Those of us who live in one day at a time recovery will sooner or later realize we sabotage our joy. We also realize we can sabotage other people’s joy. Our nature, our fear, our upbringing, and our environment have a way of conditioning us to be such a way. We longed for acceptance, and at times praise, when deep down we felt unworthy of either. Trust me, there was plenty criticism and exclusion in our lives. Often our joy was sabotaged by others. We felt alone. We couldn’t share in others’ joys. And we felt others wouldn’t share in our joy. We sabotaged our own joy because of this. When in recovery we learned better. We became grateful for others. Some of them them brought us joy. We learned to stop sabotaging joy. Not only our own but others’ too. One day at a time recovery has a way of doing this for us. It’s not always easy and at times we catch ourselves stumbling back into a sabotage frame of mind. Life has a way of doing this to us. But we are learning and we are growing. We are becoming less critical. Gratitude has a way of doing this to us.
When subtle rain puts you at ease
The green of Summer’s maple trees
A morning’s coffee peace today
A small town’s quiet quaint café
An easy stroll in solitude
A morning’s smile when joy intrudes
A pen that rhymes without much thought
A cancer scare that you’ve forgot
A restful sleep a waking yawn
A warm and fuzzy welcomed dawn
A chocolate fix of dream’s delight
And last year’s pants that fit just right
When there’s toilet paper for everyone
When people put away their guns
When the milk of human kindness grows
When hunger stops and foodbanks close
When women do not not have to fear
The dark of night or what they wear
When angry drunkenness can end
When pollution stops and Earth’s our friend
A hope and prayer for world peace
The love of God that cannot cease
A visit from a friend of old
The placing of two bands of gold
A rising sun a moon that’s full
The mower you don’t have to pull
A sandy beach when work is done
A warm-up stretch an evening’s run
When subtle rain puts you at ease
The green of Summer’s maple trees
A morning’s coffee peace today
A small town’s quiet quaint café
An easy stroll in solitude
A morning’s smile when joy intrudes
A pen that rhymes without much thought
A cancer scare that you’ve forgot
A restful sleep a waking yawn
A warm and fuzzy welcomed dawn
A chocolate fix of dream’s delight
And last years pants that fit just right
Those of us who are living in one day at a time recovery know about our daily thank you. When we are awakened for the day our thoughts turn to our humble conception of God. With humility, we acknowledge our gratitude by giving thanks to this great power who is a power beyond our comprehension. Also we will learn to say thank you for the people who are in our lives. We will also learn to say thank you to these people for the blessings, grace, and love that they give to us. We will start to understand that our God often works through other people. As we become aware, we recognize we are not alone. Recovery is about reaching out and giving back. This is the balance of a natural life of responsibility. When our day is over we give thanks. Gratitude is now a part of our lives. As we experience a day that is like this we know we have had a good day. As we have more days like these we will believe we will have more. Even on bad days we will find something to be grateful for. That is also part of the natural balance of life and one day at a time recovery. It part of the journey.