Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you’ll head straight out of town.
It’s opener there
in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.
OH! THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!
Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
By Dr. Seuss
July 18, 2001. This is the day I went completely clean and sober. About two months prior I stopped smoking weed and doing drugs, and figured I could keep drinking alcohol since I didn’t have a “problem” with alcohol. But, on July 17th, as I celebrated an early birthday drinking Chinese wine, it dawned on me that when I drink, I sometimes get drunk. And when I get drunk, I black out. If I blacked out, I wouldn’t know if I smoked weed or snorted coke until the next day. I didn’t want to risk getting drunk so I committed to not drinking any alcohol for 1-year.
My sobriety coincided with my walk with God, and I remember the Holy Spirit asking me to give Him 1-year of complete sobriety—no smoking, no drugs, no drinking alcohol. And if I didn’t like being sober, then I could go back to using again. The idea appealed to me so I committed to it. I figured I could stay sober 1-year, and if I wanted to start drinking or using drugs again after that it wouldn’t be a big deal.
Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! When I read the first four lines of Dr. Seuss’ rhyme, I thought to myself this is how my sobriety journey felt. After 20 years sobriety, I really feel like today is my day! Not only is it my biological birthdate, it’s my sobriety date, a day I relish because I was reborn a new person when sobriety became a priority for me.
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go. If you were to ask me what I credit my sustained sobriety (no relapse) to, I will tell you it’s because of my relationship with God. I’m in hot pursuit of God’s love. It’s like an addiction for me. I want to know more about God’s love and wisdom. I want to know how He can continue to transform me into a person of God. I want to know how His love in me can infect others to fall in love with Him. I want to experience how His wisdom can transform my mind so when I speak, I help others to heal their mind.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you. In my pursuit of God, I learned I had to let go of my ego or I wasn’t going to continue staying sober. I had to let go of old beliefs because they no longer served my lifestyle and God-given purpose in life. In other words, I had to get myself out of the way and let God guide me with His love and wisdom. Otherwise, I knew I would head down places I didn’t want to go. You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. These two lines remind me of Matthew 6:34, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Live 1-day at a time. All recovering addicts eventually learn that the only day they can conquer is today; not yesterday, not tomorrow, only today. We learn to focus our energy on getting through the day’s challenges no matter what they may be. And we also learn to celebrate, because we don’t want to forget that our sobriety matters. Truly, the only day that matters is always today.
Just go right along. You’ll start happening too. As the days turn into weeks, and weeks into months, those months eventually become years. I’m here to remind you that I didn’t achieve 20 years sobriety all at once. I paid a price many times over when I chose to be sober. I had to let go some relationships. I had to relearn how to live life on life’s terms. I had to be humbled by God’s wisdom and love. I had to decide what mattered more to me—getting high & drunk or pursuing God’s love & wisdom. Every day for the past 20 years, I always chose the latter. I always chose to pursue God’s love & wisdom and that’s how I can celebrate 20 years clean & sober. I hope it happens for you too.
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