too long.

As children, many of us were deprived of the right to experiment. 

Many of us are depriving ourselves of the right to experiment and 

learn as adults.

Now is the time to experiment. It is an important part of recovery. 

Let yourself try things. Let yourself try something new. Yes, you 

will make mistakes. But from those mistakes, you can learn what 

your values are.

Some things we just won't like. That's good. Then we'll know a 

little more about who we are and what we don't like.

Some things we will like, they will work with our values. They 

will work with who we are, and we will discover something 

important and life enriching.

There is a quiet time in recovery, a time to stand still and heal, 

a time to give ourselves a cooling off time. This is a time of 

introspection and healing. It is an important time. We deal 

with our issues.

There also comes a time when it is equally important to 

experiment, to begin to test the water.

Recovery does not equal abstention from life. Recovery means 

learning to live and learning to live fully. Recovery means 

exploration, investigation, and experimentation.

Recovery means being done with the rigid, shame-based rules 

from the past, and formulating healthy values based on self-love, 

love for others, and living in harmony with this world.

Experiment. Try something new. Maybe you won't like it. Maybe 

you'll make a mistake. But maybe you will like it, and maybe 

you'll discover something you love.

Today, I will give myself permission to experiment in life. I will 

stop rigidly holding myself back, and I will jump in when jumping 

in feels right. God, help me let go of my need to deprive myself 

of being alive.