A Very Special GRATITUDE DAY!

I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Today is a very special ¤ JohnnyO Gratitude Day! ¤

Image by Natalia Lavrinenko from Pixabay

The Journey UP Denial

Sobriety? When I’m ready, Dammit!

In all of my euphoria, and enjoying the warm glow of this Christmas season, in 2025,

1821 days Sober as I write this on December 23, 2025, I almost forgot to pay tribute to three very important women and a slew of others who were with me all the way, EVEN WHILE I was still furiously paddling up the River of DENIAL.

They are, respectively, my therapist Aimee, my friend and advocate Nicole, and my Writing collaborator and volunteer biographer, Niki.

I met Aimee shortly after my half-hearted, disoriented suicide attempt on April 20, 2020.

Which, really, in retrospect, was nothing more than a lost and helpless cry for help. It was in that early dark period that I grasped the fact that I had issues other than just alcoholism.

At that point, I began the process of going to regular therapy. This was a very important facet of my overall recognition of the fact that I had challenges other than just overindulgence with alcohol. Aimee helped me get there with Grace and encouragement, and I continued my weekly therapy with her long after entering the 2-year residential program at Providence House.

WAY BACK in 2014 or so, I was fortunate to meet Nicole, the curator, social activist, and founder of Wild Dream Walks. At that point in my life, Nicole was always there for me and used to encourage me and help me in many ways, including taking me to Mile Hi Church, even though I was homeless. She then got together with my son and a couple of my childhood friends to stage an intervention. Although very admirable, loving, and ambitious on her part at the time, I was not ready. I was not having it.

Nicole connected me with another woman I have never met in person. However, I have spent a lot of time with Niki. Loving time, considerate time. Tolerant time.

Since I first met Niki in approximately 2017, she and I have talked for about 30 minutes on the phone ALMOST EVERY THURSDAY MORNING.

Basically, I would write a piece, she would attach an image to it, and the finished product would appear on under1000skies.org under either JohnnyO or Touch 5.

Where would I be without these women? Only the Spirit knows for sure, and She’s not talking.

Forever Grateful to these three Ladies of Light on yet another Gratitude Day.

-John Olander