Monday, April 12, 2009
Today's Gift
Anyone who lives art knows that psychoanalysis has no monopoly on the power to heal.... Art and poetry have always been altering our ways of sensing and feeling - that is to say, altering the human body. —Norman 0. Brown
A man can lead a healing life on many levels. On one level, many of us have turned to healing professionals for help. That may strengthen our program and be very beneficial for many of our problems.
Relationships heal when they are loving, affirming, reliable, committed, and loyal. Nature heals: a tree, a walk through tall grass, a dry seedpod, or a potted plant gives life when we turn in its direction. Beauty heals: music, a poem, a novel, or a picture may move us to another plane and teach us about life. Meditation heals: solitude, quiet relaxation, prayer, and cosmic consciousness bring an inner peace. Laughter heals. Physical activity heals. Doing something for others helps us. At the basic level, accepting ourselves as lovable men, just as we are, is the foundation for all healing.
The forces for renewal and wholeness are varied. May I reach out to them and be healed by them.
From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men ©1986, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation.
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Twenty-Four Hours d Day
Walk in Dry Places
Helping Others____Motives
It may sound selfish, but you should always help others for no reason other than your own benefit. In giving assistance, guard against posing as an idealist or even a Good Samaritan. We are not saints, and our spiritual progress is interrupted the moment we begin to act more saintly than we really are.
Two things happen when we help others in the full knowledge that we are really helping only ourselves. First, we do not place the other person in a demeaning role or make him or her obligated to us. Second, we sidestep the swollen egotism that could arise if we view ourselves as rescuers.
In helping others, we are only passing on the good that has come to us. Any good action will always bring rich rewards in personal well-being. People we have helped will be grateful to us when it becomes clear that we don't demand their gratitude. They will also be inspired to follow this example, which is the true AA spirit that became evident with the first Twelve Step calls.
Action for the Day: I'll look for opportunities to help others in the same way that a businessman looks for ways to increase profits. I know that I grow as a person when I help others in the right spirit.
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One Day At A Time
Belonging
There is no more aloneness, with that awful ache,
so deep in the heart of every alcoholic that nothing, before, could ever reach it.
That ache is gone and never need return again.
Now there is a sense of belonging, of being wanted and needed and loved.
In return for a bottle and a hangover,
we have been given the Keys of the Kingdom.
- Alcoholics Anonymous. p. 276
Thought to ponder . . .
I'm not alone anymore.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Y A N A = You Are Not Alone.
There is no more aloneness, with that awful ache,
so deep in the heart of every alcoholic that nothing, before, could ever reach it.
That ache is gone and never need return again.
Now there is a sense of belonging, of being wanted and needed and loved.
In return for a bottle and a hangover,
we have been given the Keys of the Kingdom.
- Alcoholics Anonymous. p. 276
Thought to ponder . . .
I'm not alone anymore.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Y A N A = You Are Not Alone.
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Daily Motivation
The ideal time
If you wait for the ideal situation, it will never come. If you create the ideal situation, it will always be, whenever you choose for it to be.
There are plenty of excuses you can make for why this is not the time to act. And while you're busy making those excuses, someone else is busy taking those same actions that you are merely considering.
The time is right when you make it right. Waiting and hoping for things to get better will just allow things to get worse.
If it's important to you, figure out a way to get started on it now. Because the more you delay, the more you're telling yourself that it's really not that important.
Why would you want to spend your time setting yourself up for disappointment? Instead, you can spend that time marching steadily toward your goals.
The ideal time is when you make it, and what you make it. Make it now, and make it great.
-- Ralph Marston
There are plenty of excuses you can make for why this is not the time to act. And while you're busy making those excuses, someone else is busy taking those same actions that you are merely considering.
The time is right when you make it right. Waiting and hoping for things to get better will just allow things to get worse.
If it's important to you, figure out a way to get started on it now. Because the more you delay, the more you're telling yourself that it's really not that important.
Why would you want to spend your time setting yourself up for disappointment? Instead, you can spend that time marching steadily toward your goals.
The ideal time is when you make it, and what you make it. Make it now, and make it great.
-- Ralph Marston
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