Writing Prompt: “Work in Progress”

 Prompt: what does “work in progress” mean to you?

When I hear the well-known phrase “work in progress,” I immediately think of my life as it has stretched out before me, both past and present, at times painful and others extremely happy and content. It means reaching milestones, putting in the work, whether to confront my demons and make drastic life changes, or simply implement routines to reach a serene existence. 

I guess “work in progress” means effort, and God knows I’ve put a lot of effort into bettering myself, healing myself, particularly in the past six years I’ve been in total sobriety. Twenty years ago, I had to come to the major realization that I had a dual diagnosis of both substance abuse disorder as well as bipolar type 1 disorder, and this would require tackling two things head on with rigid med compliance and complete abstention from all mood altering substances. At first, that was no easy task, and I struggled for years to find some semblance of sanity in all the chaos.

 I have some major regret that I didn’t fall into line until I was age 50. So many wasted years spent fighting and tinkering with my meds and chasing a marijuana buzz to quell anxiety that would have been handled if I just took my meds properly. But I guess this was just the “progression” of the work I had to do, and all I can say is thank God I finally cleaned my act up before it was too late. I’ve lost friends who also had a dual diagnosis, and it’s oh so painful to attend a funeral of someone gone before it should have been their time.

Today I devote my time to working on my Steps with sponsor Shawn, working with my treatment team to stay med compliant and in a healthy mental state, and working with my family, friends and AA fellowship so I feel supported and understood. I still have some bad days, but the vast majority are good, and I’m so grateful to have this sobriety I have worked hard for. With my life as a work in progress, that sort of indicates to me that new challenges might very well emerge in the future, but today I feel equipped to handle whatever comes my way. For with past work comes experience, with progress comes strength.