We met Paula last time. Paula is an alcoholic, addict and what many might describe as an irresponsible mother. Paula is responsible for her actions whether she likes it or not and Paula needs to undoubtedly get her shit together. Some might conclude, Paula should stop being selfish and think more about the welfare of her family during her drunkenness and addictive acting out. But, Paula’s Story needs neither our ire, sympathy nor pity. The wound is where the light enters.
Paula is also a spiritual being. Paula is having a deeply traumatic human experience that has caused her life to spiral downward. Paula has had some deeply tragic and debilitating experiences but Paula can do better for herself and her children. What does a Heroic BadAss get that others don’t’? The Power is in the Pain. Their so-called wounds are a door to In Spite of Dreams, to the embrace of their Cast of Characters, and their faults, and the capacity to rise from the tragedy and mess off their lives.
No, Paula Story doesn’t need our ire, sympathy or pity. There is more to her and her Story than a nightmare of despair. She doesn’t and shouldn’t go thru all this shit just to check out or copout now. In These Rooms, most find the strength thru working the 12 Steps to keep moving forward one day at a time. The Heroic BadAsses go thru the same hell as everyone else but they also find the tools to reframe their stories, own their demons and Embrace the Gift of their Faults (EGF). Like that sick character in Paula’s head that tells her to go out drinking when she should be at home taking better care of her children. That is the true villain here. The wound is where the light enters. Paula and her story are also a source of hope.
I hear Paula’s disappointment and sorrow over the wreckage of her past, her addictive behaviors and her life. But I also hear in her story the muted voice of a Latent Powerful Character (LPC) with a story to tell of heroic self-determination that is bigger than just being an addict. In the muted tone of Paula’s Story, I hear the voice of a BadAss LPC who could hold the keys to Paula telling a new story, a uniquely American Story. Paula may be In These Rooms, but the room doesn’t have to live in nor define Paula. The wound and the room can be for Paula and all of us where the light entered. The Struggle Continues…
