Today's Thought - August

[bluidkiti]

August 6

Hang On to Your Tokens

It may sound corny, but when I got that first AA chip, I slept with it underneath my pillow - like I was waiting for the tooth fairy. Then, when I woke up in the morning, I would check for it and feel so good that it was still right there - that I was still there. I had a token to remind me that I didn't drink or black out the night before - that I had something to look forward to in the new day. I'd clutch it and say a little prayer: "Okay, let’s do this."

I carried that "tangible token" in the pocket of my uniform when I was in the Navy. I took it everywhere. It got me through the in-between times when I didn't have the "intangible tokens" at hand - like the support and love of my group, or being able to talk to anyone about my feelings.

It was important for me to have something powerful to hold on to, something I could see and touch, something to remind me to take it "One day at a time."

Today I give thanks for my tangible and intangible tokens - the everyday reminders that, no matter what challenges arise, I can make it. I can do this.

~Elora K., U.S. Navy, 1997–2007

Today's reading is from the book Leave No One Behind: Daily meditations for Military Service Members and Veterans in Recovery*