Where Will Mindfulness Lure You?

Today I finished a four-part series about mindfulness. The leaders define mindfulness as "Paying attention here and now with kindness and curiosity and then choosing your behavior."

The messages in the class led me places I have already been trying to reach as I maintain sobriety. Staying sober means so much more than not drinking. For me, it has spirited me to finding a new me. It is avoiding negativity and depression and embracing joy through my higher power I call God.

This poem handed to us today is a perfect description of my addiction and relapse. Have you reached Chapter Five with me?

There's a Hole in My Sidewalk

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

By Portia Nelson

     Chapter One
I Walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter Two
I Walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend that I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in this same place.
But it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

     Chapter Three
I Walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I still fall in ... It's a habit ... but
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

     Chapter Four
I Walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter Five
I walk down another street.