Aug 1 • Daily Wins
The Day I Became Captain of 52 Little Pirates 🏴☠️
Last weekend at the club, I hosted the most incredible adventure - 52 kids joined me for a Pirate Pals and Mermaid Tales event that I'll never forget.
We didn't just have a pool party. We created magic.
I transformed our pool deck into a shipwreck, turned the kiddy pool into a mystical mermaid lagoon, and took those kids on the adventure of a lifetime. It all started when my ship, the Black Pearl, crashed on the rocks while carrying treasure to Lake Ontario. The hull was badly damaged, the treasure was lost, and the notorious Bushwood Country Club Pirates were circling like sharks.
But here's where the real adventure began.
I quickly recruited all 52 kids to join my crew, and we launched into action. Everyone found a big rock, and with my "magic paint," we painted magical powers onto those rocks that could fix the hull of our ship. The wonder in their eyes as they believed in that magic? Absolutely priceless.
Next, we made our way to Cannonball Hill and launched cannons - aka water balloons - at the Bushwood Country Club Pirates who attacked us via golf cart pirate ships. After defeating them in epic battle, we had to venture to Mermaid Lagoon to ask our real-life mermaid three crucial questions: Where was our treasure? How do we get it back? And which direction do we sail to get back to Lake Ontario?
The finale was pure joy. After getting our answers, the kids spent hours walking the plank and gathering treasure. I had three planks set up - the diving board for our brave older kids, one on the side of the deep end for those who were scared of the diving board, and one in the shallow end for our smallest swimmers.
As my story ended and I watched them all walking those planks, I was in complete awe. The pool was full. Every single parent had smiles on their faces. The kids were laughing and yelling pirate noises. It was truly magical.
I miss that kind of imagination, that kind of wonder, that kind of pure joy.
But here's what I'm most proud of - and I mean this in the most humble way possible - I pulled it off. I made it happen. I made them all happy. And no drop of alcohol, no drug could ever make me feel as good as I felt standing on that pool deck, watching pure joy unfold before my eyes.
Of course, it wasn't perfect. My lifeguard didn't show up - no call, no show. Dark clouds were rolling in, and I knew it was going to rain any second. But you know what? The show must go on.
When my lifeguard didn't show, my first concern was making sure he was okay. When I saw the rain coming fast, I had it worked into my skit just in case. Sometimes thinking on your feet is the name of the game, and today I can trust my thoughts. I can trust my instincts. I can trust myself.
This is what recovery has taught me: Life isn't going to be perfect. Plans are going to fall through. People are going to let you down. Weather isn't going to cooperate. But it's not what happens TO you that defines you - it's how you handle what happens that shows you who you've become.
Recovery taught me that I don't need everything to go according to plan to create something beautiful. I don't need perfect circumstances to make magic happen. I just need to show up fully present, trust my abilities, and adapt when life throws curveballs.
Recovery gave me back my creativity, my ability to think on my feet, my confidence to lead, and most importantly - my ability to create joy for others instead of chaos.
Two years ago, I couldn't handle a simple conversation without substances. Last weekend, I successfully managed 52 children, handled staff issues, worked around weather problems, and created an experience those kids will remember forever.
That's not just sobriety. That's transformation. That's what happens when you don't just put down the substance - you pick up your life and run with it.
Recovery doesn't just teach us to survive the storms - it teaches us to dance in the rain and still put on the show.🌊⚓️
What storms have you learned to dance through in your recovery? I'd love to celebrate your victories too! 💙
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The Day I Became Captain of 52 Little Pirates 🏴☠️
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