NEW BEGINNINGS
At 49 I had my last drink. A hope to die, full tilt, a black belt alcoholic I’d finally had enough. It was time to get sober or die. My recovery began with two trips to rehab. The first a failed attempt to restore a relationship didn’t do it. I was there for her. Not for me. It simply didn’t take because I wasn’t ready.
Two years later I tried again: Only this time for myself. For life. Because to continue on the path I’d chosen would have led to insanity or death. The rehab unit I entered for thirty days was the single greatest self-motivated move of my life. It closed down years ago but the place and the hope they offered were aptly named. “New Beginnings”.
So began a journey that has been both challenging and fascinating. It has delivered a passion for life and for recovery that has sharpened and deepened with time. And with it a great respect for the multitude of benefits that “new beginning” continues to offer. My days are enriched with a powerful sense of gratitude. I am grateful for the helping hands and loving hearts that lifted me out of the dark prison of my addiction and fear based thinking and offered me tools to enjoy a new freedom and a new happiness.
I am grateful for the life I have today, the opportunity to be of service and I’m grateful for the sweet surprises and gifts I couldn’t have planned.
Over 30 years ago I met a bright, young woman in Santa Barbara. A fan of my music her compliments were met with a rude, sexist joke; the nasty humor of a self-obsessed addict. I still cringe to think of my first meeting with Tracey Jackson. Despite my rudeness she continued to enjoy my music and many years later she and her husband Glenn came to hear me sing at a New York supper club. It was another ‘new beginning’. We became great friends and I became a fan of her writing and her wonderful, edgy humor. Seasoned with a parent’s wisdom and her passion to always write the truth I became a faithful reader of her books and her blog.
We collaborated for the first time when I was asked to write a title song for her self-revealing documentary “Lucky Ducks“. A spiritual adventurer she’d traveled many times to India as she developed a love of the country, the people, Hinduism.
Following a screening of the documentary, “Paul Williams, Still Alive” Tracey suggested there was great potential in the recovery process that might serve the entire world. Why couldn’t the same concepts that have been used to heal the life threatening disease of addiction be employed to correct life-limiting habits? For years one of the most commonly heard questions asked by non-addicts of us in recovery is “Why isn’t there something like this for the rest of us?” Gratitude and Trust began to take shape. In the days, weeks and months ahead you’ll learn more about our collaboration, including the book we are co-writing Gratitude and Trust, Recovery is Not Just For Addicts.
Today I celebrate twenty-three years of continuous sobriety. Grateful for the lessons of the past I Trust that the future will meet all my needs and that here, between those two powerful emotions I will continue to find my Perfect Now.
Gratitude and Trust. Welcome. We’re honored to be a part of your journey and hope that your regular visits to our website, Facebook page and Twitter account will feed your spirit with words that inspire and strengthen your commitment to kindness, caring, love and service.
Here’s to a ‘new beginning’ and the blessings of a life lived in Gratitude and Trust.
Paul Williams is a singer, songwriter, actor, recovery advocate and has been a fixture on the American cultural scene since the seventies. His book Gratitude and Trust is now available.