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Miracles In Progress 12 Step Recovery Forums -> Alcoholics Anonymous -> Alcoholics Anonymous -> Today's Gift
Post Info TOPIC: Today's Gift
Pythonpappy


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Today's Gift
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I want to change things. I want to see things happen. I don't want just to talk about them.
--John Kenneth Galbraith

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I feel as if I should be doing so much more than just staying in recovery and going to meetings. And yet, when I have free time, I'm not accomplishing much these days. I go to a meeting and then to coffee "the meeting after the meeting," I've heard it called and I get home and feel too tired to do any more. When I have a big block of time, I don't know how to use it. I feel confused and discouraged.

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This point in recovery is a time to be especially gentle with ourselves. When we look back at how we were feeling and what we were doing just before we entered recovery, we can see that "just staying in recovery and going to meetings" is a major change. To be free from our addictive behavior, to keep a commitment to a program of recovery this is nothing short of a total revolution in our lives. We have made a commitment to live, not to punish ourselves for not doing it faster and more perfectly.

"The meeting after the meeting" is not a waste of time. It's important to get to know our peers in recovery. We can learn from one another, support one another. The changes we're experiencing are mirrored back to us by others who are undergoing similar transformations. It gives us experience, too, at being with people without the "help" of our addictive substance or behavior.

We don't have to worry about wasting time in early recovery. It is a miracle that we can simply be.

Today, I let myself be.

You are reading from the book:

5669.jpg

If You Want What We Have by Joan Larkin




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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Col


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Lol pappy... Did you steal my journal for the first part of that?!? Yes, yes! And yes, I am finding the balance between being too gentle ( things still need to get done) and way too harsh with myself. I tend to be very demanding with myself. Im learning to replace the old " you're so lazy and stupid.. You never do anything right" thing with " ok, this is what you have done 'right' today" the serenity prayer helps me a LOT with this. I feel as though I have to 'make up for lost time' by immediately correcting all the 'wrongs'- working too much to rectify my past debt, applying to grad schools on and on. I just recently realized that this simply can't be done, and I'm only making myself crazy by attempting to push myself into things I'm not ready for. A gentler approach is hard to get used to when you've spent your whole life beating on yourself

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Col
Pythonpappy


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Glad this got your attention sweetheart, ... ... Ha!

You may like my post today on 'The shack' book discussion thread if you haven't already read it ... well, the one from today or yesterday ... I can't remember ... I have that AAADD ... LOL

Pappy



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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
mikef


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Hey Pappy ,,,,,,,tHE sHACK  great read       makes me want to read it again.!!    



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Selfishness-self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.
Pythonpappy


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Hey Mike, ... I've read at least a half dozen times ... Like our BB studies, I learn something new every time ... (well, I re-read the last half of the book every so often ... you know, where the mountain of wisdom is to be found...)



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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Mr_David


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Great stuff Pappy, thanks.



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Mr.David
Mike B.


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Good stuff Pappy!  Thank you!  I love this:

_

"We have made a commitment to live, not to punish ourselves for not doing it faster and more perfectly."

_

Great quote.  One that I will put in the tool box.     



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