Saturday Story #9 The Journey
Rediscover a love for fiction, because stories can change the world
These fiction stories are unedited, unfiltered, and written in 15-25 minutes. Please be aware that they may contain intense material related to emotional healing, trauma recovery, and redirected fears.
Written at Berkeley Creative Living Center January 25, 2013
I set out on a quest to destroy the evil in the land, but first I must confront the evil inside of me. Don’t get me wrong, I am not an evil person, but we all have areas of weakness in our lives. For me, it was the demon alcohol. I thought that defeating this force was simply a matter of not picking up a drink. Boy was I wrong. The longing to drink was inside me. I had to banish it from my soul in order to save my life. And so, I went along a journey of change. It was treacherous, over steep precipices and sharp rocks, cliffs and valleys, waterfalls crashing with life ending force. I had to walk through the depths of my psyche and confront the part of me that was selfish to its core. I had to see that I had become someone I wasn’t proud to be. I had exchanged my life for a moment of imitational comfort. I sought serenity in a substance that brought chaos. I fought and fought hoping to someday be free of the obsession to drink. It wasn’t until I came to the city of hope that I was able to see beyond my own suffering.
In this city were the happy people. They welcomed me in, but I didn’t trust t heir kindness. It scared me. People shouldn’t be so nice unless they want something, but they said all they wanted was to help me follow a new path, a new way of life where I would find the peace I sought after.
I ventured in leaving my bottle of reliance at the city gates. And there I came to beautiful landscapes, birds and flowers, rainbows and butterflies. I found my place among them and no longer needed to rely on a substance. I found myself and began to give to others. I found friendship and love. But I always remembered the treacherous journey to get here and when new people came I welcomed them in, I accepted them, and showed them the same love I was shown.
Today’s Insights
I wrote this story almost ten years ago today-January 21, 2023. At the time I had four years sober, but still was deeply struggling with suicidality, self-injury, and often becoming obsessed again with the longing for relief that came from a drink. It took a long time and a lot of hard to work to get to where I am today, a place where I’m able to feel my emotions fully, experience peace and grief at the same time, to feel I truly have community and belong, to feel a deep connection to my higher power and purpose. When I wrote this story, I wasn’t where I was when I was drinking and I also wasn’t where I wanted to be. The same is true for me today. I still struggle with a lot of difficulties, I may not be where I want to be, but I’m not where I was ten years ago, and I’m not where I was when I was drinking. Getting sober was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It was harder than completing undergrad going on to graduate school and graduating with a Master’s in Counseling Psychology, which included a year and a half long internship at the school counseling center. To anyone struggling today, you’re not alone and the struggle is real. The powerlessness is such that cannot be explained. Yet, as I began to embrace and really know that I was powerless over alcohol, I was able to ask for help and actually receive and internalize the help when I got it. The journey isn’t easy, there’s a simplicity to it, but it is treacherous and not for the faint of heart. Whatever your journey may be it is my hope that you find the courage to continue on and that one day, even if it takes ten or more years, you come to a place of feeling love and peace.
You’re Turn
If you wish to continue the story in your own creative writing or prose you can start by following this format and seeing what comes. You could also answer the following questions for fiction to continue the story or answer the questions for prose that can be used as journal prompts, for essays, or poetry.
Prompts for Fiction
Write a fictional scene illustrating when the character first meets the people in the new city
Write a scene that involves the character greeting someone new
Write a scene of relapse or about the inability to stop doing something no matter how hard one tries
Prompts for Prose
Write about a time when someone’s kindness scared you
What is it like to need help? Can you ask for it?
Write a poem about a journey
How have you grown or changed over the last ten years?
What weakness in your life do you wish you could be rid of?
If you have received kindness in your life how do you or could you give that same type of kindness to someone else?