Thursday, December 15, 2011
Today's Gift
When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear. –Buddha
It's okay to have and feel our feelings - all of them.
Many of us needed to shut down the emotional part of ourselves to survive certain situations. We shut down the part of us that feels anger, sadness, fear, joy, and love. We may have turned off our sexual or sensual feelings too. Many of us lived in systems with people who refused to tolerate our emotions. We were shamed or reprimanded for expressing feelings, usually by people who were taught to repress their own.
But times have changed. It is okay now for us to acknowledge and accept our emotions. We don't need to allow our emotions to control us; neither do we need to allow our emotions to control us; neither do we need to rigidly repress our feelings. Our emotional center is a valuable part of us. It's connected to our physical well being, our thinking, and our spirituality.
Our feelings are also connected to that great gift, instinct. They enable us to give and receive love.
We are neither weak nor deficient for indulging in our feelings. It means we're becoming healthy and whole.
Today, I will allow myself to recognize and accept whatever feelings pass through me. Without shame, I will tune in to the emotional part of myself.
From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©
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Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
Happiness is a form of freedom, and of all people I should be the freest. I've earned this happiness and this freedom.--Angela L. Wozniak
Life is a process, and we are progressing beautifully. We are no longer abusing our bodies and minds with drugs. We are taking special time, daily, to look for guidance. We are working the Steps of the program, better and better as the abstinent days add up. We are free from past behaviors. And we can be free from our negative attitudes too.
Making a decision to look for the good in our experiences and in our friends and acquaintances frees us from so much frustration. It ushers in happiness, no only for us but for the others we are treating agreeably. Happiness is a byproduct of living the right kind of life.
We can take a moment today, each time an action is called for, to consider our response. The one that squares with our inner selves and feels good, is the right one. Happiness will accompany it.
Action for the Day: Happiness is always within my power. My attitude is at the helm.
When we cease to fear loneliness
and begin to cherish and use our solitude to advantage,
we have come a long way.
We realize a little solitude is necessary
to think and to try to work some of the Steps.
In solitude, we take our inventories.
In solitude, we admit the exact nature of our wrongs.
In solitude, our spirits seek that Power greater than we are;
in solitude, we seek through prayer and meditation to be aware of our Higher Power's will for us.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 109
Thought to Ponder . . .
The stillness of our Higher Power speaks louder than a choir of voices.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O P E = Heart Open; Please Enter.
Daily Motivation
Make life good
Your resentment gives more power and influence to whatever you resent. Is that really what you want?
There’s no reason why a negative situation has to make you negative. You always have plenty of other options.
You don’t have to let your attitude be poisoned by other people, situations, or events. You can choose a positive, powerful perspective no matter what.
You don’t have to let your life be thrown into a turmoil by every little thing that happens. Instead, you can decide to be directed by a deep and abiding sense of true purpose.
Remember who you are, and why you are, and what’s important to you. Focus a little more on what matters, and a little less on what just arbitrarily comes your way.
Live on purpose, live with purpose, and with constant, loving attention to that purpose. You can make life good in your own way no matter what.
— Ralph Marston
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