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Writer's pictureMitchell O'Brien

True Joy




Today... I am exhausted. But before you take that as a bad thing, let me tell you about my week. This week is Traverse City's National Cherry Festival. I described what this means in my last blog, so I won't bore you with repetition (click here to check that out). But, it's been a busy week for me. Here at 217 Recovery, we put together a group of people to volunteer at some of the events the festival has to offer. We get out in the community we serve and really...get all up in it. This is a lot of fun, but parts of it can be a bit stressful. Coordinating the volunteers that join us, making sure we all get to where we need to go (and back), there's prep work to be done beforehand, and of course, the volunteering itself can take a bit of a physical toll at times.


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Sitting here reflecting after the last day of volunteering I am just tired. My feet hurt, I want to take a nap, and the tanks are just empty. But, looking past these temporary effects, I can see the fun and joy that's come out of this experience. I got to spend time with people I love while serving the community I love just as much. We had fun, made new connections, got to don our 217 Recovery swag with pride, and the food...Mm! Cherry Fest food will always be some of my favorites! So even though the physical exhaustion is setting in, I get to look through all the good and smile today.


"You'll laugh at your fears when you find out who you really are" —Piccolo Jr.

The truth is that just over a few years ago my struggle with substance use disorder had me convinced that joy like this wasn't possible. I had the false realization that I'd never be capable of doing anything like I do today. I had zero people who actually wanted to spend time with me. Hell, I couldn't even stand up for more than 5 minutes at a time, let alone 4 hours serving the community their favorite soft drinks with people I truly enjoy being around. That's not even mentioning that I could have never mentally accomplished any of this back then. This is a complete 180° turnaround from that hopelessness I was holding a few years ago. I am a capable part of society that gets to be in the company of some awesome people. I have a strength that I never thought I'd be able to achieve, and living a life in recovery has given me this.


If you'd like to find something similar to this, stop into the 217 Recovery Center in Traverse City or go to 217recovery.com and check us out. We're always looking for new friends to join the fun in recovery.


Until next time.




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Jul 07

Proud of ya and glad I was able to join in the festivities!

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