I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

I will see clearly now! That’s because I will have Cataract surgery this coming Thursday, August 27, 2026. The surgeon has told me that I will have 20/20 vision and will not need to wear glasses again. That’s significant for me. I have been seeing through a fog for the past year and now that will be replaced with clear eyes.

Well that’s all well and good but there is a way I have learned to see more clearly for the past 42+ years. It’s called sobriety. Twelve simple Steps that have provided me with clear seeing and clear thinking. It all started on March 24, 1983. At first the haze that clouded my thinking was still thick but soon the fog began to dissipate. Steps that allowed me to see my problem and Steps that allowed me to find a God I had rebelled against and had forgotten about. Steps, that as my mind began to clear, allowed me to hold a mirror up to finally confront my previous behavior. More importantly I was able to confess the nature of my wrongs and find forgiveness from both my God and from myself. Freedom was on the horizon as I made amends and continued to find God and help my fellow human beings.

Perfect? Not quite. There were a few things AA could not help me with. It wasn’t until I heard a recovering cop alcoholic give me permission to seek psychological counseling for some deep seated problems that I began a different kind of walk in sobriety. The Twelve Steps remain the foundation of my life. I still practice them every day of my life and they still allow me to see clearly.

I added a few things to my life. I allowed other professionals to help me augment my sobriety. Dr. Wayne Dyer a fellow alcoholic wrote books that helped me change my life for the better. “Change Your Thought, Change Your Life”, “The Secrets of the Power of Intention”, “Wishes Fulfilled”, and many others. Books by Dr. Allen Berger, another recovering author who taught me about emotional sobriety in his book, “12 Smart Things to Do When the Booze and Drugs are Gone, Choosing Emotional Sobriety Through Self-Awareness and Right Action”. I had never given a thought to getting in touch with my feelings until I read Berger’s book. The book seemed to fill in those gaps that sometimes the Twelve Steps seemed to miss.

And certainly not last the Big Book, “Alcoholics Anonymous” seemed to read differently as I read it over and over again following the changes I was making in my life through the books I immersed myself in. Driving cross country by myself many times I would listen to the books on tape by Dr. Dyer and others.

Today I am a completely different person than I was 42 years ago and I never want to know that person again. I have a self-confidence! I have a spirituality that has allowed me to know a God of my understanding in a way I never thought was possible. I have owned my anger and realized I don’t want to be rid of it as it is a part of me, but now I control it. The way I look at life as a daily gift. How I have learned to “Live Life Lightly.” How my relationships have improved as a result of my additional studies.

I have found freedom! I really mean it. True freedom, free from fear. Fear that has been the cause of all my problems. But no more!

So, now perhaps I will be whole! I can see clearly now, both physically and emotionally!

Thanks for letting me share!!!