We enjoyed a very relaxing Thanksgiving long weekend here in our house. We had a lovely traditional turkey dinner last night and then Grandboy slept over. Grandboy sleepovers are one of the highlights in our life these days for sure. At this moment the little munchkin is lying somewhat upside down in our armchair (he is 6) completely fascinated by something called “The 72 Most Dangerous Animals” on Netflix. Soul Mate is trying to convince Grandboy and I that we need to go outside but it’s raining and neither of us are having any of that. I really don’t want to get dressed today if I can get away with it. You ever feel like that?

I think I’ll have a cup of creamed earl grey tea and read my novel here on the couch for a bit. If Grandboy approves, I might try to grab a nap in a wee bit because, why wouldn’t I? My dear friend Sharonlee – who is also our partner on the Mexico retreats – is in town just for the weekend and is coming over for dinner. I’ve seen her twice already this weekend – feeling pretty special as I know she has a lot of people to see. I expect that we’ll sit down and do some retreat planning, although we’ve done so many retreats we don’t have all that much to discuss. Sharonlee won’t care if I am still in my pyjamas.

Here’s the thing about this weekend – we are supposed to be giving thanks. Right? And I do and I did. Thing is, although I can fail miserably at it some days, I really do try to live my life in a state of gratitude. That might explain why this weekend doesn’t feel like a really big deal to me. I’m wondering if other people in recovery feel this way. Should we feel gratitude more than other people this weekend because we are in recovery and gratitude is just something we do? Or can we take it easy on gratitude because we are pretty damned good at it all the rest of the year too? These are the types of questions that women who think too much come up with. Seriously.

Regardless of what the correct answer is to the above question – I know that I can always come up with a list of things to be thankful for on the spot or over a weekend or any old time at all. So here’s today’s list:

I’m grateful that my First Born daughter is enjoying the heck out of her pregnancy and she – like the rest of us – is delightfully excited about the daughter she is expecting
I’m grateful that my husband is the best partner a girl could have and takes such good care of our life, our home, and me (I haven’t cooked dinner since January and even then, it was only because he was out of town)
I’m grateful that one week from today I will have the privilege of voting in our national election
I’m grateful that I get to visit my second-fave place on the planet next month when we hold our fifth yoga and recovery retreat on the beach in Mexico
I’m grateful that I get to stay in Mexico until early January
I’m thankful that my Dad’s health is good as he comes up to his 85th birthday
I’m grateful for my bed and for hot water
I’m grateful for my sister, all of our kids and their partners, our 3.5 grandchildren and most of our other family members
I’m grateful for all of the strong, wonderful, recovering women who have my back in my real life and my cyber life (She Recovers)
I’m grateful that people love Yoga Kid’s Mala bracelets and necklaces (given that she quit her job to do yoga and Malas full time)
I’m grateful that there is a surge of energy again in the recovery advocacy movement – I seem to have more connections with even more passionate people than in the past – we are going to help make this recovery thing even cooler and made available than it is now
I’m grateful to Hazelden Betty Ford for reasons I can’t really get into at the moment
I’m grateful that people are really coming alive to the fact that we recover best when we are encouraged to choose and follow our own pathways of recovery
I’m grateful that we are learning more and more about more and more different ways to recover
I’m grateful that I choose recovery every day
I’m grateful to god – and all that she means to me
And I’m grateful for you – for being here and reading this

Happy Thanksgiving from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. May your day be relaxing and fulfilling and may you enjoy it in the comfiest clothes or pyjamas possible.

I’m out.

Love,

Dawn

Shelly Dimitrijevic

Shelly Dimitrijevic’s professional and philanthropic activities have always focused on improving the lives of others. She began her nursing career at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis and went on to become a LifeFlight nurse specializing in neonatal, pediatric, and cardiovascular intensive care.

Shelly has been involved with numerous charities focusing on children and education including the Charlee and the Chocolate Factory gala, The Venus Orbit, Design For A Cure, Jackson Memorial, and Impact Oasis. In 2010 she founded the Lotus program, a program that focused on educating parents on the nutritional needs of children and basic child development. Shelly also served on the Frost Science Museum gala committee for 7 years before Co-Chairing the event in 2015.

After a diagnosis of Celiac disease and subsequently receiving Certification as a Nutritional Consultant, Shelly recognized that topically applied products have an effect on her Celiac Disease and overall health. She turned her focus to developing skincare that was free of toxic and hormone-disrupting ingredients.

Since she lost her only sibling in 2012 Shelly has been determined to find a way to contribute to the recovery community in a way that can make a great impact and ensure that others have the resources necessary when they are struggling.

Shelly's substantial contributions to SHE RECOVERS of both time and resources have been instrumental and deeply appreciated.

Kirsten Newquist

As a result of being introduced to SHE RECOVERS through retreats and meet-ups, Kirsten will be starting her yoga teacher training in the fall. These retreats also led her to become more deeply involved with SHE RECOVERS in a volunteer capacity. Kirsten was instrumental in setting up some of the Foundation's grassroots groups and currently volunteers her time helping SHE RECOVERS Foundation to design and implement the Volunteer Chapter Network. Kirsten and her husband recently moved from Southern California to Roswell, Georgia to be closer to Kirsten's sister and two young nieces. When she isn't spending time being an aunt, you can find Kirsten hanging out with their rescue Labrador or exploring their new state.

Mary Beth O'Connor

Mary Beth is a founding member of SHE RECOVERS Support for Legal Professionals and is active at the local level with SHE RECOVERS in the Bay Area. Mary Beth has been living a sober life in recovery for over 26 years. She also has a history of trauma and abuse, from which she’s worked hard to recover as well. 6 years into her recovery, Mary Beth attended Berkeley Law. She worked at a large firm in Silicon Valley, then litigated class actions for the federal government. In 2014 Mary Beth was appointed an Administrative Law Judge. She recently retired, so she could devote her time to completing her writing and being more active in the recovery community.

She regularly speaks on behalf of LifeRing and develops relationships with organizations supportive of the multiple pathways approach. In August 2020, Mary Beth had an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, I Beat Addiction without God, where she described building a personal recovery plan by combining ideas from LifeRing, Women for Sobriety, and Narcotics Anonymous. In November 2020 she had an op-ed published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, I was a federal judge, and I support Safehouse. Here’s why. She is currently working on a full-length memoir.

Taryn Strong

Taryn Strong is a founder of SHE RECOVERS® Foundation as well as a trauma-informed yoga instructor, recovery coach, aromatherapist, and herbalist (and daughter to Mama Dawn). Taryn has developed a unique yoga retreat program and led over 40 yoga for recovery retreats since 2012. She is also the host of the SHE RECOVERS Podcast and most recently created and taught the inaugural trauma-informed SHE RECOVERS Yoga Teacher Training Program. Operating from a trauma-informed lens and a firm believer in anti-oppressive practices, Taryn brings an empathic and invitational approach to healing - empowering women to find and follow individualized pathways and patchworks of recovery.

Taryn's courageous vulnerability and passion for recovering out-loud has made her an influential voice in the global recovery movement - smashing the stigma often associated with substance use and mental health issues. Taryn creates and lives with her beloved and two dogs within the ancestral and unceded traditional territory of the Hul’qumi’num and SENĆOŦEN speaking peoples (Saltspring Island).

Susan Carter

Susan is an architect of hope and healing with over 30 years of experience in providing executive-level leadership to heart-centered teams in the non-profit realm. Since joining SHE RECOVERS® Foundation as Executive Director in April 2020, Susan continues to weave her experience with her passion to help other women receive what she has been so graciously given – long-term recovery from substance use disorder, body image issues, codependency, perfectionism, and moral injury.

Susan’s work in the treatment industry quickly revealed how stigma kept women struggling with mental health issues and addiction from seeking help, and the lack of resources available to them once they did. Having served as a founding employee of Susan G. Komen for the Cure for 20 years, playing an integral role in creating the global grassroots movement that changed the way breast cancer is talked about and treated, she felt called to utilize that experience to do the same for women struggling with mental health and substance use disorders.

Celebrating more than 27 years of continuous sobriety, Susan is a Certified Peer Support Worker (CPSW) in the state of New Mexico to provide resources and peer support to those in or seeking recovery. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her fur family of four, Alex, Chaco, Bodhi, and Gracie.

Dawn Nickel

Dawn Nickel, Founder of SHE RECOVERS® Foundation, is a thought leader in the women's recovery sphere as well as an accomplished leader, dedicated researcher, and visionary in the recovery moment. She holds a Ph.D. in health care policy with extensive experience in researching and writing about women experiencing substance use disorders, mental health challenges, and intimate partner violence. Dawn started her own journey of recovery from a substance use disorder and domestic violence in 1987. She is also in recovery from anxiety, grief, trauma, overworking, and cancer. Dawn's tell-it-like-it-is wisdom has created a ripple effect where you will often hear her quotes "the shit you did is just the shit you did - it's not who you are" and "recovering from all the things" resonating throughout many recovery realms.

Currently working on her first book, Dawn is living proof that in a world where all women in or seeking recovery are celebrated, supported, and deemed essential to healthy communities - anything is possible. She is fondly referred to as Mama Dawn in the SHE RECOVERS Community and to her daughters Taryn and Ashley. Dawn lives, works, and plays with her beloved grandchildren on the traditional territories of the Lkwungen speaking peoples on Vancouver Island.

Nika is just one of more than 325,000 women in the She Recovers Community.

“Alcohol is what brought me into recovery but for me, it didn't tell the full story. That is why I love SHE RECOVERS so much. We don't just talk about our demons and the drugs and the alcohol, we talk about the real issues that led us to using those things in the first place.”— Nika

When she was ready to deal with her past traumas and what drove her to drink, SHE RECOVERS was there. Sadly an estimated 34 million women are suffering from mental health/substance use disorders.

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4 Comments

First born on October 12, 2015 at 1:41 pm

I’m greatful to be number one on your list 😉
- Dawn Nickel on October 12, 2015 at 6:55 pm
  
  You will always be my first true love, Ashley.
BJ Hundley on October 21, 2015 at 10:47 pm

I am grateful for you and all your caring guidance through recovery!
- Dawn Nickel on November 1, 2015 at 3:36 pm
  
  I adore you 🙂

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