Day 15: Elevate The Profoundly Unprofound

“To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter… to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life.”

― John Burroughs, Leaf and Tendril

It’s morning. The sun is just rising to heft the fog up from the water. A single gull breaks through the mist, followed by another, and another… A fluttering white cloud, they move as one toward their morning roost, the metal roof of the dock below. They swoop to and fro, high and low, in a graceful ballet until one finally, gently touches down on the roof. Tucks his wings. Lowers his head. Rests. The others descend one by one. Tuck their wings. Lower their heads. Rest.

I’ve been in this place a week. This happens every morning. There is nothing profound about it. It is ordinary. Normal. Common place.

This morning, though, my eyes are intent. They follow to and fro and and high and low in a graceful ballet without the distraction of weariness. My heart is a quiet murmuring steady thrum that does not draw my attention. My spirit is a sure-footed sprite calmly waiting to see where the day will carry me.

It is a profoundly, unprofound moment.

I remember the first time I noticed the beauty of a moment like this. An awesome but totally, profoundly, unprofound moment.

It was an afternoon at work. We were holding another meeting, same as every day. The sun was shining through a window. It was a little warm in the room.

Regular. Run of the mill. Ho-hum.

That’s when I noticed that I felt…comfortable. I wasn’t struggling to stay awake because I hadn’t slept the night before. I wasn’t strumming my fingers waiting until I could get home to fix a drink to chase away my anxiety and energize me. I wasn’t shouldering the constant worry about my drinking that had been an ever-present weight for years. I hadn’t had a drink in several months.

I said to myself, marveling, “So this is what normal feels like.”

For years I had tried to hold on to the profound positive effects of drinking, the profound light-heartedness, the profound relaxation, the profound escape from reality for a little while, without grabbing onto the profound negative effects at the same time. You know what I’m talking about. But those profound effects, the positive and the negative, are two sides of the same coin. We flip that coin up in the air every time we drink hoping it will always land head’s up, but it doesn’t.

The first few times I successfully drank in moderation, I was disappointed. There was no profoundness in it. I asked myself, “Why’d I even bother? ” Again, I was hoping the moderation coin would land head’s up every time and I’d still get to feel the profound positive effects of drinking without the profound negative effects.

Moderation is the trick of learning not to toss the coin in the air and, instead, drawing it from your pocket with the intent of achieving balance, having it stay on its edge and not landing on either side. It takes lots of practice and a deft hand but it can be done. Abstinence is keeping that coin in your pocket. Whichever you choose, you need to learn to recognize, appreciate and elevate the profoundly unprofound.

Time for the weekly Systems Check. Here’s hoping it is profoundly unprofound:

Systems Check:

Every Monday of this month, we’ll be doing a quick systems check to assess how those repairs are going. Try to do this as a compassionate observer instead of a critic, we’ll learn more about this next Monday but for right now, just do a quick once-over.

Physical: 

Head:

Eyes:

Complexion:

Heart (If it is concerning you, please contact your medical provider.):

Tummy:

Skeleto-Muscular System: Any muscle aches or injuries?

Mental/Emotional:

Energy:

Anxiety:

Outlook:

Share the results of your systems check in the comments below or in the private Dryuary 2025 Facebook group.

by Mary Reid
Moderation Management Executive Director, author of Neighbor Kary May’s Handbook to Happily Drinking Less or Not Drinking At All with the Support on Online Communities, editor/writer of Moderate Drinking Success Stories and Lessons Learned: Tales from the MM Community and Beyond and creator/writer of MM’s Kickstart Moderation Program.