The Work-In: Daily Motivation 7-22-2020

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Today's Gift

A good laugh heals a lot of hurts. —Madeleine L'Engle

The ability to laugh at ourselves has always been important. In old days, fools and jesters held an important place in the royal courts. Today we have clowns who make us laugh.

If we look closely at a clown's face, we will often notice a bit of sadness around the eyes. Clowns are able to move easily from sad expressions to ones full of delight very easily. For all of us, laughter and tears come from the same deep well inside. And often, after a good cry, we find ourselves ready to laugh, easily and joyfully.

Laughter is a gift waiting for us on the other side of our sadness.

Can I begin to laugh by smiling now?

From Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families ©

From: Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation - Thought for the Day http://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/recovery/thought-for-the-day

********************************
Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Keep It Simple

The most useless day of all is that in which we have not laughed.
 ~Sebastien R.N. Chamfort

When we wallowed in the self-pity of obsession, we were sure we’d never laugh again. How 
easy it was to weep, alone and secretly, inspired by sad music like “Born to Lose” or “I’m So 
Lonesome I Could Cry.”

What a shock it was to hear people laugh in our first few meetings! How could they laugh about 
something as serious as addiction? What an awakening when we were able to join the laughter!

We laughed with them as they laughed at the sad objects they once were. Today we can also
 laugh for pure joy at being free of restraints, and in gratitude for the resolve not to return to 
our old ways. We can laugh just for being alive.

Laughter is a source of growth for me. It keeps me thinking positively. It reduces the stress of 
problems. It tells me that any effort at progress is worthwhile. Laughter is progress.

Action for the Day: Today I will share a laugh with someone just for the joy of it.

From: Bluidkiti's Alcohol and Drug Addictions Recovery Help/Support Forums Daily Recovery Readings - http://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2

****************************
One Day At A Time

No Such Thing
We have tried every imaginable remedy. In some instances there
has been brief recovery, followed always by a still worse relapse.
Physicians who are familiar with alcoholism agree there is no such
thing as making a normal drinker out of an alcoholic.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (More About Alcoholism) pp. 30 - 31

Thought to Ponder
When we try to control our drinking, we have already lost control.

AA-related 'Alconym'
I S M = I Sabotage Myself

From: AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) http://www.aa-alive.net/index.html

***************************
Daily Motivation

Excerpt of The Daily Motivator

No place for negativity
by Ralph Marston

Bring more beauty into your life, and there will be less room for anxiety. Give positive action 
to your thoughts, and fewer of those thoughts will be centered around doubt.

When you actively resist what is undesirable, you unwittingly make it more prominent and 
powerful. Rather than resisting what you don’t want, replace it with what you do want.

Think of one thing that normally upsets you whenever it happens. Then decide that you’ll no 
longer be upset by it, and will instead be inspired to take positive action.

Choose not to give your energy to misfortune or malfeasance. Don’t let your dislike of a small 
part of reality overshadow all the other possibilities that are open to you.

Turn your attention toward what you love, and allow that love to permeate your awareness. 
Center your efforts around expanding and enhancing life’s goodness.

Fill your moments, your thoughts, your actions with what you treasure most. Make your life 
so positively purposeful that there’s no place for negativity to find a home.

From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/