Keep the Key

Every year, thousands of people gather in Punxstawney for a forecasting rodent. Groundhog Day just might be the most hopeful holiday of them all. 

On my way to work this Groundhog Day, I listened to the radio alert live from Gobbler's Knob.  Like many Americans, I hoped that Phil did not see his shadow. He saw his shadow. The groundhog disappoints once more. 

While ultimately this ridiculous ritual means nothing, it made me think about the more meaningful. Days before the weather woodchuck emerged, I was sitting in a training at the Cambria County Central Park Complex. Inside that room, over thirty people spent 6 hours discussing the recovery process.  No groundhog needed. 

In today's times, the news often begins with the drug problem - death, trafficking, burglary, child neglect, and on, and on, and on, Drug recovery is news too. The stories are almost always harder to find. Instead of sensational, these stories are inspirational. The drug problem is extensive and front page material. The drug solution, often miscalculated as easy, is being talked about more and more. Inside that training room, I was encouraged by a group of people trying to make a difference - young and old; male and female; in recovery and not in recovery; established professionals in the field and those learning how to help. 

I hope the days of "Just Say No" and "Lock the door, throw away the key" are over. If that was the game plan, my 6 hour training could have been shortened to 6 seconds. This Monday discussion gave me a lot of insight, but the impact did not really sink in until Punxstawney Phil was on stage. If we are going to have hope in the hog, let's stay hopeful for our neighbors, family members, and friends who have a drug problem - a community health problem. 

And, in the Positive Johnstown spirit, I'd like to rethink the idea of the "second chance". Addiction is a disease of the brain. The "second chance" is something wired into many of our brains; we've learned through culture, classroom, and experience. Your life is your chance. In the recovery process, it is not about counting chances or creating limits. If you counted every time Phil has saw his shadow as a step backwards, he would have had 103 relapses. No one is giving up on the groundhog. 

Be helpful. Be hopeful. Say "Yes" to community initiatives that are solution focused. Unlock the door and your mind. As always, be positive.

Keep the key.