October 28 – We All Need Somebody
“I just might have a problem that you’ll understand / We all need somebody to lean on.” — Bill Withers
Some days the best inventory I can do isn’t neat. It’s not a perfect paragraph or a moral essay. Sometimes it’s a napkin and a pen, sitting in the car, scribbling out what just happened and how I feel about it. The point isn’t to look smart — it’s to get the thoughts out of my head and into the light. Because left alone, my brain can take a small problem and turn it into a whole season of bad television.
When I write it down, I start to see patterns — where I overreacted, where fear crept in, where I might owe an apology. And when I share that stuff with another drunk who’s been there, it’s like taking the pressure off a valve. A sick mind can’t heal a sick mind, but two honest ones can make sense of the mess together.
Sometimes all recovery asks of me is this: pick up a pen, tell the truth, and let someone else read the scribbles. That’s how I get my head clear enough to hear God again.
When was the last time you picked up a pen?
