January 5th: Reclaiming the Present

January 5th - Reflection for the Day

Today is my lucky day. How often in the past we said that, when it was an empty prophesy. Today, those words are real; I am being given a second chance. In my gambling days, I sacrificed every today for a dream of some distant tomorrow. Of all that I lost, I grieve most for all those todays—I cannot bring them back. But today—this day—I have. I will not sacrifice it or waste it.

Do I truly believe that today is mine, that today I can choose to be happy, to grow, and to learn to live, instead of counting on some pie-in-the-sky day in the far-off future?

Today I Pray

I pray that the colors of this day may not be blurred by muted vagaries of the future or dulled by storm-gray remnants from the past. I pray that my Higher Power will help me choose my actions and concerns out of the wealth of busyness that each day offers.

Today I Will Remember

I will not lose for today, if I choose for today.

In my gambling days, I used to chase an elusive "lucky day," a future moment when everything would magically fall into place. That day never came—not in the way I imagined. Instead, I sacrificed countless todays for a dream that only left me emptier.

Recovery has taught me that luck isn’t something I stumble upon; it’s something I create through my choices in this moment. Today is my second chance. It’s my opportunity to be present, to grow, and to truly live—not as part of some grand plan for tomorrow, but for the beauty of this day itself.

There’s a quiet power in realizing that I don’t need to wait for someday to be happy. I can choose happiness now, in the little things: a genuine smile, a small victory, or even just the peace of knowing I’m not gambling my life away anymore.

Every day is a fresh start, a clean slate to live with intention and gratitude. I no longer grieve the days I lost because today, I get to reclaim my life, one moment at a time.