Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Today's Gift
There is no shortcut to life. To the end of our days, life is a lesson imperfectly learned. —Harrison E. Salisbury
There are no perfect days. We have struggled hard against this truth. In our demanding ways, we haven't wanted life to be a process; we have wanted to reach a secure point of arrival. We have struggled against the dialogue and learning process of experience. We've looked for a "fix" and for perfection. Even now in recovery we long to "get it right." We continue to learn and to grow, but the lessons we learn are not the things we expected. We grieve the lateness of our learning, and then we go on to learn more.
As we grow in this program, we learn how to learn. We become more accepting of life as a process with no shortcut to the truth. We learn to engage in the process and accept that there usually is no right or wrong answer at the end of our search.
Today, may I accept the truth, which comes from the lessons of my experience - and be tolerant of its incompleteness.
There are no perfect days. We have struggled hard against this truth. In our demanding ways, we haven't wanted life to be a process; we have wanted to reach a secure point of arrival. We have struggled against the dialogue and learning process of experience. We've looked for a "fix" and for perfection. Even now in recovery we long to "get it right." We continue to learn and to grow, but the lessons we learn are not the things we expected. We grieve the lateness of our learning, and then we go on to learn more.
As we grow in this program, we learn how to learn. We become more accepting of life as a process with no shortcut to the truth. We learn to engage in the process and accept that there usually is no right or wrong answer at the end of our search.
Today, may I accept the truth, which comes from the lessons of my experience - and be tolerant of its incompleteness.
From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men ©1986, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation.
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Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Walk in Dry Places
Relations
Unfair People
Now and then, we encounter people who are almost blatant in their unfairness to others. We may make a 200-mile drive to a customer who is completely unprepared to see us, despite having had advanced notice. Or we may have a friend who is openly critical of our shortcomings while completely overlooking his or her own. Unfair though these people may be, they give us the opportunity to exercise spiritual muscles. We can improve ourselves and the world by refusing to retaliate when such unfairness occurs.
Now and then, we encounter people who are almost blatant in their unfairness to others. We may make a 200-mile drive to a customer who is completely unprepared to see us, despite having had advanced notice. Or we may have a friend who is openly critical of our shortcomings while completely overlooking his or her own. Unfair though these people may be, they give us the opportunity to exercise spiritual muscles. We can improve ourselves and the world by refusing to retaliate when such unfairness occurs.
The long-term benefit is that many of these unfair people change or fade out of our lives. As we handle such things spiritually, we recall times when we too were unfair, and we realize that such faults are part of the human condition. We are lucky people because we're being given the opportunity to raise the human condition to a higher level. We also hear that "life's isn't fair", it's just there" Not understanding life completely , we're not sure about its fairness. What we are sure about is that we value fairness and can show more of it now that we're sober.
Action for the Day: I will not seek out unfair treatment today, but neither will I be upset if it occurs. If it does, I'll deal with it as another lesson in my spiritual growth.
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One Day At A Time
Obsession
The idea that somehow, some day, he will control and enjoy drinking
is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker.
The persistence of this illusion is astonishing.
Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 194
Thought to Ponder . . .
When we try to control our drinking, we have already lost control.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Answer Available.
The idea that somehow, some day, he will control and enjoy drinking
is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker.
The persistence of this illusion is astonishing.
Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 194
Thought to Ponder . . .
When we try to control our drinking, we have already lost control.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Answer Available.
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Daily Motivation
Daily Motivation
Worry and confidence
If you're able to worry, you're also able to be confident. Because from a functional standpoint, worry and confidence are pretty much the same thing.
If you're able to worry, you're also able to be confident. Because from a functional standpoint, worry and confidence are pretty much the same thing.
Worry is the expectation that something negative will happen. Confidence is the expectation that something positive will happen.
How do you create confidence about something that hasn't happened yet? You use the exact same process you would use to create worry.
The big difference between worry and confidence is the expected outcome. And the powerful fact is, you can expect whatever outcome you choose.
There's another way that worry and confidence are quite similar. They both tend to be self-fulfilling prophesies.
So instead of destroying your effectiveness with worry, you can vastly enhance your effectiveness with confidence. It takes nothing more than a simple yet powerful change in your expectations.
-- Ralph Marston
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