The Hummingbird is my Gratitude Symbol
November 24, 2024. My gratitude symbol is the reason behind the hummingbird in my logo. The hummingbird makes me think of freedom, being completely free from alcohol, not thinking about drinking, and living 100% alcohol-free. It makes me think of flying high, feeling mighty and majestic.
When I started my “sober curious” journey, I did several programs (Sober Sis, The Alcohol Experiment), listened to hundreds of podcasts and read a bunch of “Quit Lit” books. In one of the programs I attended, I learned the power of setting an emotion-based goal; i.e., how do you want to FEEL about your relationship with alcohol? Just then as I looked out my office window, a hummingbird stopped to take a sip from the feeder in my garden. “I want to feel like that — free.” The lesson in the course was to “Keep Going Until…” you reach that emotion. I had been toying with moderation and definitely did not feel that freedom I was looking for. All the rules, guidelines, counting drinks, limiting days, etc., was NOT feeling free from thinking about drinking — it was exhausting!
As I reflect on that feeling of freedom, I can’t help to be grateful for how far I’ve come in my sobriety journey. I’m coming up on 3 years since I did my first sober-curious program and am grateful for the sober tribe of women that I met in the course. We still keep in touch today! Our conversations have shifted from struggling thinking about drinking to other celebrations and challenges about our lives in general.
Every time I see a hummingbird (which is pretty often in my own back yard), I’m reminded to be grateful for my sobriety. Most days, I wear a hummingbird charm on my necklace so I’m reminded of this feeling of freedom every time I see it.
As we’re are coming up on the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, I’m also taking time to reflect on all of the things I’m grateful for. Here’s just a starting point of my list:
A loving, supportive husband and family
A beautiful place to live
Loyal, close friendships
A job that I love (most of the time :-)
Clients who trust me to coach them through life’s ups and downs
My own sobriety journey — I worked hard to achieve this level of freedom from alcohol, and don’t ever want to lose it! This gratitude keeps me motivated every day to Keep Going.
Leading into this Thanksgiving holiday week, I’d love to hear from you! What are you grateful for?
