“Catching lightning in a bottle” is an idiom that means achieving something very difficult or unlikely. We feel that we have caught the elusive bolt – that we have captured the abstract. We have achieved the unachievable. What was once shattered is now completely connected. Courage has replaced fear, love hate, and hope, despair. We have transitioned and are transformed. We are living possibilities that were once impossible. Our unlikely has become our reality.
Exhausted and out of options, we found ourselves at our jumping-off point. Physical death was approaching quickly, and we were ok with that. Our emotional demise had hit such a low that colors actually faded to gray, and that became acceptable. Spirituality existed for others but was not for us, as the bottle had become our god.
There was a storm a brew. We sensed the darkness and felt the chill. Our stability was slipping. What little support we had salvaged was eroding rapidly. We found ourselves out of options as the clouds moved in.
We didn’t hear the voice, but we felt the presence. Survival reared itself as a willingness overtook our stubbornness. Unexplainably, we put our confidence in what we could not see. Without predicting the steps we would take, we moved. We simply put one foot ahead of the other and moved. Lightning found its way into the bottle.
Our conversion happened long before our realization. We were days sober before realizing we were in recovery. The storms remained, though we began to see breaks in the pattern. We accelerated our pace in constant pursuit of a promised peace. We came to comprehend that we were not in charge of the clouds or the energy they produced. We drift, sometimes near danger yet always protected. We come to understand that it is within us to capture the moment – to contain what we have caught.
We are true to ourselves today. Today, we acknowledge the gift. A one-in-a-million event has materialized among us. Lightning has been captured, and our story attracts others to the quest. Will it work for them? We believe it can. Though there is no guarantee, we can say that there will be little chance if one doesn’t try.
We remember the power of willingness and the strength of acceptance. We recall the blind hunt that led us to those who have embraced a program of action. We opened our minds and focused on the catcher rather than the catch.
Our prize sits prominently on the mantel of our minds. The fragility of the attainment is both respected and appreciated. It is there for others to see. It is there for us to learn. For if one can catch lightning in a bottle once, can it be caught again? Are we willing to repeat the process and rid ourselves of other strongholds?
Though very difficult or unlikely, we will set out with some willingness and a prayer.
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from a sober.coffee bonus podcast #187 titled "The PEACE" - Part 2 with Erryk" The podcast dropped on 10/23/2024. Click here to hear the podcast.
Photo by Brandon Morgan on Unsplash
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