always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭7

It’s dangerous to never move away from the starting line.

When we get sober, yes, there’s a lot to digest. Even before we make the decision to settle into a new effort at sobriety, we can labor in our thoughts for a long time—shifting.

We try and alter the course of our drinking by making alterations to our rituals in the hopes of arriving at a happy compromise between how we want to feel and how we want to act.

But the conundrum always remains—when I control it, I don’t enjoy it, and when I enjoy it, I lose control.

Thinking and reasoning get us nowhere, and the reasons of others fall on hardened hearts and deaf ears.

It really is a miracle then, when we cross over into the sober world and begin to try on the tenants of this new way of life.

In this we are easily swayed into an eternal student’s role.

We need to soak up good habits and advice. We need to learn a lot about ourselves and the condition we have. We do need to study these things, but we also need to walk toward where they’re pointing us to.

I had to step into action before I felt ready. As much as I hate not being a perfectionist in anything that can resemble schoolwork, sobriety is a way of life, not an assignment.

The only way I’ve grown is through taking action. Yes, informed action, but action, nonetheless.

Because the truth is this—I am sober to help others. Not to simply hoard up for myself the fruits of living well. The only true fruit is in the carrying of the message of hope to the next suffering person.

Good, keep me in motion, in the right direction.