Even More Recovery Readings and Meditations - October

[bluidkiti]

October 21

Step by Step

Today, extend gratitude but withhold pride on a day that greeted me sober and saw me through doing what is expected of me – expected of the program, expected of the responsibilities to sobriety, and expected of myself. I need not be bogged down with anything from my drinking past – shame, remorse, regret, grandiosity, egoism, anger, depression, or anything else that I could find to keep myself in the gutter. Today, if I awakened sober and proceed through the day doing what is expected of me and do it with integrity and ethics and then go to sleep remembering all that I said and did, then today will be good. I can be grateful for that seemingly simple achievement and, today, it is enough. And our common journey continues. Step by step. – Chris M.

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~ EASY DOES IT ~ (A Book of Daily 12 Step Meditations) ~

HEALTHY PRIDE

The only person keeping us from having self-worth is ourselves.

~ Anonymous ~

Having healthy pride in our accomplishments in recovery is fine as long as it is coupled with gratitude and humility. As long as we don't settle for an inferior quality of recovery and continue to strive for the best, that kind of pride will not cause harm.

However, pride out of control is dangerous. Too many are certain they "wrote the book." They take false pride in their accomplishments and feel they have nothing left to learn. They are eager to tell everyone how much they know. This is a sure way of closing a mind that desperately needs to be wide open. This kind of pride has turned into arrogance that causes many people to "turn off."

False pride and settling for inferiority will accomplish nothing. I no longer choose to have low self-worth.

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~ WISDOM TO KNOW ~ (More Daily Meditations For Men) ~

All the works of God proceed slowly and in pain; hut then> their roots are the sturdier and their flowering the lovelier.

~ Theresa Gerhardinger ~

Life is difficult. No one gets through life without some struggle and pain. But we men in recovery know that our problems and struggles were the lessons that shaped us when we were willing to learn. Naturally we become impatient and want to get past the difficulties faster. We look at our neighbors who appear to have easier lives—and maybe some of them do right now. But we have our own path to walk and we must walk in our own footsteps, not someone else’s.

If we had never confronted problems and pain, we would have nothing to fall back on for the next part of our life. Our transformation has already progressed. Because we keep coming back to this program and follow its guidance one day at a time, the days quickly turn into months and the months into years and our roots grow stronger.

I will live today with patience and follow the guidance that my program gives me as my transformation continues.

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~ A WOMAN’S SPIRIT ~ (More Meditations For Women) ~

Recovery leads to self-knowledge, love, and joy. Addiction leads to self-loathing, fear, and isolation. The choice is mine.

~ Sarah Desmond ~

Having decided on a clean and sober life gives us opportunities we’d never have imagined. We’re learning how to love ourselves and appreciate other people. We’re learning that a Higher Power guides and protects us. No one makes our decisions for us. We are free to go back to the old life any time we want to. Each day offers us a clean slate. We fill it in according to the principles we live by. Making healthy choices regarding these twenty-four hours becomes easier as we accumulate a series of healthy days.

Occasionally we wonder why we chose a fearful, isolated life. Recovery was always available to us. We weren’t ready for it, however, and it’s far more productive to trust that we came to this program when the time was right.

I choose how I live each day. Understanding that makes the right choice more obvious.

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~ TODAY I WILL DO ONE THING ~ (Daily Readings for Awareness and Hope) ~

I need to know the difference between street drugs and medication

When my psychiatrist first wanted to help me by prescribing a medication for my emotional illness, I said absolutely not. I told him I was in recovery from chemical dependency and would take no mood-altering chemicals. I said I was afraid of relapsing to my addiction. In a word, I couldn't yet trust him.

So I talked with someone I did trust, my dual recovery sponsor. From her I learned that psychiatric medication is rarely addictive. And it differs from street drugs in several other ways: it is designed for specific illnesses, given in strict dosages, and available only through a doctor and a pharmacy. Once I understood the difference, I was able to trust my doctor with my dual illness. I could accept his treatment recommendations, and make progress in recovery.

I will make a list of the people I've come to trust since I began recovery.

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~ BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT ~ (Inspiration and Support for Recovery) ~

You can see farther in the dark than in the day.

~ Anonymous ~

Looking back over our lives, we can often see patches of light and dark, clusters of events that we remember as good times or bad. During the dark days we probably had little faith in silver linings, little belief that tragedy could yield unexpected blessings. In fact, we may have been angry at anyone who suggested to us to look for the good side. And when we were showered with blessings — even if they were right in our face — we probably couldn’t see them for what they were. We simply didn’t have the tools. All we could do was keep alert for the down side, and spend so much attention looking for pitfalls that we overlooked the good.

But today it’s different. When we look back, the past is not so shadowy as it once was. There were moments of clarity and focus, especially during the dark days. One of those moments was probably the beginning of our recovery, the moment we began to realize we could no longer live like we had, the moment we began to choose life over death. We are continuing to choose life every day in recovery, and by this choice we are creating a light even in our darkest days.

Today let me find the light in my darkness. Help me believe that it’s there.

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~ MORNING LIGHT ~ (Meditations to Begin Your Day) ~

Shall I give you my recipe for happiness? I find everything useful and nothing indispensable. I find everything wonderful and nothing miraculous.

~ Norman Douglas ~

Too often you may think that your happiness comes from people, places, or things. You may think that if you won the heart of someone you love, moved to a different location, or had everything you wanted, you would truly be happy. But what happens if you do not get who, what, or where you want? Does this mean you must be resigned to a lifetime of unhappiness because the conditions of your happiness have not been met?

Happiness does not come from an object, a person, or place. Nor does it come from endless striving or attempting to capture it like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Rather, happiness comes from following your true purpose and passion. It is being committed to staying on the path you have chosen. It is enjoying the journey and not caring whether or when the path will end. Just being on the path that is right for you is enough to bring happiness.

Happiness comes from the path I have chosen and the progress I make.

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~ NIGHT LIGHT ~ (A Book Of Nighttime Meditations) ~

Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

~ O. Henry ~

The balance in life places us between happiness and sadness. Life can't always be ecstatically happy and free from woe, just as it isn't always miserably unhappy. Somewhere in the middle is a gray area where neither smiles nor sobs predominate.

Living life on its terms means accepting the events life brings without overreacting with ecstasy or depression. Acceptance sometimes means we may not feel happy and we may not feel sad—we may just feel. This is the middle ground of feeling that isn’t high or low—it seems indefinable.

We don't always have to feel great. Sometimes we can just feel okay. Accepting that middle-of-the-road feeling and not trying to analyze it or define it gives us the freedom to have gray are s in our lives. And sometimes it is the gray area that keeps us from bouncing off walls or riding an emotional roller coaster. Accepting the gray area can give us sanity.

Tonight I can find the gray area in my life and realize not everything has to be good or bad—sometimes it can just be.

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~ DAY BY DAY ~ (Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts) ~

Expressing good

Often we find ourselves thinking in terms of completing tasks rather than of expressing good. We view interruptions as frustrating delays, when they can be opportunities to glorify our Higher Power. Instead of saying, “How much can I accomplish today?” try restating your goal as, “How much good can I express today?” In expressing good, we accomplish much.

Our primary task each day is to express the nature of Infinite Spirit. We can consider a day to be fruitful if its spiritual demands have been perceived and fulfilled. Responding to setbacks with peace and love is much easier when we know that our main job in this life is to express good.

How much good have I expressed today?

Higher Power, help me to remember throughout this day that no task or plan is more important than expressing your love.

Today I will express good by

God help me to stay clean and sober today!

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~ IF YOU WANT WHAT WE HAVE ~ (Sponsorship Meditations) ~

Any musician who says he is playing better on tea, the needle, or when he is juiced is a plain straight liar.

~ CHARLIE PARKER ~

Newcomer

In spite of everything I've been learning about addiction since coming into recovery I still have an image of artists, musicians, and other creative people as exceptions, as people outside the norm. Some part of me wonders if the ones who drink or use drugs would still be able to do what they do sober.

Sponsor

If you take a good look around at a meeting, you'll find a great many creative people. Listening to them tell their stories has convinced me that addiction got in the way more than it helped. My own myth of the creative vision inspired by drugs has fallen apart as I've heard writers, musicians, and painters tell how, when they were active in their addictions, they lacked the will and attention span to write, make music, or paint. Those who've always done their creative work while using an addictive substance need time in recovery before they are able to create with ease and pleasure again.

We crave the experience of heightened perception and spiritual release that addictive substances and behaviors once provided. We sometimes want to crack open our shells, to forget what others think, to be our spontaneous, unedited selves. We need to explore new ways to let the hidden parts of ourselves out into the light, to allow ourselves the freedom to dance with our demons and angels.

Today, I shed some of my inhibition and allow more of my real self to come out.

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~ THE EYE OPENER ~

One day, not too long ago, you lost everything in the world you held dear, then a man sat down with you and he gave you friendship, understanding, faith, hope, courage and opportunity. Have you ever realized the great value of what this man gave you? These were the tools with which you made a new and better life.

Someone did this for you, so "go and do thou likewise."

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~ The 12 STEP PRAYER BOOK ~ (A Collection of Favorite 12 Step Prayers and Inspirational Readings) ~

Release Hurt, Anger, Resentment

God of Reason, I am willing to release all feelings
of hurt and anger and resentment.
Help me know true forgiveness
and see each person as part of You.
Let my words and my actions
serve only to honor You.
May my honest and positive action
heal and comfort and harmonize my life
and the lives of those around me.
Thank You, God.

~ Adapted, author unknown ~

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~ AROUND THE YEAR WITH EMMET FOX ~ (A Book of Daily Readings) ~

WHEN GOD DOES NOT ACT

We all believe that the love of God is invincible. We all believe that His intelligence, His knowledge, and His power are infinite. We all believe that God cares for us to a degree beyond imagining, and that each one of us is equally precious in His sight. Yet, in many cases healing and harmony do not follow from this knowledge. Why is this?

In more cases it is because we have forgotten that these qualities have to be embodied in ourselves before they can appear in our lives. To know of them as existing in God is not sufficient. We must be seeking to express them in our personal lives before they can do anything for us.

The only way to know God is to seek to express Him in our lives.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord . . . to show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night (Psalm 92:1-2)

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~ A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE ~ (365 Daily Inspirations for Heart-Centered Living) ~

Drive It

There is nothing you need to do first to be enlightened.

~ Thadeus Golas ~

On a billboard, I saw a marvelous Lexus advertisement: Don't pursue perfection-Drive it. Now there is a powerful affirmation for mastering life! Many of us have gotten caught up in the game of seeking. We attend seminars, read books, sit at the feet of gurus, get psychic readings, and do all manner of therapies, processes, and initiations, all the while identifying ourselves as students on the path of truth. But we get more of whatever we identify with. As long as we see ourselves as students, that is all we shall be.

There comes a point at which we must identify with our wholeness rather than the part that is striving. Learning and growth will always occur, but behind all of the external unfoldment, we are full.
Imagine that all of your trying, seeking, and striving has been completed. Imagine that you have within you all the awareness and tools you need to live a life of joy, creativity, success, and love. Imagine that you don't have to pass any more tests or prove anything to anyone. Imagine that you don't have to earn the love or favor of God. Imagine that you have the abilities and credentials to offer healing and support to others. These imaginings are much closer to the truth than the imaginings that you are broken, wounded, or needy. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." If you recognize who you are, you can make this statement with equal authority.

Practice being enlightened. It is the truth about you.

I am ready to live my wholeness. Shine through me that I may bless myself and the world.

I am the light of the world. I let it radiate in full splendor.