compelled to write

My life has miraculously changed as a direct result of writing these gratitude posts. Years of 12-step meetings and therapy helped prep for this experience to be sure.

Now I am compelled to write nearly every night. Much good comes from the experience of writing. I get to reflect on my day looking for the good parts. While I am looking for the good parts, little time is wasted staring at the not-so-good parts of my day.

This is my 256^th gratitude post of the year. I am pleased by the prospect of reaching 260 by the end of November. My goal for the year was to write 5posts/week * 52weeks/year = 260 posts/year. I have never finished a one year project a month ahead of schedule in my life. That is quantified results showing the progress I have made in my towards being able to start and complete projects in a timely basis.

Alcoholics and addicts are notorious for starting many tasks & projects with very little completion to show for their efforts. My completing the 260 posts is one more indicator showing that I am a recovered alcoholic. 12-step dogma holds that while there is no cure, we can be recovered alcoholics.

For the first time ever, I am grateful to say/write that I am a recovered alcoholic. The dogma also states that we have a daily reprieve contingent on our spiritual condition. That is good enough for today.

PS: One of the gurus of the positive psychology/gratitude research, Robert Emmons at UC Davis, was cited in a NY Times article today. I have read 3 of his 5 books and am halfway through the yet another of his books, The Psychology of Gratitude