When a tightrope walker steps out onto a wire suspended hundreds of feet in the air, they don’t look down at the ground, and they don’t look around at the cheering crowd. They fix their eyes firmly on the wire right in front of them, calculating exactly where to place their very next step. If they lose focus for even a second, disaster follows. Living in recovery requires this same kind of intense, thoughtful steadiness. If we daydream or stop paying attention to our daily habits, it’s incredibly easy to slip back into old ways of thinking. We don’t stay sober or emotionally healthy by accident; it requires “careful thought”. Ongoing attention keeps recovery steady. It means being mindful of our triggers, our attitudes, and our environments. By taking a daily inventory of our thoughts and actions, we can catch a small wobble before it turns into a major fall. Steadiness is found in the small, daily choices to stay on the path. | 
