Getting High on Recovery

The art of recovery

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Recovery is about just doing the work?

True.

But Perhaps…

Perhaps recovery is also

An Art.

Consider this…

The moment a viewer recognizes a painting as beautiful, it transforms from an object into a work of art. The act of looking, then, becomes a creative process, and the viewer becomes the artist. Rachel Corbett

Art is imagining.

Art happens when you view an image and invest yourself in imagining… in truly seeing the work for it’s beauty and responding with feeling, with wonder or with a desire to join in the act of creation. The object of art can be unlimited: a sunset, a smiling child, dancers or musicians, any act of human or Divine grace, or a thought that captures your mind.

Art and recovery

Recovery is not just about the work.

But work is what we must each do.

Damn it, because…

Doing the work is hard stuff. The work involves thinking. It means we have to avoid the right things and accept other things. It means that you have to be honest. It means you have to allow yourself to finally be pained by what pains you.

The work is important, but… Recovery happens when you do more than just the work.

Recovery happens when you begin to see.

Recovery is like art, it is imagining. Recovery, like art, happens when you invest yourself in imagining… in truly seeing yourself  for your beauty and then responding authentically (after all, you are the object of the work).

Seeing will transformation you

Seeing can transform: It can transform a piece of colored canvas into a painting,  words on a page into a captivating story, coordinated sounds into a song that carries you, and clouds and sunlight into pure awe.

Seeing yourself for who you are will begin a transformation.

Seeing yourself: Your flaws. Your pains. Your cracks. Your hidden beauty and the art that you have within you.

Where you look determines what you will see

You can look at the sunrise or look at the effects of the sunrise. Or you can choose to gaze at the shadows. Where you look determines what you will see.

If you are like me, you suffer from the too-human ill of complexity. You make things more complicated than they need to be. Recovery involves hard work, seeing and looking.

Today, do the work that is before you. Your work might mean different things: Saying what needs to be said; asking for help; taking a step or doing a step; admitting what you need to admit or accepting what you cannot change.

But consider this.

Doing the work means that you look in the right direction. You can look at the sunrise or it’s effects, or you can choose to gaze only upon your shadows. For where you look determines what you see. And when you see you become an artist, re-creating yourself.

When you look, the art is born.

Today, do more than get busy doing. Take a moment to look and to see.

For then, you will become the art.

Right now, my brokenness is very real. Part of me wants a quick fix to cover the brokenness and get on with my life. I know that the quick fix will only lead to more shame and it will not last. It is possible to turn our wounds into gold. Healing requires a generous amount of love, honesty and a willingness to be the art.

If you enjoyed this piece, you will want to read some of my other work:

To Heal, You Must Become the Art

Perhaps is One of the Most Radical Words of Your Recovery

Recovery and Learning to Respect Your Limits

I write articles about wellness, leadership, parenting and personal growth. My hope is to deliver the best content I can to inspire, to inform and to entertain. Sign up for my blog if you want to receive the latest and best of my writing. If you like what I have to say, please share my work with your friends.

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Keep it Real

Photos may have been captured by the Author, but the moments were created by the art of seeing.