Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023
Today’s Gift from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Don’t Let the Past Ruin Today
When I was sobering up, I needed to be employed through a “work therapy” program. I was in a meeting with my counselor looking for jobs when I told her that I liked working at the VA hospital, so I wanted to get a job here. She looked at me like I had lost my mind. I am a convicted felon and would have to pass a background check. But I had accepted that my life was more valuable than what was on paper. I graduated drug court, and I showed up to work every day. I walked miles and rode buses to get there. I was on a mission to get hired at the VA medical center.
I realized the mountain I needed to climb to be considered for federal employment. I applied for the job, and my background was flagged. I called the background investigator and was honest about everything. He said that a housekeeping or kitchen position might be a better fit. I could have accepted that as a small victory, but it wasn’t the position that I was training for. By the end of the call, he gave me a job in what I was trained to do, sterile processing. I just celebrated my second year of federal employment. Life changed when I started believing in myself again.
Today I will live in the moment and not let my past ruin today.
Hazelden Foundation
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