Every now and again, you get a reminder that you are exactly where you should be. This happened to me just recently, and I am so grateful for that reminder.
I was scheduled to go do a radio show in LA last week, and I was just so exhausted and overwhelmed with a busy workweek that I just wanted to relax instead. But I had this scheduled for over a week, and knew that in the end, I would be happy that I drove out there to do the show and get a chance to keep on my path of raising awareness about addiction. So, I pulled it together and went -- and thank God I did.
I found out that a close friend of my family's was struggling with addiction and needed help. She was out by LA, and since I was going there anyway, I offered to help in any way I could. I would do anything for my family, and for those that are close to my family, so I was prepared to do whatever was asked of me. I ended up holding a one-on-one intervention with this family friend, and was able to get her to accept treatment. By the next day, she was in a rehab facility and has since been working on getting sober.
I spent many years of my life hanging around people who were no good for me. The saying really is true that "you are only as good as the company you keep." I say this because when I was using and getting into trouble, I was hardly doing anything good for myself -- never mind for others. Now that I am sober, I have a whole new lifestyle, filled with people that are good influences and inspirational overall. I truly believe that my new surroundings have allowed me to make a positive impact on myself and others, as evidenced by my most recent efforts. I thrive off of helping people, and it serves as another one of my natural highs.
Above all else, I think this whole experience of not wanting to go out to LA in the first place, but seeing how beneficial it really was, was a message from God that I am exactly where I need to be. I was put in this position for a reason, and by the grace of God, the timing couldn't have been more perfect. To me, nothing is better than getting that unexplainable reassurance that I am exactly where I am supposed to be!