A House Plant Teaches me About Relationships, Love, and Joy
Talking about this plant in an Al Anon meeting helped me see the metaphor
I’ve been attending Al Anon meetings ever since my relationship began its long, painful process of either falling apart or growing — or possibly, a little bit of both.
In case you’re unfamiliar with Al Anon, it’s a 12-step group for family and friends of alcoholics. I’ve recently come to realize that my dad has always been an alcoholic, and growing up in a home like that has led me to develop a constant feeling of fear and some coping mechanisms that no longer serve me.
I’m also becoming more aware of the fact that my partner has alcoholic tendencies at times too, namely, when his stress levels are high… which they have been lately.
So many things from these meetings have spoken to me, this one in particular:
“Al Anon gives some of us the courage to leave and others the courage to stay.”
The person who led, giving a ten minute talk that others could reflect on, spoke about how he’d gotten out of a relationship with the love of his life because he decided one day that he wanted to enjoy his life.
