When in the ICU earlier this week I asked myself this question. What regrets would I take into eternity should I not survive? The answer was none.
Brian McAlister
I am sending out this message of overwhelming thankfulness and gratitude to everyone who has kept Paula and I in your prayers this past week. When confronted with the loss of my eyesight while facing head-on my own mortality, it has been the spiritual and emotional clarity that has allowed me to remain positive. I have chosen to spend the past week reflecting on the joys I have experienced rather than fear, regret or missed opportunities. I am reinvigorated with a renewed sense of spiritual wonder and gratitude to the God of my understanding for allowing me to participate so fully in this adventure known as life. My belief in miracles allows me to live a miraculous life. Every setback carries with it greater seed of opportunity.
My belief in miracles allows me to live a miraculous life. Every setback carries with it greater seed of opportunity.
Last week, on what should have been a typical drive to the office, in a millisecond, my idea of self, the future and reality was forever changed. Today, my focus is on how I can turn this seed of opportunity into a blessing for myself and others. We all have experienced life challenges. We also have experienced moments of clarity. This latest moment of clarity is on par with the psychic change and rearrangement of ideas that has allowed me to stay sober for over 33 years. These moments arrive as a hunch, premonition, or an innovative idea that pops into our consciousness.
It is during these moments of clarity that the universal consciousness is reaching out to us. During these momentary lapses of our ego-based reality, the grace of God enters. I have learned to embrace these moments as I would a gift. I accept that my Higher Power built into me the ability to overcome any challenge. The same holds true for you. When in the ICU earlier this week I asked myself this question. What regrets would I take into eternity should I not survive? The answer was none.
That does not mean I do not have character flaws that have not yet been overcome or that I have always made the right decision. It means that when reflecting on the totality of life, I honestly did the best I could with the hand I have been dealt. I have been given more than I will ever be able to repay. I know all too well the darkness of mental illness and its accompanying hopelessness. Through willingness, spiritual growth, mentorship, and perseverance I have overcome the hell of addiction. I have known love and the deepest bonds people can share. I have enjoyed spiritual and material abundance. I am part of the solution and no longer live in the problem. I ask better questions and receive better answers. I have also experienced loss, and although it is sometimes challenging it is a gift for which I am truly grateful. All life’s experiences allow me to stay connected to the body of humanity. I am an individual, yet part of the whole. I get to relate to my fellow men and women through the gift of compassion that develops from shared mutual experiences. Part of the shared human condition is experiencing loss. Had I not had my own addictions, financial, physical, and mental pain, my mentalhealth.org would not have become reality. This is what I meant when I stated every setback contains a greater seed of opportunity. Life happens as it will. I embrace the fact that I am in control of but one thing, my own choices and how I react to situations.
All life’s experiences allow me to stay connected to the body of humanity. I am an individual, yet part of the whole. I get to relate to my fellow men and women through the gift of compassion that develops from shared mutual experiences.
The Romans had a saying Amor Fati. The translation is “the virtue of loving one’s own fate.” It means accepting that whatever we are currently experiencing is not a cosmic conspiracy sent to make us miserable. They are same universal experiences all humans’ encounter. The Roman poet Terrance summed it up in one sentence. “Nothing Human is alien to me.” To embrace this type of thinking requires a moment of clarity and the ability to answer life’s challenges with a hearty yes! It is easier when I accept that there are powers at work that are beyond my control. They are working for my good and yours, too. What began as a moment of clarity has become clarity of vision. A vision once narrowed by addiction, small ideas, and pettiness has grown into a broad view of the horizon and the unlimited possibilities of life.
We, you, and I, are the solution. Waiting on the government, health insurers or anyone else to solve this problem will not get the job done. Mymentalhealth.org was a direct result of a previous moment of clarity when I recognized and accepted that my quality of life is in direct proportion to my spiritual, emotional, and mental health. I have never been so positive I am doing the right thing for the right reason at any time in my life. Just watch the evening news and you will witness the avoidable tragedies resulting from lack of access to mental health care.
Mymentalhealth.org was a direct result of a previous moment of clarity when I recognized and accepted that my quality of life is in direct proportion to my spiritual, emotional, and mental health. I have never been so positive I am doing the right thing for the right reason at any time in my life.
Please be an ambassador for positive change. My Mental Health delivers immediate access to mental health assessments and programs free of charge. Download them, use them, and pass along the good news, give it away. Join the movement. We are a 501 3C in the truest sense of the word. We have no employees; everyone is a volunteer. We can use your help. Mymentalhealth.org will NEVER bill for any of our programs. If you are so situated, please become a monthly donor so we may continue providing this life changing service. Please be part of the solution. Thanks again for your prayers, positive intentions, and continued support.