“Get busy living, or get busy dying”

The Shawshank redemption is a great movie and a great Stephen King short story. This quote has played periodically in my mind for years, usually when I am afraid to do something new. Humans are cursed/blessed with a sense of mortality. There is no way to sugar coat it, each day, we are closer to death.

Now that we have cheered things up a bit let’s see how this plays into our plan to live each day better than the last. To start, being aware or your surroundings is helpful. You can’t change things if you are not aware of them. Numbing your brain either means you are not allowing yourself to truly feel joy or that you are avoiding discomfort.

Energy is not an infinite resource and the more you drink, the less energy you have. I used to think a drink or two would perk me up. The immediate sugar rush would rev me up but the crash was soon behind. I have never “fallen asleep” on a night I did not drink. You may think you have great ideas and plans but they all end when the action stops. When you quit drinking you will have more energy.

Sometimes more energy is a scary thing. The numbing and dulling you have been using to cope with harfd things can make dealing with reality tough. This energy can make you feel and think uncomfortable things. Maybe you don’t like your job. Maybe you feel lonely. Energy can feel like panic. Learn to make friends with this new energy. Like a puppy that is not yet trained, there will be some messiness. Put down some newspapers and get to work!

Continuing to drink is not helping you live. Make a choice today to be an active participant in your life, not an observer to your slow demise.