When he was asked, 'What do you do to keep the Beasts of Addiction at bay?' he answered, something like this:
'I do not hang myself with the rope.'
And I had trouble moving on to the next person's response and not just stopping there and absorbing the power of those words that kept rising in me like a tide. Rising almost to my nose and I were to drown if I did not listen again.
When asked 'What do YOU do to keep the Wild Beast of Addiction away from you?' the answers fell like a litany of graces
When asked 'What do YOU do to keep the Wild Beast of Addiction away from you?' the answers fell like a litany of graces: They included:
I pray.
I exercise...and pray.
I go to counseling.
I attend NA and AA Meetings.
I read.
I find people to talk to.
I appreciate what I have and remember what it was like NOT having that.
I stay busy.
I make myself stay positive.
I come to this circle.
Keep. Coming.Back.
In this MaineWorks circle we spoke about the safety of a fire circle.
In this MaineWorks circle we spoke about the safety of a fire circle. There are still places that light a fire and assemble community around it to protect them from the 'wild beasts'. Places where there are predators lurking in the shadows waiting to take down their prey, made easier if someone has wandered off into the jungle or forest alone. The fire is safety and connection. Here in this parking lot we also protect ourselves from the wild beasts of addiction and substance abuse. It nips at everyones heel, just outside the light of this circle waiting for that moment when vigilance fails. The predator has been described here at this circle as an enemy that never sleeps and knows exactly where you are 24/7.
It waits for that less than vigilant moment to dig into our calves and drag us away into the dark.
And we have lost many on this journey. Some of the employees can no longer keep track of how many they know that have died.
This fire is about life or death. Keep coming back to the fire even if just for these brief moments, safe at least for that time, from the wild beasts lurking in the shadows.
This morning at MaineWorks THIS is what it felt like. Alive. Full of possibility.
This morning at MaineWorks THIS is what it felt like. Alive. Full of possibility. By 5:15 AM the fire was made, the coffee was brewing the parking lot was being sanded by hand.
(Thank you Erik with a K: )
There was food. There were new coats being distributed. There was vitality. Amidst all the challenges and the obstacles they show up with this spirit. I hope the world is watching their work, their awakening, their choice.
This smile? Was the gift that had enough energy to charge my day.
Facing the day at MaineWorks. 6 AM. Dark. Snowing.
Facing the day at MaineWorks. 6 AM. Dark. Snowing. Every one here has a story that makes you wonder how they survived. Against all Odds. Showing up. Pioneers of Recovery.
This is a hybrid post and one that touches both Dear Anonymous and MaineWorks.
This is a hybrid post and one that touches both Dear Anonymous and MaineWorks. Dear Anonymous, this is a young man who was on the streets last year that you helped provide coffee cards and socks and more to. He was 80 pounds lighter. Mid winter he was gone. He had given up. Drugs was his 'place'. His story is filled with tragic loss and family deaths and illness. Arrested and now in the pre-release program, sober and beginning at MaineWorks as an employee.
When he disappeared off the streets last winter I was concerned he had actually died. He was not in a good place.
Just about a year later and life shines in his eyes. His heart is evident in his speech.He speaks of wanting to be there for his children; for his family. Because it matters. He has plans to give back. Will miracles never cease?
6 AM and a little MaineWorks Circle is inside today...
6 AM and a little MaineWorks Circle is inside today protected from the freezing rain and snow....and Margo Walsh has asked this employee to read Derek Walcott's poem LOVE AFTER LOVE. And though MaineWorks is all about work and boots and time cards, MaineWorks is truly about moments like this. And she asks what is it you want to FEEL this new year. Not DO. Or GET. What is it you want to feel?
'I want to feel peace.'
I want to know forgiveness.'
'I want to know who I am.'
'I want to let go of resentments.'
'I want to be less stressed.'
And I am in a little circle of humanity. A circle of humanity looking to become more human. Less stressed by external stuff. More in alignment with who they really are.
I am smitten.
Proud of you Steve Lawrence.
Proud of you Steve Lawrence.
Former MaineWorks employee and friend Steve Lawrence joined us at todays circle at 6 AM in the snow. His journey has been, like many others, torturous, agonizing and tough.
And today he shared this smile. Born of making an amends, a difficult one, that then led to a donation to Maine Recovery Fund that directly assists MaineWorks employees.
Standing in that circle you could feel that awful reckoning and that profound relief and the joy of that unexpected generosity. That his painful amends led to a direct giving to the circle of employees he had emerged from. A story of giving back achieved when he least expected it. Congratulations on your personal journey and your truth telling. You are a Pioneer of Recovery and MaineWorks thanks you.
The Odyssey of Recovery.
The Odyssey of Recovery. The weight of what we do not reveal. The damage done to self. To others. The difficulty of truth telling. The relief of truth telling. The unexpected gifts of it all. Broken. Then, broken open.
In a little circle in the middle of a storm we stand shoulder to shoulder. Maybe it's not much but it's a start. It's a connection. It is community.
Last Friday this MaineWorks employee nudged me...
Last Friday this MaineWorks employee nudged me and said something like 'Hey, Miss Joanne....sure would like to have those banana muffins on Monday!'
I have been making sandwiches for the guys, something they can stash in their bags for lunch, not so many baked goods lately. I turned to him and said something like 'You're it. I am passing the torch.' I never gave it another thought....until he showed up this morning arriving like this, with a flourish...with ...homemade banana muffins. He glazed them and set them out just like this. All before work. All before making his way into a world that may not recognize that he took up the challenge...and DELIVERED. I am in AWE.
MaineWorks. Proud of you. That's all. Proud of you.
MaineWorks.
Proud of you. That's all.
Proud of you.
Cecil Solaguren, Director of Human Resources at MaineWorks...
Cecil Solaguren, Director of Human Resources at MaineWorks speaking at the Maine Recovery Fund Donor Appreciation evening at Portland Country Club. Cecil rocked it outta the park with his straightforward style deeply informed from the highs and lows of his recovery journey. Could have heard a pin drop in the room.
Help Portrait 2019 at MaineWorks — with James McKinney.
Help Portrait 2019 at MaineWorks — with James McKinney.
Help Portrait 2019 at MaineWorks.
Help Portrait 2019 at MaineWorks. — with Joseph Robichaud.
Help Portraits 2019 arrives at MaineWorks Saturday December 07!
Help Portraits 2019 arrives at MaineWorks Saturday December 07! This is an opportunity for MaineWorks employees past and current to be photographed AT MAINEWORKS professionally for FREE. I will be manning a camera as will the fabulous, Kevin Brusie.
And you are welcome to bring your child (children) to be included. Sign up at MaineWorks office or contact me.
There will likely be a pizza lunch break as well so come by and enjoy the company, connection and paparazzi! You owe it to yourselves, Pioneers of Recovery! — with Ryan Dewar.
Thankful for the people in my life that have changed the course of their lives toward lives worth living...
Thankful for the people in my life that have changed the course of their lives toward lives worth living; towards lives that breed smiles like this; that make the rest of the world come to life...sometimes against all odds. Pioneers of Recovery.
The holidays can wear on folks and in early recovery they can be particularly challenging. The sun will rise and the sun will set and it will be another day, and that's enough to build a platform of gratitude around. Look into the many recovery based gatherings open to help navigate through the day(s).
I am thankful for you all, for letting me see you.
When I saw you on the street this morning...
When I saw you on the street this morning, you having jumped out of the delivery truck you drive and when I saw this smile
I thought : Lazarus.
Angelo Rossi you may have no idea what powerful medicine you are for my heart.
You are one of the very first, original Pioneers I met three years ago. Look, LOOK at what you have built. Busting with pride.
May others see you shining like this.
May others see you shining like this. Anyone in this MaineWorks circle knows that most arrive here battered and bruised with a lengthy damage report. Down to smoke and ashes. Often having lost, or damaged, connections to family.
This is one MaineWorks employee but in some ways he represents all.
See me. I showed up.
I am trying to put the bricks back in a different way.
I am a fledgling but I am trying.
Those around him may just watch him fly.
Dealing with life when the odds are stacked against you.
MaineWorks Circle: Dealing with life when the odds are stacked against you. Overcoming odds. Overcoming obstacles. Getting beat down. And standing back up. Hopefully, a bit wiser for the hard knock. Handling difficult pasts and trying to build hopeful futures we walk a tightrope with the gusts of stigma, and assumption, and fear, and remorse tossing us about.....and it is hope that will often right us. But it is a delicate human walk. #pioneersofrecovery #wedorecover #mainerecoveryfund
Happy Belated BIrthday to this guy, C.d. Solaguren.
Happy Belated BIrthday to this guy, C.d. Solaguren. I hope you have an auspicious year. You rock.