Thursday, March 15, 2012
Today's Gift
What we lack are not scientists but poets and people to reveal to the heart what the heart is ready to receive. --Joseph Campbell
A short time ago, a friend handed me the following credo. It read:
This is the artist's dream:
To receive the inspiration to create,
To share that creation with others,
And to be totally supported in the process.
I asked him to explain further. "It all begins with inspiration," he said, "an inspiration that calls us to create. Once the inspiration is received, then we can bring that vision into the world as a song, painting, book, invention, new business - or any other tangible form.
"After the creation is born, it needs to be shared with others. No one creates in a vacuum. It is only when the vision is successfully communicated to its intended audience that it truly comes alive.
"Finally, the artist needs to be supported for what he does. If he has made a positive connection with his audience, the support will come - financially and emotionally. And while it may not always be there immediately, it will ultimately arrive. This is where the artist needs to trust and be patient."
This dream is not just the artist's dream. It is our dream as well. Through work or play, job or family, vocation or avocation, you can experience the joy of creating, sharing, and being acknowledged. Experience this creative process and you will never grow old in spirit. Have you ever known an artist or dreamer who "retired"?
From the book Listening to Your Inner Voice by Douglas Bloch
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Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
I never loved another person the way I loved myself.---Mae West
This sums up how we used to live. We were in love with ourselves. We had to be on center stage.
Our self-will ran riot. Recovery pulls us out of that world. We learn to focus on others. We learn to reach out to them with love. This is the best way to love ourselves. This doesn't mean that we live our lives through others. It means we invite others into our lives. It also means we ask to be invited into their lives. Recovery breaks down our self-will. It makes room for others in our lives.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I give You my self-will. I know You'll do better with it than me.
Action for the Day: I'll list three ways my self-will has messed up my life. How am I doing at turning over these things to my Higher Power?
Above all, I was suffering inner pain because my performance and my
accomplishments in life failed to live up to my own expectations of myself.
I had to anesthetize that pain with drugs and alcohol. Of course, the more I drank or used,
the more unrealistic my expectations became and the poorer my performance,
and the gap widened. So the need to drink or drug grew still greater.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 556
Thought to Ponder . . .
My disappointments are equal to my expectations.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
G R A C E = Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations.
Daily Motivation
Being strong
When times are tough, it’s tough to be positive. Yet that is your most powerful and effective choice.
When you’ve been knocked down, it’s tough to be sure of what to do next. Yet you can be sure that feeling sorry for yourself will make things even worse.
It’s hard to be strong when the challenges seem insurmountable. But the amazingly powerful fact is, you can be strong.
It is precisely because life can be so tough and painful that it can also be so beautiful and fulfilling. Those very challenges that seem so impossible to get through are what set the stage for a life that is magnificent beyond comprehension.
Life can be terribly unfair and difficult and demanding. And yet, against such a background, it is nearly impossible to imagine anything more beautiful and fulfilling than life itself.
Being strong in the face of difficulty is not a matter of training or ability. It is a choice you are free to make in every moment, and a choice that will bring immense value and goodness to your world.
— Ralph Marston
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