“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” – Christopher Reeve, American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter and author, best known for his screen role as Superman, paralyzed from a fall in a horse riding accident (1952-2004)
If ever there was an example of life seeming to be too much, too difficult, too hard to manage, it was definitely the case with the actor Christopher Reeve. The Superman actor certainly seemed to have it all: handsome good looks, impressive physique, and strength, generosity of character, a loving wife, success and fame. But a horse riding accident left him paralyzed, thus curtailing his acting career and necessitating years of physical therapy and rehabilitation. Despite herculean odds, however, Reeve managed to make consistent progress. Through all his struggles, he maintained an optimistic outlook on life. He was, in short, an inspiration to millions – not just others in a similar situation, but anyone struggling against odds that seem completely hopeless. In other words, those of us in recovery can certainly relate to how that must have felt, since we’ve pretty much all been there.
Where do we find the courage and strength to persevere in the face of such adversity? Is there some secret wellspring that we can tap into? Is it something that we can learn to do, despite not having much success with this in the past? Sure, we hear the recommendations to take it one day at a time. That works, up to a point. But there still are days when we just don’t think we have it in us to get out of bed, much less undertake what we know we need to do for ourselves in recovery. What then?
For some, prayer helps. For others, being in the company of our 12-step group members and our loved ones helps. Still others find peace and a new resolve by talking things over with a counselor or therapist. Certainly there were times when Christopher Reeve felt down and discouraged. He had his loving wife, therapists and whomever to help him deal with letdowns and sadness, discouragement and dashed hopes. We can definitely do the same. In fact, reaching out and asking for help and companionship when we need it most is the best thing we can do to find our way out of the depths of such anguish.
Sometimes we just need a little break. This does not mean that we abandon our recovery efforts, just that we lighten up the pace at which we’ve been going. We may very well need to take a brief rest, some time off work, to take a vacation or a week-end away with the family. Maybe we need to sit down and revise our list of recovery goals. Perhaps we’re pushing ourselves too hard and not giving ourselves credit for what we’ve already achieved. A little reflection may be in order, along with some play time. Make sure that we schedule some down-time in our daily schedule so that we have time to daydream, to play, to relax. Yes, we may very well need to pencil such time in, since we’re likely so accustomed to filling up our days that there’s literally no time left for such activities. They are just as important to our recovery as our other recovery efforts. Make no mistake about that.
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