People in recovery have seen some things. They can make great workers in the field of recovery because they have made the journey through addiction to something beyond sobriety. Understand: maintaining sobriety after years of addiction is no small accomplishment, but people in recovery want to become more than “a sober drunk,” to use an … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—When Gratitude Is Hard To Come By
TURNING POINTS—The Ripple Effects of Kindness
Speak with someone who is recovering from illness or injury, and there’s a good chance that you’ll hear about the role that other people have played in their story. Others can make a difference for the better when we’re battling sickness. They can provide turning points in our lives. Just knowing that we have people … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—The Ripple Effects of Kindness
TURNING POINTS—From Rucks And Scrums To Ballads And Two-Steps
About 9:30 on Friday evening, drummer/friend Jerry Howard and my other band-mates will start banging out the intro to “Do That Thing,” and I’ll jump in with the vocal to kick off another night of dance music at Philadelphia’s Mermaid Inn. It’ll be the most fun we’ve had in months. And it’s something I wouldn’t … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—From Rucks And Scrums To Ballads And Two-Steps
TURNING POINTS—Learning Perspective
Real education is transformative. For nontraditional college student Gina Barreca, it added to and changed her perspective. The curious and open-minded Brooklyn kid moved from one learning experience to another, and today she is a professor of English at University of Connecticut and a highly regarded author. Her writing can be very funny, and I … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Learning Perspective
TURNING POINTS—Special Places
Some places stick out in your life. They might even serve as turning points. The main photo today is of Cottage 8 at Cill Rialiag village, an artist retreat on the southwest coast of Ireland, where I spent April of 2012 writing a first draft of Open Admissions that was as rough as the Kerry … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Special Places
TURNING POINTS—Numbers and Knees
All summer, I’ve been counting. Eight, nine, ten minutes of letting this damn weight press down on the new knee. Eighteen, nineteen, twenty leg lifts. Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty seconds holding this quad stretch. Here’s another view of how the knees look now. Odd, how the knee replacements resemble one of the balls that my feet … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Numbers and Knees
TURNING POINTS—What We Lose And What We Keep
Live a while, and you experience loss. I would call Michael J. Napoletano a deep friend. We met when he transferred to my school for sixth grade. We haven’t quite parted, though he died three years ago. His illness and death dealt my family and me a bitter taste of loss because he’d become part … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—What We Lose And What We Keep
