I used to wear my disease; now I’m willing to wear my recovery. ~ Karen C., in Lifeline

Denial works only so far.
Finding people heavier than you
may help your ego but not your body,
not your mind, not your spirit.
We wore our disease no matter the build…
cadaverous or morbidly obese.
We wore our disease in our cars,
in our closets, in our drawers,
anywhere nobody else might look,
the stash as well as the trash.
We wore our disease in our demeanor,
angry, narcissistic, haughty, timid.
We wore our disease until we found
recovery.

Now we wear our recovery in our smile,
in the peace on our faces, in sprightly steps,
in kindness, in interest in others, in confidence,
in surrender, in willingness, in life.
We wear it when we openly talk of our lives,
of the changes, of the repaired relationships,
of the order where once disorder and chaos reigned.
And sometimes we’re bold enough to wear it physically,
readable, by comparison pictures, with displays
in social media and with our friends.
We’re careful not to make ourselves the face of recovery
but we can live and be open to fertile moments
to plant its seeds.