Been reminiscing on life having learned recently that a friend of mine is likely to die due to another battle against cancer. This time, cancer is winning. He has accepted his fate and he shows incredible grace and fearlessness in the face of it. I am so incredibly grateful for him, and for having overcome so much in my own life. He reminds me how precious life can be.

One fact that I love about myself is that as of today, I’ve been clean and sober for 9,126 days. I did it “cold turkey,” as I’ve never been a joiner. I don’t do well in groups, and I don’t necessarily believe in an external “higher power.” I believe in myself. If indeed we are made in god’s image, then I am also a god and my own “higher power.” I understand that not everyone’s wired the same as me, and respect their process, even if it’s different from my own.

As my therapist reminds me often: You do you. Let everyone else do for themselves.