A Meth User Helped Me Walk in Presence!
by Janet Little

 A methamphetamine user triggered one of my best lessons in walking in Presence. I did not like her one bit. It was in a substance abuse disorder (SUD) treatment program, that grueling, yet magical place somewhere between hell and heaven where treatment staff holds the space of respect and vision and a helping hand to help substance abusers—the correct term for addicts and alcoholics—pull themselves out of the muck and learn how to live. The “learn how to live” bit is one place the magic lies.

Magic happens in treatment programs.

In a good outpatient treatment program clients (patients) learn what keeps them repeating unhealthy choices. That means facing squarely issues of self-esteem and negative patterns like denial, blame, justification; and learning to forgive self and others, learning assertive communication and how to speak one’s truth without projectile-vomiting words that cannot be taken back. It means connecting with a Higher Power—in 12-step related programs, my favorite—all things that make me think nearly everyone could benefit from one.

A counselor is blessed repeatedly by signs of the egg cracking and the little bird, so wet and vulnerable and full of life, pecking itself out. There are moments when one worries if the pecking has stopped and the emerging one will die in the shell. There are moments of heartbreak like sitting in a restaurant and watching a most promising client walk by outside—disheveled, clearly oblivious, high on his drug of choice, heroin. I knew he wouldn’t be in group the next day, that I might never see him again. There are moments when counseling feels like descending into hell.

The moments of joy and satisfaction are one part of what sustains a SUD counselor. Another is the love that treatment staff have for the clients and the work done together. A third is the literature resources, abundant and remarkable, such as daily meditation guidebooks, which may have begun and certainly rose to popularity in the recovery movement, providing daily inspiration to millions of people recovering from all manner of addictions and negative behavior patterns and simply for those who desire to live a more conscious life.

David’s daily inspiration book inspires us to higher consciousness!

Accustomed to using a number of these daily guides, I was delighted when David Christopher Lewis released his book, Love on the Path Home—Daily Meditations on Living in Presence. As I write this (August 1), today’s reading is “perfect” as is frequently, delightedly the case.

“Living from the heart is a divine activity. It’s something that we consciously do, and we do it because we know that it is wonderful for us and for others. We do it because love flows through our heart and we choose love rather than something else. Living in a heart-centered way from that sacred space that exists right within us, we always consider our heart and the hearts of others in the crucible of our decision making, in the moments before we speak or before any major activity occurs—and eventually, as we master our heart, before we do anything.

“Living from the heart means being authentic, being who we are instead of being someone else or what someone else thinks that we should be. Being who we are allows us to manifest our beingness as it flows through and from out heart rather than from our brain. Being authentic means being real, true, principled, and honest with ourselves and others—being true to our Higher Self. When we act from that beingness that flows from the higher Self, authenticity emanates thorough our entire being.”

A recovering addict/alcoholic could relate to that. A recovering angel, waking up to find herself in a physical body, could relate to that. I can relate to that.

Choosing to live an authentic life is essential in recovery. It is essential in living in Presence. Remember that methamphetamine addict, who taught me a lesson in walking in Presence? I’ll call her Sharon, and I really did not like her. In twelve years of substance abuse treatment, Sharon was the one person I never did come to like. I suspect she was still using. And active meth users—courting with the demons that attach themselves to drain cleaner, battery acid and cold medicine cooked together in that special way that contaminates lives, houses and children—are not my friends.

Still, Sharon was my client and she deserved respect. I might be planting seeds in Sharon’s consciousness, however rocky, polluted and barren it seemed to be at the time. So, what did I do? I demanded of myself that Sharon have a fair shot at the life-promoting treatment that is group therapy. I demanded I get my human consciousness out of the way. Once I determined that, I was conscious of listening to my heart and of speaking with some kind of heart-wisdom that was greater than my human wisdom. With every breath I was intent on allowing my Higher Self to be the one speaking through that heart-wisdom. Sharon taught me a big lesson about walking in my Presence.

You can find David’s daily inspiration book at www.heartscenter.org/Shop/Books/Love on the Path Home.

David Christopher Lewis is coming to Boise!

David Christopher Lewis, spiritual teacher, author and composer will be presenting September 12-15, 2024 in Mt. Shasta, California at “A Solar Celebration of Light” and will be coming to Boise in early 2025. For more information about The Hearts Center—Boise, please call 630-894-4410 or email friends@heartscenter.org.