[MajestyJo]

ONE DAY AT A TIME

The Al-Anon program gives us numerous tools for recovery: the Steps, Traditions, slogans, literature, meetings and service. Our slogan One Day At a Time, perhaps the bedrock of all our program tools, combines the philosophical with the practical; not only does it encapsulate much of the Al-Anon way of life in five small words, but it also is a simple answer to the question: "How?" How, for example, do I work my program; how do I put the Steps into practice; how do I find serenity? The answer is, in Al-Anon we do it one day at a time.

the rose is an apt symbol for this concept: at first the bud is fragile, tiny and tightly furled. Then, slowly, it opens up, day by day, petal by petal, to reveal a lush velvety blossom, exquisitely fragrant and magnificent to behold.

By living one day at a time, we keep oursleves anchored in the here and now; our thoughts, our senses, our whole being focused on our immediate experiences. This attention to the present moment enables us to be fully engaged in what is happening around us; the sights, smells, sounds, the people, things and the ideas that occur to us.

When we learn to value each today, using it wisely and fully, we need not regret it when it recedes into yesterday, nor waste it by projecting our thoughts into tomorrow. The past is no longer ours; it is gone. We do not have to suffer endlessly reliving past errors or poor choices. Working the Steps helps us to deal with our character defects to make amends, and to improve our relationship with our Higher Power. The program also shows us that the future is equally elusive. Projecting our fears, what-ifs, and anxiety not only destroy our present, it also tends to serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Living one dat at a time allows us to brush away our ugly yesterdays, to let go of our dread of tomorrow, and get on with our lives. Starting now.

One day at a time reminds us to take on only what we canhandle now. In our zeal for healthy, active lives, we sometimes get ahead of ourselves, rushing headlong beyond the limits of this 24 hours, expecting too much of ourselves and of the day. This frenzied pace can lead us to frustration and disappointment and again we lose sight of the beauty of the moment.

The present moment is also lost when we let our problems so obsess and preoccupy us that we turn inward and feed on our own self-pity. In so doing, we deprive ourselves of potential solutions to our unhappiness that may be right in front of us. But if our eyes are shut and our fingers are in our ears, we cannot be helped and we cannot help ourselves. Today is ours to seize, to make order of, and to fully make our own. Let us each take time to stop and smell the roses and take our lives One Day At A Time.