That may become a catch phrase for my recovery! It would be an inside joke if I used it with anyone. I was at a meeting tonight and someone shared about “obsession”. He said that since coming into recovery, he found that what he used to consider “worry” is called “obsession” in these parts. I got a kick out of that. We, or at least, * I * tend to make things complicated instead of using the KISS Principle (Keep It Simple, Sweetheart). I’ve shared many times about obsession in meetings and blahblahblah. But, now, I think I’ll keep in mind that my obsession is simply me worrying about whatever for far longer than I need to. KISS…

Right. Paint The Wall. The fellow who shared used an example he had heard about worrying too much. He said that he could sit and stare at a purple wall, just sit there and stare at it for hours, all the while thinking that he would rather see it pink instead of purple. But, all that time sitting there, staring, worrying, thinking, ain’t gonna change the color to what he would prefer. So, it’s just a matter of accepting that the wall is purple… or getting a bucket of paint and painting the damned thing! Paint The Wall, as it were.

That is the one of the biggest things that I consistently do in my recovery. Sit and worry. I stare at that frakking wall for hours, running this that and the other thing thru my head ’til it feels like it’s gonna explode! All that, when it would more easy to decide if I can do something about, and do it, or just accept that whatever it may be is what it is… and move on. I s’pose a cruder way of putting that would be “Piss… or get off the pot!” Paint The Wall.

Paint The Wall. Once more, I learn something about my recovery that I never thought of in a certain way that makes just so much sense! It’s a prime example of why I go to meetings, why I have been doing so for 20+ years, and why I’ll probably continue to do so for the rest of my life. There’s always something out there to learn, another way of looking at life. Ain’t that somethin’?

Keep The Faith*