When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice. —William James
There are times when it's hard to make a decision. When we go to the fair, for instance, we may want to do more things than we have time for, so we don't know what plans to make. Waiting to decide until we see what the fair has to offer is one choice. Not deciding because we're afraid of what may happen is also a choice. We may find ourselves thinking so much about what could happen that we miss all the exciting things going on around us.
It's necessary to keep in mind that any course of action is a decision, but no decision is irreversible. We are free to do what we decide, and are freed by the awareness that whatever we do is based on our own decision and no one else's.
What important decisions shall I make without fear today?
From Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families ©
Twenty-Four Hours a Day
The trouble is not that we are never happy--it is that happiness is so episodical. --Ruth Benedict
Happiness is our birthright. The decision to be happy is ours to make, every day, when confronted with any experience. Too many of us grew up believing that life needed to be a certain way for us to be happy. We looked for the right lover, the right job, and the right dress. We looked outside of ourselves for the key to happiness. In time, we even looked to alcohol, drugs, and food perhaps--to no avail.
Happiness lies within. We must encourage it to spring forth. But first we need to believe that happiness is fully within our power. We must trust that the most difficult circumstances won't keep it from us when we have learned to tap the source within.
Life is a gift we are granted moment-by-moment. Let us be in awe of the wonder of it, and then revel in it. We can marvel at creation for a moment and realize how special we are to be participants. Happiness will overcome us if we let it. We can best show our gratitude for the wonder of this gift by smiling within and without.
Action for the Day: That I am here is a wonderful mystery to which joy is the natural response. It is no accident that I am here.
On his desk, Dr. Bob had a plaque defining humility:
"Perpetual quietness of heart. It is to have no trouble.
It is never to be fretted or vexed, irritable or sore;
to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me.
It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised,
it is to have a blessed home in myself where I can go in and shut the door
and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace, as in a deep sea of calmness,
when all around and about is seeming trouble."
- Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, p. 222
Thought to Ponder . . .
Humility is not a station we arrive at; it's a way of traveling.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
C H A N G E = Choosing Humility Allows New Gifts & Energy.
Simply get it done
What you must do is a blessing. For it enables you to make a difference, to have an impact and to express your significance.
Do not fight against what you must do, or run from it, or put it off until later. Simply, and joyfully, and thankfully, get it done.
Find great fulfillment in every moment by giving your worthwhile efforts to the moment. Embrace every opportunity to make a positive contribution to the magnificent flow of life.
Don’t worry that there’s not enough time or that you’re missing out on something else. This is life, right here and now, as it is, and you have the outstanding privilege of experiencing it.
Experience it to the fullest, by putting all of your focus and your enthusiasm into doing what must now be done. Feel the matchless joy of authentic being.
Each task is a powerful opportunity to add to the richness of your life. Give yourself to the effort, whatever it is, and give yourself more and more fulfillment.
— Ralph Marston
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