Many people living in one day at a time recovery are people dancing with dual disorders. This becomes a twisted time of believing we fit the scope as regular folks living in recovery. We believe we fit in; we don’t believe we fit in. In reality it is more than just a belief. We do fit in because most recovering people are spiritual misfits. Recovering misfits, but nonetheless misfits in the same. Those of us living in dual disorder recovery often live the disabled dance of reckless recluses. Maybe then we don’t fit in for the traditional concepts of the abled person escapes our grasp. What we have discovered is trying to fit in is a hindrance to the belonging of any person. So we pause our endeavors and just dance. We dance the awkward dance of struggling freedom. We dance the hopeful dance of reality’s recovery. Joy finds us more often than not and we smile. We are dancing with dual disorders. Peace.
People living life one day at a time know being present to the moment can help us to find serenity. What we discover is when we live in serenity, serenity itself has the ability of creating on going serenity. This is the affect of serenity perpetuating serenity. When we are aware of serenity we are planting the seeds of the peace that is yet to come. The calm of the present moment brings with it an appreciation of life. Sometimes in this moment we experience awe, joy and freedom. For most of us serenity is not constant emotion but we do experience enough of it that we practice living with gratitude and joy realizing the reality that serenity perpetuates serenity. It’s not some far out experience limited to mystics and monks. Many people know serenity. It’s a positive practice of one day at a time living. We can find it doing dishes. It’s not perfection but life can be good. Peace.
Some of us who live life one day at a time who are economically fragile know what brittle reality is. Not to say that we can’t be grateful, or happy, but we can understand how vulnerable we can become. This can be the reality of the unemployed, the under-employed and those of us living on fixed incomes. What some people don’t understand is people working full-time jobs can be economically fragile. This is reality. The reality of living life one day at a time helps many of us manage our humble incomes. Mostly we live pay-check to pay-check or monthly check to monthly check, paying our bills one bill at a time. Some of us rob Peter to pay Paul. In the end we are just getting by. A brittle reality is what do we do when an unexpected expense happens? In reality many of us do without. When we look at reality we know we need to be grateful for the good things we have in life but, constant struggle is hard on anyone. Some of us in our humble humility, and in all reality, are grateful to be above ground and breathing. Also we know people with good incomes struggle. The Buddha said life is pain. Nonetheless we will be okay. We get to experience the freedoms, the joys and the happiness one day at a time living offers us. We get to actually live our journeys. Peace.
Many people who live life one day at a time are active participants in living. Life requires action and healthy action becomes the gift of doing. In our wellness we can do one day at a time a little better than we did when we kept our focus on yesterday or tomorrow. Neither yesterday or tomorrow is a place where we need to live in today. We need to do today, today. What we know is yesterday has given us the knowledge and the skills to live contentedly in today. This is the reality of growth. Yesterday has taught us how to prepare for the future and we do so by doing what needs to be done today. Every good tomorrow is often the result of the preparation and planning of yesterday’s today. Yesterday, today and tomorrow are important. When we understand this we understand the importance of living and doing in today. Yesterday’s struggles prepared us for today. Tomorrow’s dreams were prepared and conceived in the gifts of today’s doing. Nothing was perfect. Nothing will be perfect. When we realize this today’s healthy actions become the gift of doing. We find living wellness in today. It’s important. Peace.
The reality of life is that we will meet people who have challenging points of view. What we will discover is that personalities clash because challenging personalities believe inherent dignity does not apply to everyone. If we do not believe in inherent dignity for everyone, we believe in the conception of scarcity. In doing so we form the idea that those who differ from us are in reality our enemies. When we do this we are planting seeds of hatred and greed. This is a fear based ideology in which we believe love and power are finite endeavors which exist only for (us). It is no wonder as to why people living with invisible disabilities might have to struggle and live in poverty. Struggle is the reality of some people who live with mental health disorders and it also happens to other people who are perceived as different. When we create this struggle we are dehumanizing people. It’s wrong. It’s just plain wrong. We need to stop. Peace.
Many people who live one day at a time practice living in wellness. Often, when we are well, we have amiable thinking which brings with it goodwill and kindness which we generously maintain for others. We also are generous with goodwill and kindness towards ourselves. When we practice living in wellness we are living in humility, and we more often than not experience gratitude. In reality the living grace of one day at a time living has brought us here. Others have helped us, and they continue to do so. Even the challenging times in our lives have made us grow. None the less wellness is. We understand as we practice it. Not only does practicing living in wellness bring goodwill and kindness, we also get to experience faith, hope and love. We get to understand that life is our friend. We welcome its reality. Peace.
Most people who live life one day at a time learn to practice forgiveness. More often than not many of us will pick up a resentment, a quiet resentment, because another person has done something that has rubbed our egos the wrong way. Perhaps we perceive another person’s point of view as a threat to our egoic standing of self-importance. Most of us understand this when we become mature enough to recognize what we are doing. What we are doing is being caught up in the bondage of self. When our egos are in charge they can be offended every other thought. More often than not a quiet resentment is voiced to other people. If we do this, we should be told to practice forgiveness. People are people. If we don’t let go of resentments, bitterness will consume us. It’s reality. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery have discovered the joy of grace. The paradox of grace is that grace is a gift of love and belonging for the unworthy. Although many of us in recovery struggle with such ideology, we have come to believe we are worthy of love and belonging. The very idea that we don’t deserve to be loved, or that we don’t belong, is inhumane. In doing so we are believing infinite love is finite. The very idea that love is finite is a notion in futility. Most people in recovery understand this, and although at times we struggle, we believe we are worthy of love and belonging. Those of us we are akin with have shown us this. What we understand now is that grace is the gift that shows us we are worthy of love and belonging. We deserve it. Peace.
Most people living in one day at a time recovery have times we feel empty. We feel we are drawing a blank. Many people living with mental health disorders complicated with addictions simply won’t accept that they are ill. Denial is a symptom of such disorders. This denial is frustrating to our families and friends. Many people believe that people living with these disorders choose this as a lifestyle. If we can believe this lifestyle as an unhealthy choice, perhaps grace becomes possible. Maybe then more people will consider our disorders as an illness. Most of us in recovery can see the frustrations that our disorders cause, or have caused others. It’s a reality. Life is hard. Can we help? Most of us don’t know. At times we’re just drawing a blank. Very often denial gets in the way. May God, the spirit or the universe help us all. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery discover writing helps us to become healthy. As we write down our thoughts we discover what the reality of our life is. What we have discovered is we are enough. We are enough is the reality many of us need to hear. We all can feel hurt, distraught, or depressed at sometime in our lives. The writing of our thoughts and feelings reveal to us we are human beings in need of love and connection. Illness has a way of not letting us see that love and connection are right in front of us. The disappointment that we might believe that our lives may be is a distorted reality of our disorders. Some of us take medication. Talk to your doctor. Writing has helped us to live healthy lives. Life is not perfect but it’s good. You are enough. Peace.