Day 686
A common phrase in recovery is,
"Progress, not perfection."
These words are not an excuse for imperfection; they are essential as a daily reminder that tomorrow can be better than yesterday, and that staying sober today is better than the life I once lived.
Progress is better than perfection for this reason: Perfection is unattainable, while progress is possible every day. Progress is also sustainable, while human perfection is little more than a state of self-delusion usually reserved for TV preachers and ambitious politicians.
Does knowing that keep me from wanting to be perfect? Not usually. Maybe not ever. But the more I focus on progress — spiritual as well as sexual and emotional — the less I am interested in attaining a level of living that no longer requires growth.
I am learning that personal improvement, one day at a time, is the essence of recovery. I suspect it is the essence of life, but I'll stay in my lane for now and be thankful for a family, a program, and a community of addicts that encourages me to be the best I can be and to stop worrying about being the best that has ever been.
–JR
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