Things That Are Not the Same

A quick self check-in. How can you tell if you're in recovery or retreat. It often comes down to the story you tell. The name you give it.

Rest vs. Hide
Sit with it vs. Stuck in it
Patient vs. Avoidant
Accept vs. Give Up
Discern vs. Overthink

They look almost the same from across the room. They are not the same up close. One is recovery. The other is retreat, wearing recovery's clothes. I've done both. Some weeks I can tell which one I'm doing in real time. Most weeks I can't — not until later, when I notice I've either come back or I haven't.

THE DIFFERENCE ISN'T THE FEELING.
THE DIFFERENCE IS THE CHOICE.

The sticky note check-in doesn't tell me which one I'm in. It just makes me ask. That turns out to be most of the job.