Proceed with Caution

 

There are so many days when I feel like I should be walking through my life wearing a safety vest, with the reflective stitching on the back, holding up a ‘Proceed with Caution” sign.

I have stumbled, fallen, crashed and gone head first into so many pot holes in life, that I could be a poster woman for what not to do in your life.

I am not saying that I am unhappy with my life, I just think that the path could have been a lot smoother had I seen the “Proceed with Caution” sign in the distance, instead of coming face to face with the ‘Dead End’ sign.

So much of my life is on fast forward, and I see this not only with myself, but also with the people around me.

There is this feeling of invincibility.

That nothing bad can happen.

That if we just keep moving forward, we will get to the end unscathed.

But as we all soon realize, this is not the case.

I rush through life, confident and scared, all at the same time.  Often ignoring the little voice in my head saying… slow down!

 

 

Pot hole ahead!

Proceed with caution!

But I head on anyways, ignoring the voices and continue on head first…ouch!!!

And I keep going…pot hole, after pot hole.

And the injuries begin to pile up, forcing me to stop and look around and question…

Where am I going?

And how can I get there uninjured and in one piece?

 

My bruises and cuts are still healing.

I think that is why drinking was so comforting.  It was the balm I put on at the end of the day.

The drink masked the mistakes and the injuries I have sustained over the years.

Funny thing is, the drink should have had the biggest warning sign of all!

Internal and mental combustion!

 

So, I share my stories with people I know and even those I don’t.

I will hold up the “Proceed with Caution” sign for you to see.

Because it matters.

Our lives, our decisions and actions…they matter.  And if we keep moving through life in a haze and fury of speed without checking the odometer… what will it all have been for?

So, if you think you are drinking too much…don’t ignore it.  Think about it and listen to the voice inside you…before you come crashing down.

And know, there are other addictions in our lives that we ignore, because they mask themselves also cleverly.

Credit cards, gambling, food, drugs, toxic relationships, media, sex, porn, and the one I think is the biggest, obsessive addiction of all…our phones.

I believe this is silently stealing more of our life away than anything else.

We talk about monitoring screen time for our children…when in actuality we need this for ourselves.

So, take care, and Proceed with Caution.

Take some time to look at your life, the good, the bad and the ugly.

For many people, moderation works and the balance in life is found.

For others, elimination brings the balance.

Figure out which one you are, and then go from there.

So, as I face another day of sobriety (day 29 😊) I am looking harder and farther into the distance for the safety signs. And I will begin to heed their warnings, because it is time for this warrior to realize that life doesn’t have to be a battle.

It’s definitely a learning curve.

A one day at a time thing.

But I am beginning to see that the smooth, paved road has a pretty good view.