“The cockroach is as beautiful and miraculous as the butterfly.”

We have a tendency to be fearful of the things which we find ugly.

Be that physical objects such as insects or spiders or a homeless hunchback with boils on his head, or the mental aspects of our character; selfishness, sloth, self-centeredness, arrogance, dishonesty…
Many of us are so afraid to face these things that we find a way to cope and, mostly in vain, to avoid them. 

With a cockroach we may scream and run away or smash it to pieces with the nearest slipper. For the mental there is solace to be found in drugs and alcohol. We literally try to drown our sorrows. 

After all, drinking a bottle of vodka and having temporary relief from the pain is far easier than facing the fears head on, right?

As I grow in the 12 step programs of recovery I am beginning to understand what the phrase “life on life’s terms” really means. To stick with my analogy – you will inevitably encounter both cockroaches and butterflies as you go about your day. 

One of the gifts of spiritual fitness, gained through practicing the program, is that I realise I must take the good and bad in the same way. That I have nothing to fear. 

They are as equally whole as each other and both offer an experience from which I can learn and grow…

Provided, of course, that I don’t scream and run away!

ILML

— Adam