Would that I never failed
to do the right thing,
to make the wisest choice.

Would that I had resources —
emotional, financial, physical —
to do for others what needs doing.

Would that I understood
all the repercussions of each act
I consider, that I had courage to decline.

Would that I were the person I wish to be
each day, every day, in every situation,
with people I know well and strangers…

But I don’t. And I cannot expect to.
For I am human, and as much as I improve
by working recovery, I never recover
from being human.

 

 

 

 

 

The source of the title quote is OA Speaker Janice S. from Houma, Louisiana. Get her tapes at xa-speakers.org.