Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Today's Gift
Only with a true friend’s input can we hope to see our world clearly, for our own perception always seems the truth. ~Dr. Richard Fritz
We need our friends. Not just for good times but for basic health. In isolation, everything becomes magnified. Without others to help us form our boundaries and perceptions, whatever we can imagine becomes monstrous and whatever is monstrous becomes reality.
If our old rules tell us to hold back and to decline closeness, we put ourselves at risk when we obey. Lacking the shared experience of others, we are vulnerable, not only to loneliness, but to gross misinterpretation of reality. Minor setbacks may be seen as catastrophic, and people who don’t go out of their way to be friendly may be plotting against us.
By connecting with friends, however, we’re able to see that our monsters are only about knee-high, that most of our fears are made of smoke, and that no gray day can hold out against the sunshine of common sense.
I am thankful for the stabilizing influence of friends.
From the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy, Daily Meditations for Adult Children
From: Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation - Thought for the Day http://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/recovery/thought-for-the-day
********************************Twenty-Four Hours a DayKeep It Simple
—Hermann Hesse
We have an epidemic of loneliness among people in our world. Everywhere, people are walking around as though in plastic bubbles that prevent contact with others. We are cut off from closeness with our brothers and sisters, our own children, our mates, coworkers, and neighbors. We have learned to play the role, be efficient, and look good. Do we dare let others know how we feel? Will they look down on us? Will they think we're strange?
All this has made us ripe for the diseases of addiction and codependency. Some of us have romanticized the pain of loneliness and glorified it. We sought some comfort for our pain, but we only perpetuated it. Breaking through the barrier to let someone know us can be incredibly difficult. Yet, just to say "I feel lonely" to another person makes us slightly less alone. Going to meetings and working this program provide a way out. The greatest benefits of the program for many of us have been recovery from loneliness and the genuine relationships we have developed.
Action for the Day: Today, I will reveal some of my feelings to another person.
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
Most of us sense that real tolerance of other people's shortcomings and
viewpoints and a respect for their opinions are attitudes which make us
more useful to others. Our very lives, as ex-problem drinkers, depend upon
our constant thought of others and how we may help meet their needs.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, (There is a Solution) pp. 19 - 20
Thought to Ponder
Love and tolerance of others is our code.
AA-related 'Alconym'
P U T = Practice Using Tolerance
From: AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) http://www.aa-alive.net/index.html
Some people***************************Daily MotivationExcerpt of The Daily Motivator
by Ralph Marston
Some people are too shortsighted to be supportive of you. Let that be their problem.
Other people are wise enough and caring enough to confront you with difficult truths. Let that redound to your benefit, and pay close attention to what you don’t want to hear.
Some people will ignore you, and others will smother you with attention. Some will flatter you with no basis and others will criticize you for no good reason.
Take a deep breath, smile, and carry on with your intentions. Be slow to make judgments and assumptions, and quick to forgive.
When anyone blocks your path it’s partly because you have put them there with how you react to their actions. Keep reminding yourself you have other choices.
All the other people in this world can add immensely to your life. See them, think of them, connect with them in ways that enable that to happen.
Some people are too shortsighted to be supportive of you. Let that be their problem.
Other people are wise enough and caring enough to confront you with difficult truths. Let that redound to your benefit, and pay close attention to what you don’t want to hear.
Some people will ignore you, and others will smother you with attention. Some will flatter you with no basis and others will criticize you for no good reason.
Take a deep breath, smile, and carry on with your intentions. Be slow to make judgments and assumptions, and quick to forgive.
When anyone blocks your path it’s partly because you have put them there with how you react to their actions. Keep reminding yourself you have other choices.
All the other people in this world can add immensely to your life. See them, think of them, connect with them in ways that enable that to happen.
From The Daily Motivator website at http://greatday.com/
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