Freedom means the right to be different, the right to be oneself. —Ira Eisenstein
Each of us is a unique creature and has special gifts to contribute to the world. We were not free in the past because we were slaves to addictions and codependency. We know that freedom is precious. Compulsions and pressures for conformity stifle our creativity and erode our dignity. As we grow in our relationship to our Higher Power, we get stronger and more balanced in our unique qualities. Some of us have a talent for empathizing with others, some for writing and art, others for sports and physical activities.
There is no recipe that prescribes exactly what kind of person we should be. Because we're free, it is our creative task to discover what it means to be honest, ... , contributing men and women within our particular circumstances. We don't get a list of directions for each day, only guidelines for progress. Through groups and friendships, we develop in our own ways and learn to respect each other's freedom.
I am grateful for the freedom to be uniquely and fully myself.
From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men©
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Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
I never think of the future. It comes soon enough. --- Albert Einstein
None of us know anything for sure about the future. We don't know if we'll be sober tomorrow.
But we can be sure of this moment. We get sober by moments. Our sober moments then stretch into hours, day, and years Our program tell us to live in the present moment. This is because we can control this moment.
We can't control the past or the future. We need to have a sense of control in our life. In our illness, we were out of control. This was because we wouldn't live from moment to moment. Each moment is filled with as much life as we can handle. Each moment is filled with enough to keep us alive, interested, and growing.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me find You in each moment.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll stop and focus on the present moment. I will work to see how much control I can have if I stay with the moment at hand.
We found that freedom from fear
was more important than freedom from want.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 122
Thought to Ponder . . .
We are going to know a new freedom
and a new happiness.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H J F = Happy, Joyous, and Free.
Daily Motivation
Embrace freedom
As beautiful and as powerful as it is, freedom is also a frightening thing. Because freedom demands your very best.
It’s much easier to be dependent, and much easier to just give up. It’s tempting to simply turn your troubles and your responsibilities over to someone else.
If you were to do that, however, nothing worth having would be left for you. If you turn your back on your freedom, you turn your back on the unique and essential beauty of who you are.
To live with freedom, independence, self-sufficiency and responsibility takes great effort, commitment, persistence and strength. Yet what it yields is the far greater experience of a rich and fulfilling life.
True freedom is a lot of work, and true freedom is worth every bit of it. It is in making the decisions, and in making the effort, and in living your own unique dreams that you achieve the life you truly long to live.
Though real freedom can be a little frightening, run out and embrace it with everything you have. For in that freedom, your highest and best possibilities are ready to come magnificently to life.
— Ralph Marston
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