Ready, Willing, and Almost Able

In my second year sober, my sponsor suggested going back to karate because of the humility I could gain. The idea of going back to karate at forty, a discipline I had started at age twenty-four, was interesting. After all, I'd already earned my brown belt when I was still an active alcoholic. In fact, I'd done a lot of things while I was still active, including finishing my master's degree, working for myself, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, and staying in a dead-end relationship.