A great truth, attributed to Emily Dickinson, is that “hope inspires the good to reveal itself.” This is almost all I ever need to remember. Gravity and sadness yank us down, and hope gives us a nudge to help one another get back up or to sit with the fallen on the ground, in the … Continue reading hope inspires the good to reveal itself
Tag: hope
it will not always be so
"The chronicity of addiction is really a kind of fatalism writ large. If an addict knows in his heart he is going to use someday, why not today? But if a thin reed of hope appears, the possibility that it will not always be so, things change. You live another day and then get up … Continue reading it will not always be so
Bill White on “Symbolic Firsts”
Bill White had a very interesting post a while back on the concept of "symbolic firsts" and how it relates to recovery advocacy and recovery initiation. The concept is based on the idea that: . . . the pioneering achievement of a single individual from a historically marginalized group affects the self-identity, aspirations, and performance … Continue reading Bill White on “Symbolic Firsts”
Hope
"Hope" by Victoria Safford Our mission is to plant ourselves at the gates of Hope — not the prudent gates of Optimism, which are somewhat narrower; nor the stalwart, boring gates of Common Sense; nor the strident gates of Self-Righteousness, which creak on shrill and angry hinges (people cannot hear us there; they cannot pass … Continue reading Hope
Sentences to ponder
Hope is not wishful thinking; it is risk and action and the courage to undertake both. - Debra Dean Murphy
Courageous care
On Being has an interesting personal story in response to the question, "When you think of fearlessness or courage, what person or story or idea comes to mind?" The speaker was diagnosed with cancer and had to see a series of specialists before seeing an oncologist. Along the way she met with a pulmonary technician . … Continue reading Courageous care
Recovery is good business
I just learned of this upcoming talk in Ann Arbor: Belief, Hope and Generosity in the Workplace: Hiring Individuals in Recovery Wednesday October 1, 2014: 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm -- Ann Arbor Downtown Library: 4th Floor Meeting Room Ari Weinzweig believes that a key aspect of managing ourselves is acknowledging the power of … Continue reading Recovery is good business
Recovery spaces and the adjacent possible
DJ Mac recently picked up on Bill White's post on the need to create and protect recovery spaces, given current trends toward legalization. He followed up by sharing another blogger's reaction to Bill's post. White asserts that “any policy discussions of marijuana legalization should include the voices of people in recovery and should include a serious discussion about … Continue reading Recovery spaces and the adjacent possible
An absence of hope
Today, Bill White shared some of my favorite stories. As I faced these amazingly resilient women, I asked each of them to tell me about the sparks that had ignited their recovery journey. Each of them talked about the role their outreach worker had played in their lives. The following comments were typical. I couldn't … Continue reading An absence of hope
Sentences to ponder
"Our consumer culture is organized against history. There is a depreciation of memory and a ridicule of hope, which means everything must be held in the now, either an urgent now or an eternal now. Either way, a community rooted in energizing memories and summoned by radical hopes is a curiosity and a threat in such a … Continue reading Sentences to ponder
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