Recovery

At the Democratic National Convention, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh started his speech with this line, "Good evening. my name is Marty Walsh, and I'm an alcoholic."

I know nothing of Mayor Wlash, but he seems like a man who has taken his own inventory. 

I am a co-dependent. 

I know this is a vague term which means different things to different people.

To me it means that I have trouble discerning boundaries between myself and those I care about.

It leads me to try to "save" people, and in the process, I prevent some from learning to care for themselves; and I push others away by smothering them. 

I sometimes tell people I probably ended up in nursing to fulfill my need to care for others.  I tell them I became a "professional co-dependent."

Like Mayor Walsh, I belong to a 12 step group.  

Unlike the Mayor, I took a several year "sabbatical" from it when I became "too busy."

There is a saying, "Anything you place before your recovery, you will lose."

I've known for a while that something wasn't right, that something was "off."

I could feel it.

Since the DNC I have returned to my program.

Maybe, my higher power put the Mayor and I in Philadelphia at the same time so that I could hear his message, his courage, his recovery.

Today I am trying to take my own inventory. 

I am trying to respect the individuality of others. 

And it feels right. 

I'm John, and I'm a co-dependent.