FutBall

Opinion:  A belief that a person has formed on a topic or issue.

I learned long ago that no one wants my advice, probably because my own actions and the chaos resultant demonstrate that I don't know what the fuck I'm doing.  I now believe that no one is interested in my opinions, either.  Most people believe what they believe and they aren't going to change based on what I say.  It's not like I'm coming up with new ways of looking at things.  I need to keep my mouth shut.  Nobody is interested in what I think of things, and I say this with a great deal of serenity and understanding.  I'm not changing my opinion very often, either.

I was at a meeting recently where a young woman celebrating a year of sobriety talked about losing some of the fire that we all have when we're brand spanking new in recovery.  I get that - recovery can be time-consuming and frustrating so when the early big gains start to diminish a lot of us drift away.  I haven't seen her since.  Huh.

At this same meeting a friend talked about getting his latest paycheck only to see that the IRS had garnished a big chunk of the money to satisfy back taxes that he owed.  He spent a lot of time in a government office getting the money restored and setting up a payment plan so future paychecks wouldn't be garnished as well.  He was not overjoyed at any of this.  I know that I thought that sobriety was going to be enough, that all would be forgiven.  I didn't sign up for Freedom that required Sacrifice.  I do know that I do not regret my past - I'm not afraid of anyone at this point.