Offset

January 13

Offset

I often feel out of round and unmatched to my counterparts.  Awkwardly I sit unable to strike a plausible pose.  I want my asymmetry to seem chic.  I feel a victim of universal ugliness and gracelessly plod through my days.  Luckily offset thinking, the partner of my offset soul, saves me.  I see that I am uniquely useful, like a screwdriver set at right angles for use where a straight one could not reach.  I am counterbalance and compensation.  I may be lateral but I am also collateral.  I am an embellisher, beneficial in unexpected ways and shouldn’t seek to be inline with the multitude.  I am the new growth, the spur to the future.

Romance the noodles in your soup

*

GRAVITY WORKS ALL THE TIME

Limits and boundaries are a drag
I hate feeling tied to the ground
I know I could fly
If not for unseen forces

I sense myself lightening, smoothing
I drop my burdens, I pick up speed
Fourth dimension
Hell, I'm proverbial vapor trails

I should explain, when I get moving this fast
I inevitably wind myself into a position
Where my head is up my nether regions
A place it does not belong

I have slowly grown to love my limits
No restraint holds me back
In reality, I am supported, rooted as it were
I am not hydroponic, I can live in the real world

I am me
Encouraged by the wind and the rain
I am not a hothouse flower
I am truly free

I can walk where I was born to walk
I forget life has not been found outside my little world
And when it is
I am still better off being me

Vlog:  http://youtu.be/GX2RHrKvmT0

You are reading selections from More Sober on the Way to Sane and Lines From My Life by Sherrie Theriault

http://www.amazon.com/More-Sober-The-Way-Sane/dp/144141231X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1374072329&sr=8-3&keywords=sober+on+the+way+to+sane

http://www.amazon.com/Lines-My-Life-Sherrie-Theriault/dp/1448652820/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374072576&sr=1-1&keywords=Lines+from+my+life%2C+Sherrie+theriault

Natural Law

August 26

NATURAL LAW

Gravity is always in effect, but invoke the laws of lift and you can make a stone fly.  I have no gills but strap on a tank and rebreather; I can share space with sharks.  Given enough willingness and step work I can walk through the world sober though every cell of my body is alcoholic.  The laws of nature are fluid.  When I flow with them I can keep my goals.  Instant gratification is often my stumbling block.  Gaining access to my far-flung desires is not impossible but it is also not immediate.

Make little plans with salt and big plans with sugar.

*

Make Use of Brown Soap

When I have death in my pocket

it makes it easy to cross the street without a glance.

A little arsenic in my in my veins

allows me to swallow the rest with no thought beyond want.

Twist the screws tight enough in my brain

and no other pressure seems problematic.

All of the trouble in the world can beat a path to my door

when I carry within me the seeds of destruction.

I have to check myself for stow-away devastation.

Ruin begins in tiny droplets but will wash me down the drain

if not wiped immediately from my skin.

Vigilant acknowledgement of the power of small burdens

protects me from the mind blown ravages of the ensuing cyclone.

Microbes cause mayhem,

so I must watch where I touch and wash before I eat.

You are reading selections from Sober on the Way to Sane and More Lines From My Life by Sherrie Theriault

http://www.amazon.com/Sober-On-The-Way-Sane/dp/1440417342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388576888&sr=8-1&keywords=sober+on+the+way+to+sane

http://www.amazon.com/More-Lines-From-My-Life/dp/1448677203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388576956&sr=8-1&keywords=More+Lines+From+My+Life

How Ever You Can

August 21

HOW EVER YOU CAN

I heard, “let go with love.”

“You know how to do that?” asked my sponsor.

“No, that’s why I’m here to see you, but it sure sounds like something I should do.”

“Well, in a perfect world maybe we can all do it that way, but for now let go with a mean look in your eye.  Let go with rage in your heart.  Let go with words boiling on your tongue.  Let go with the butter knife up to its hilt in the jelly jar.  Let go standing at the sink wishing for some other life.  Let go as a reflex.  Let go as an anthem, as a prayer, as a declaration.  Let go even when you don’t feel you are holding on any more.  At the same time hold on to what’s important: your recovery, your Higher Power and your sense of humor."

Fly in your dreams.

*

Hang on or Dance

Because I felt ‘outcomes’ slipping through my fingertips

I dug in with my nails, I schemed, plotted, worried, whined.

Lack of power was my problem I thought,

but what it came down to was, failure to acknowledge… accept…

failure to surrender to the reality of powerlessness.

The only thing I learned from resistance

was an intimate knowledge of futility.

When I embraced truth… the facts…

when I live with the gravity of masses not fight against it;

I began to enjoy the weather,

knowing I did not pull the clouds or push the storm.

I’m back in the dance of people moving about me,

all keeping with the time, it is not mine to keep.

You are reading selections from Sober on the Way to Sane and More Lines From My Life by Sherrie Theriault

http://www.amazon.com/Sober-On-The-Way-Sane/dp/1440417342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388576888&sr=8-1&keywords=sober+on+the+way+to+sane

http://www.amazon.com/More-Lines-From-My-Life/dp/1448677203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388576956&sr=8-1&keywords=More+Lines+From+My+Life

Birds & Bees

April 11

BIRDS & BEES

Birds and bees can get me drunk.  I have to watch the amount of envy which pours through me as I watch their wondrous bliss.  When others make a bee-line to the hive, I must head to a meeting and save myself despair if my spiritual condition is not sound.  When other couples are weaving their nests, I have to be careful not to weave my way back to the bar.  The mating dance is so sweet and seductive; I have to make sure I don’t end up doing the two step.  For as much as I hate to admit it, if steps one and twelve where enough to keep me sober, the rest would not have needed to be written.

Pad barefoot through intention.

*

Neither Frog nor Fish

I was falling

and my Higher Power caught me

in a net called AA,

all of which was a pretty neat trick,

But the strangest consequence of this

is now I somehow think it shouldn’t be possible

for me to drown.

Defying gravity 24 hours at a time

doesn’t make me aquatic

or even amphibious for that matter.

I still have all the corollary restrictions

of anyone who is me.

I still need sleep and water,

food and warmth just like a mere mortal.

How silly I am.

I dodge a bullet

and suddenly I think I am waterproof.

You are reading selections from Sober on the Way to Sane and More Lines From My Life by Sherrie Theriault

http://www.amazon.com/Sober-On-The-Way-Sane/dp/1440417342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388576888&sr=8-1&keywords=sober+on+the+way+to+sane

http://www.amazon.com/More-Lines-From-My-Life/dp/1448677203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388576956&sr=8-1&keywords=More+Lines+From+My+Life

Gravity Works All the Time

January 14

GRAVITY WORKS ALL THE TIME

Limits and boundaries are a drag.  I hate feeling tied to the ground.  I know I could fly if not for unseen forces.  I sense myself lightening, smoothing, I drop my burdens; I pick up speed.  Fourth dimension!  Hell!  I’m proverbial vapor trails.  At this time I should explain.  When I get moving this fast, I inevitably wind myself into a position where my head is up my in my nether regions, a place it does not belong. 

I have slowly grown to love my limits; no restraint holds me back.  In reality, I am supported, rooted as it were.  I am not a hydroponic.  I can live in the real world.  I am me.  Encouraged by the wind and the rain, I am not the hot house flower.  I am truly free.  I can walk where I was born to walk.  I forget life has not been found outside my little world, and when it is, I’m still better off being me.

Introduce yourself to a new vegetable.

*

Specks

Spectacles are for specks;

tiny things that must be watched.

Commotion is nothing but a congregation

of minutia with an audience.

How many small things

do I strain my eyes to see;

then seek help to pursue further?

Some of these are put on display fishing for voyeurs.

Others are secreted away

only to be ferreted out through magnification.

Whether curiosity or contempt drives me

to these pinpoints I must search my motives

before I scan the plain.

For truly if I am not careful

I, myself will end up either speck or spectacle.

You are reading selections from Sober on the Way to Sane and More Lines From My Life by Sherrie Theriault

http://www.amazon.com/Sober-On-The-Way-Sane/dp/1440417342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388576888&sr=8-1&keywords=sober+on+the+way+to+sane

http://www.amazon.com/More-Lines-From-My-Life/dp/1448677203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388576956&sr=8-1&keywords=More+Lines+From+My+Life

Natural Law

November 6

Natural Law

The boat captain can’t change the river; navigate it possibly, but rule it never.  Birds don’t control the wind, only capitalize on it.  I can’t reign my sobriety; I just get to take the ride.  My choices greatly affect the quality of this journey but not the nature of recovery itself.  I am powerless over gravity but am thrilled at my ability to use it to my advantage.

Desperate imitation is just that

*

MEMORIAL DAY

Veteran of the addiction wars
I have scars but few metals.
I don’t need a purple heart
Mine is black and blue.
I don’t keep trophies either
No empty bottles or old syringes.

Hostages I have released them too.
I found often they held me
From what my life could be.
I wear my defects and wave my flag.

I am slowly learning to live in peacetime.
The big battles have been won.
It is up to me to stop replaying
The scenes of engagement.

Armistice is a beautiful thing
Too bad there is no better way to get it.

You are reading selections from More Sober on the Way to Sane and Lines From My Life by Sherrie Theriault

http://www.amazon.com/More-Sober-The-Way-Sane/dp/144141231X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1374072329&sr=8-3&keywords=sober+on+the+way+to+sane

http://www.amazon.com/Lines-My-Life-Sherrie-Theriault/dp/1448652820/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374072576&sr=1-1&keywords=Lines+from+my+life%2C+Sherrie+theriault

Single Serving Sterling

August 16

Single Serving Sterling

When the menu of life feels vast I must focus on my teaspoon; a simple tool that fits well in my hand, whose use I well understand.  The possibilities conceived when I ponder the intangibles conspire to suck me down the rabbit-hole where all that’s left to me is a drug.  When I come back to stir my tea and lick the spoon clean the world revolves around me and without need of my completed unified theory.  Need looms, loss stacks, salvation keeps a steady distance, my only hope is to drink my tea, I shan’t even sharpen my spoon; I can and need to stay out of my fear built prison and off the streets of hell.  My task is at hand and the size of the scoop is a reminder to take all of life in small doses.

Treat hope as a living thing; feed its hunger, quench its thirst

*

NATURAL LAW

Gravity is always in effect

But invoke the laws of lift

And you can make a stone fly.

I have no gills

But strap on a tank and rebreather

And I can share space with the sharks.

Given enough willingness and step work

I can walk through the world sober

Though every cell of my body is alcoholic.

The laws of nature are fluid

When I flow with them I can keep my goals.

Instant gratification is often my stumbling block.

Gaining access to my far-flung desires

Is not impossible

But it is also not immediate.

You are reading selections from More Sober on the Way to Sane and Lines From My Life by Sherrie Theriault

http://www.amazon.com/More-Sober-The-Way-Sane/dp/144141231X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1374072329&sr=8-3&keywords=sober+on+the+way+to+sane

http://www.amazon.com/Lines-My-Life-Sherrie-Theriault/dp/1448652820/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374072576&sr=1-1&keywords=Lines+from+my+life%2C+Sherrie+theriault

Offset

January 13

Offset

I often feel out of round and unmatched to my counterparts.  Awkwardly I sit unable to strike a plausible pose.  I want my asymmetry to seem chic.  I feel a victim of universal ugliness and gracelessly plod through my days.  Luckily offset thinking, the partner of my offset soul, saves me.  I see that I am uniquely useful, like a screwdriver set at right angles for use where a straight one could not reach.  I am counterbalance and compensation.  I may be lateral but I am also collateral.  I am an embellisher, beneficial in unexpected ways and shouldn’t seek to be inline with the multitude.  I am the new growth, the spur to the future.

Romance the noodles in your soup

*

GRAVITY WORKS ALL THE TIME

Limits and boundaries are a drag
I hate feeling tied to the ground
I know I could fly
If not for unseen forces

I sense myself lightening, smoothing
I drop my burdens, I pick up speed
Fourth dimension
Hell, I'm proverbial vapor trails

I should explain, when I get moving this fast
I inevitably wind myself into a position
Where my head is up my nether regions
A place it does not belong

I have slowly grown to love my limits
No restraint holds me back
In reality, I am supported, rooted as it were
I am not hydroponic, I can live in the real world

I am me
Encouraged by the wind and the rain
I am not a hothouse flower
I am truly free

I can walk where I was born to walk
I forget life has not been found outside my little world
And when it is
I am still better off being me

Gravity Works All the Time

January 14

GRAVITY WORKS ALL THE TIME

Limits and boundaries are a drag. I hate feeling tied to the ground. I know I could fly if not for unseen forces. I sense myself lightening, smoothing, I drop my burdens; I pick up speed. Fourth dimension! Hell! I’m proverbial vapor trails. At this time I should explain. When I get moving this fast, I inevitably wind myself into a position where my head is up my in my nether regions, a place it does not belong.

I have slowly grown to love my limits; no restraint holds me back. In reality, I am supported, rooted as it were. I am not a hydroponic. I can live in the real world. I am me. Encouraged by the wind and the rain, I am not the hot house flower. I am truly free. I can walk where I was born to walk. I forget life has not been found outside my little world, and when it is, I’m still better off being me.

Introduce yourself to a new vegetable.

*

Specks

Spectacles are for specks;

tiny things that must be watched.

Commotion is nothing but a congregation

of minutia with an audience.

How many small things

do I strain my eyes to see;

then seek help to pursue further?

Some of these are put on display fishing for voyeurs.

Others are secreted away

only to be ferreted out through magnification.

Whether curiosity or contempt drives me

to these pinpoints I must search my motives

before I scan the plain.

For truly if I am not careful

I, myself will end up either speck or spectacle.

Single Serving Sterling

August 16

Single Serving Sterling

When the menu of life feels vast I must focus on my teaspoon; a simple tool that fits well in my hand, whose use I well understand. The possibilities conceived when I ponder the intangibles conspire to suck me down the rabbit-hole where all that’s left to me is a drug. When I come back to stir my tea and lick the spoon clean the world revolves around me and without need of my completed unified theory. Need looms, loss stacks, salvation keeps a steady distance, my only hope is to drink my tea, I shan’t even sharpen my spoon; I can and need to stay out of my fear built prison and off the streets of hell. My task is at hand and the size of the scoop is a reminder to take all of life in small doses.

Treat hope as a living thing; feed its hunger, quench its thirst

*

NATURAL LAW

Gravity is always in effect

But invoke the laws of lift

And you can make a stone fly.

I have no gills

But strap on a tank and rebreather

And I can share space with the sharks.

Given enough willingness and step work

I can walk through the world sober

Though every cell of my body is alcoholic.

The laws of nature are fluid

When I flow with them I can keep my goals.

Instant gratification is often my stumbling block.

Gaining access to my far-flung desires

Is not impossible

But it is also not immediate.

Natural Law

November 6

Natural Law

The boat captain can’t change the river; navigate it possibly, but rule it never. Birds don’t control the wind, only capitalize on it. I can’t reign my sobriety; I just get to take the ride. My choices greatly affect the quality of this journey but not the nature of recovery itself. I am powerless over gravity but am thrilled at my ability to use it to my advantage.

Desperate imitation is just that

*

MEMORIAL DAY

Veteran of the addiction wars
I have scars but few metals.
I don’t need a purple heart
Mine is black and blue.
I don’t keep trophies either
No empty bottles or old syringes.

Hostages I have released them too.
I found often they held me
From what my life could be.
I wear my defects and wave my flag.

I am slowly learning to live in peacetime.
The big battles have been won.
It is up to me to stop replaying
The scenes of engagement.

Armistice is a beautiful thing
Too bad there is no better way to get it.

Natural Law

August 26

NATURAL LAW



Gravity is always in effect, but invoke the laws of lift and you can make a stone fly. I have no gills but strap on a tank and rebreather; I can share space with sharks. Given enough willingness and step work I can walk through the world sober though every cell of my body is alcoholic. The laws of nature are fluid. When I flow with them I can keep my goals. Instant gratification is often my stumbling block. Gaining access to my far-flung desires is not impossible but it is also not immediate.


Make little plans with salt and big plans with sugar.

Juxtaposition

July 28

JUXTAPOSITION


Right next to this world is the globe that I came from. The landmarks are similar but these spheres have little in common. The angle of refraction illuminates the place of my origin. The source of this light is legend. On my home planet, the existence of sobriety is cast off as myth. I held on to this tale with my heart. I slipped the gravitational bonds of crazy one night by the glow of the ready button on the coffeepot. Here and there intersect at only one point, a room with some chairs and a circle with a triangle. The meeting was on Step One and it was a good place to jump in.


Put a leaf on your tongue just for fun.