About Twenty-four

A few years ago, a long and difficult struggle with addiction had left me with very little hope that I would ever be well again. Ashamed, exhausted from continuing to pick myself up only to fall again and terrified of literally everything, my once strong faith had dimmed to a burning ember. In that dark but miraculous moment however, that small bit of faith was enough to help me come to the decision to give recovery one final try.

Thinking about the past filled me with overwhelming shame and guilt and thinking about the future paralyzed me with fear beyond anything I had ever experienced. The only option to survive this without an anesthetic was to focus only on the 24 hours in front of me.

Then something wonderful happened. By living 24 hours at a time, doing the next right thing in each day, and leveraging the unwavering support of my family and friends – the 24-hour segments started to add up into weeks. Then into months. And I am proud to say - now years.

While there have been many gifts of recovery – more than I can even begin to count – one of the greatest gifts has been learning to live in and be truly present for each day. There is absolutely nothing you or I can do to change yesterday, and tomorrow and everything it may bring is yet unknown – thus living in the day is truly the only thing that deserves our focus. The freedom that comes from this is indescribable, and for me at least has led to a life full of wonderful things that I would never have even dreamed of.

Despite the many benefits I would love to say that living in the present is second nature to me now, but it is not. I need constant reminders so that I do not dwell on past failures or mistakes or get consumed by what might or might not happen tomorrow. To help, some good friends helped me create “twenty-four” for myself and anyone else who could benefit from a gentle reminder to be present and stay in the day.

To pay it forward, all purchases give back to organizations that support those struggling with mental health and addiction. As I can attest, there is hope and it starts with just one day.

May you all have a beautiful twenty-four.

- Kate