take my job. Luckily for me, he hasn't, but he's here, he's doing it every day, and he's inspiring everyone around him. It's easy to believe he's smack dab in the middle of right where he's supposed to be.
3) There's a man who's been in recovery for a decade and a half. He lives a very minimalistic life. He's figured out what works for him. He doesn't drive. He has a gardening hobby that he takes great pride in. I feel like he just wants to make sure he's in a position to help his family in any way he can, even when he's asked to go above and beyond. He models the idea of the importance of the small things and for me, that's huge.
4) I'm grateful for a woman that I honestly don't have a lot of direct contact with. She's spent the last 4 years watching her granddaughter during the day while her mom works. Her granddaughter's dad was in and out of rehab for a bit and she stepped right in to help her daughter. She's been tough for those girls to help them through and that's just love at its finest.
5) I was touched by someone I knew in the past who reached out to me recently because he's been struggling and has been having a hard time starting the process of recovery again. That shame and guilt can bury us. I wish everyone knew how glad people are when we see people jump back on. I wish it wasn't an online interaction so I could have given him a hug just for saying something.
6) I know this nutty dude who's detoxed from alcohol over-use multiple times on his own instead of going to a detox facility... Maybe those experiences made him tough as steel because he's sober today and living an inspirational program that works for him while spending his days trying to help others find their way.
7) Another fabulous person in my life works his butt off all week and then races downstate to hang out with his daughter for the weekend to make some memories. That's what's up folks. For me, one of the biggest needs I had to get back for the health of my soul was to get to the point where I could be there just to hang out with the kids and love them without needing to force my will upon everyone in order to make it happen. Being present is what it's all about.
8) There's this little lady who had to break from a 5 year routine and go to school for the first time in her life. She was scared to be going into that big place with all those kids and no mommy to hold her hand. But she bravely pushed forward into the unexpected and faced the discomfort of the unknown and emerged with stories and friends.
9) An obvious, giant inspiration to me, has been a guy, a mentor if you will, that undoubtedly has been put in my life for a reason. Nothing I'm doing today would be the same without this guy. His vision for his future in recovery was something he never turned away from. He overcame all the doubts and negative thoughts and words he heard from himself and everyone else to overcome and start something that's probably not only bigger than he expected but also helping people in more ways than he would have hoped. I'm doing things today that I would have never allowed myself to pursue even if I had the opportunity. By him displaying an unyielding trek toward his goals and his ability to accomplish them, he planted a seed inside me that hope is real, and I can have some.
10) And finally, I'm lucky enough to share my life with a woman who's as strong as they come. I can't remember the last time her life was easy, definitely sometime before I came into her life, but she chooses to plow forward toward the future she envisions for her family. I could go on for days about examples of the strength, commitment, and love she shows daily, but honestly, it just comes down to the fact that I couldn't ask for more, I might deserve less, but I am grateful and feel blessed every day.
I'm blessed.

Thanks for your share