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A Sacred Bow

Written by Barb

As we approach the end of the year, let’s take this opportunity to look back, so that we can learn from our experience, set intentions going forward, and improve our practice and structure.

Leo Babauta

Since June, I’ve been a part of the Fearless Community, and it was one of the best things I did for myself all year. A lot of what I’ve posted here this year was due in large part to Fearless Training. The Fearless practice brought my meaningful work to the forefront of my everyday.

This morning, as I walked into my room, the light from my window was hitting something shiny and causing it to shimmer. You know that’s going to grab my attention. 🙂

It was a medallion my daughter gifted me with 3 years ago, and it’s one of my favorites. The medallion was something I always looked forward to in the rooms. To celebrate years of sobriety, the meeting you frequented the most would hold a birthday meeting every month. It was called birthday night and they’d hand you a medallion with your year embossed on it, and there was cake.

I paused at the window and looked down at the medallion resting in the little love dish. ‘To thy own self be true’ is the inscription. It reminded me of the sacred bow, so I gave it a little bow. (Bow rhymes with cow)

I have a stack of these medallions.

The first few medallions were bronze color, but I received my first ‘pretty’ one after 2 years. There’s Bloggers who have given up alcohol this year, and that is a massive accomplishment. Medallions signify a lot of ‘one day at a times’. Those days accumulate into years, and then you get to hold that year in the palm of your hand.

Some people carry them in their pocket, or place them on a key ring. It’s a good reminder of what you hold sacred.

Sobriety is so worthy of a sacred bow.

11 thoughts on “A Sacred Bow”

  1. I have followed a range of bloggers over the past few years, since I retired and first thought of giving it a try myself. As you may imagine, this following business has been very enlightening to me, though I must also admit that the flip side of that reason, writing a blog or anything else, has not been as consistent.

    That being said, I have been through a lot of life changes in the past year or so. Many of them probably would have happened sooner or later, though the pandemic may have sped some of them along and made them easier for me to make. As a result, I have also changed some of the bloggers I follow. IDK, I guess maybe I’m hoping that this “new blood” will inspire me to finally start writing more regularly.

    I found you through one of these new bloggers. I think LA, who has certainly got me thinking about a lot of “new” issues and writing a lot in reply so there is at least some more regular writing even though it’s not completely original. The first thing that drew me to your blog was, I’m sure, its title.

    Digging deeper into your posts, including this “newer” one, I found some of your past experiences to be similar to some of mine. The changes that I spoke of include being driven away from my 30 year marriage by my alcoholic husband. We’re going through the divorce now, and in the process I, probably like you, discovered how I had not been my authentic self for a lot of that time, for various reasons. I have also moved back into my childhood home to care my mom, which has had its upsides and downsides during the pandemic, which makes the process of moving on a bit more difficult but still do-able.

    Specifically in this post I went to the link for the recovery shop where I was deleted to find a whole range of al-anon related items that I expect to be of some use as I continue to move away from him (and maybe her, too) and more into my own life again. Meanwhile, I’m sure I will find many more helpful nuggets on wisdom in your future posts.

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  3. Sobriety does deserve a sacred bow…to ourselves and all on the path. You don’t know how deserving until you embark on the journey. The hardest most rewarding work we ever committed to. I bow to you, now. 💕😉

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