WEEKLY MEDITATION
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
-Soren Kierkegaard
Recovery from addiction can be painfully elusive. Often, we find ourselves trying over and over again to break the bonds to that to which we are addicted, only to find ourselves fall back into the same frustrating rut. This is because the emotional patterns that form our addictions develop with their very own defense mechanisms, automatically installed to protect the already protective layers that our addictions represent. Often, it isn’t until we have begun to recover—to successfully challenge our addictions—that we begin to understand the role that our addictions have played in our lives. Once we begin to have some personal understanding, we are better able to apply this knowledge to our decision-making to further buoy our recovery. But in the beginning, it is important to remember that we may lack the ability, while still wearing the blinders that accompany our addictions, to see the path out clearly.