A New Man

In "The Doctor's Opinion" Dr. Silkworth shared an anecdote about receiving a visit from a former patient who he had considered an alcoholic of the "hopeless variety."  An amazing term for a human being.  Remember Otis the town drunk in the Andy Griffith show?  The town drunk.  Dress him in disheveled clothes and slur his words and only show him in Andy's jail and it's all great fun.  Andy doesn't even lock the doorf Otis is so out of it.  Is Otis married?  Does Otis have kids at home?  Does Otis have a home?  Where does Otis get the money to drink like he does? Ha Ha Ha for Otis.

Anyway, in Dr. Silkworth's retelling he literally could not recognize the man.  His features and mannerisms were remotely familiar but that's where all resemblance ended.  The patient left his office a free man and never drank again.  A few days ago a guy was at our meeting that I hadn't seen for a few years and I had a similar experience.  Although I knew him by name his appearance was so radically changed he appeared to be someone else.  It was another big Wow moment.  I complimented him on the fact that he had finally "got it" (he was a homeless to live-in-his-truck kind of low-bottom drunk) and have great confidence that he'll thrive going forward.  I run into another guy on my beach walks from time to time, a guy who looked at the world through a contentious, angry, put-upon lens, a guy so distasteful to me that I would pretend to be on the phone when I passed him by.  Today, he looks quite relaxed.  When I remarked on this he simply said that at one point all of his diligent work paid off and he popped through all of that anger and resentment to a better, more relaxed place.  I do not doubt his word.  His spiritual growth is so profound that it has altered his appearance.