Imperfection and Recovery
Recovery does not cure us of every human imperfection or eliminate all pain in our lives.
I used to think that recovery meant I would stop making mistakes, period. The quote is a necessary, grounding reminder: Recovery does not cure us of every human imperfection. This is where I must adjust my expectations. I am still a human being who will get irritated, defensive, and scared. The disease of perfectionism used to demand that I hide those moments, which only prolonged my suffering.
True recovery is not the absence of imperfection; it is the presence of tools. I am learning to welcome my humanness because those imperfections are the very things that point me back toward the Steps. They remind me that I am powerless, that I need my Higher Power, and that I need the practice of inventory. Recovery allows me to be perfectly imperfect and still make progress.
Today, if I make a small mistake or say something awkward, I will practice immediately saying, 'I am human, and I am recovered.' I will use the moment of imperfection to deepen my reliance on the tools, not my self-criticism.
