Those of us who live in one day at a time recovery eventually understand that there is hope for the hopeless. Discovering our need to be in complete control or our need for complete certainty reveals to us how little power we have over much of life. We eventually understand that the only reason we found recovery was because our situation existed in the reality of hopelessness. We discover through an incredible amount of given grace God, the spirit, or the universe flung us into one day at a time recovery as imperfect and as uncertain as recovery might be. The more hopeless that we were the more hope we did find. It’s the reality of Pandora’s box. Hope was and is our saving grace. It’s a gift. Peace.
People living in one day at a time recovery know the reality of being diamonds in the rough. If we are living in a humble reality we really don’t have much of a problem accepting this because we know that every diamond was at some time nothing more than a chunk of coal. Becoming and being diamonds in the rough is more than good enough for most of us. We know that it is the grace of God, the spirit, or the universe that has transformed us and we are humble enough to always remember this. Our intrinsic value is that we have always had intrinsic value. Our past is our greatest teacher. It brought us into one day at a time recovery. We know our reality. Peace.
What many of us who live in one day at a time recovery eventually learn is that we need to have a little less fire in our recovery and we need to share a lot more love. We are not the be all and end all to people caught in the struggles of active addiction but when the fire of recovery is strong within us we write our books, do our talks, proclaim our proclamations, and aim our sails towards our own personal salvation endeavors. We might even be so foolish as to believe that our lives have been unsoiled to point that we are role-models for others to lean on but in time reality sits in. We’re just people who need love and love always takes work. The fire will cool and we will accept this. It’s a universal truth. We become kinder, gentler people. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery are people who have an understanding of generosity in regards to extending a helping hand to those in need. We will roll up our sleeves and help a friend stack firewood or we will volunteer at a local soup kitchen to feed the less fortunate. We will listen to the old-timer tell the same story over and over again in the rooms of recovery and we will listen to the new-comer’s dreams of wanting to save all the addicts and at the same time save the world too. In addition to this we will make peace with our own imperfections and in doing so make peace with the imperfections of others. Generosity in regards to extending empathy and compassion helps us to understand our inextricable connection with others. It makes the world a better place. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery choose to live a life of recovery once they have found one day at a time abstinence for a while. Most of the time we find abstinence because deep down inside of us there was a desperation and a loneliness so great and so horrible that we had no choice but to stop using. We bottomed out. When we stopped using we were stepping out of hell and entering a world of the living. Most of us needed a safe place to do so. With a bit of time in abstinence we found we had to stop the con if we wanted live doable and manageable lives. In doing as such we found we had to live reasonable lives and stop playing in places where we once used. Many of us substituted the rooms of recovery for our using places and in doing so we developed the ability to choose one day at a time recovery and the freedom that goes with it. Do we have a choice? We do after we are abstinent long enough to be comfortable with the reality of living in our own skin. Many of us understand this. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery know everyday brings hope. We don’t have to feel, experience, or absolutely understand how we have hope. It’s not a matter of faith, trust, good deeds, or anything that we have done that merits us this reality. There is hope everyday because of pain, sickness, death, and tragedy. It is because chains, terror, cruelty, and ill will supersede any act of decency or kindness. It is because want gets twisted into greed, addiction, and to the very least obsessive want. It’s because life gets so selfish we don’t even care enough to share the air that we breathe or the water that we drink. It’s because we wage war with our neighbors because we want what they have or they are a threat to our sanctimonious belief of ourselves, our God, and our society. Everyday we awaken we know this pain, this wrong, and this truth. We shed the tears, we heave the sighs, we sob the sobs, and we know the dark deep days of depression. But still we sing, we smile, we work, we laugh, and we can be exceedingly grateful. People marry or form unions of togetherness. Kindness and charity is a part of our lives. Children are born and they sing their funny rhymes. And even poets can smile. What else could we do but believe their is hope everyday. Hope is because it has to be. It’s a kin to love. There is no other reality.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery know what it is like when our reality is that on some days we just get by. We are grateful for these day because such days are the days we grow through the numbness and the normalness of life. Without the gratitude for being alive such days are the days that some of us have relapsed back into active addiction. We really don’t know why such normal days bring us to the reality of relapse but our reality is that we sometimes appear lost on such days. Our greatest reality is to become the normal and to be the reality of a person living in one day at a time recovery. Living in recovery is not just something that we find. It is the reality of us living in recovery each and every day. We need to adapt. Peace.
Some people who are living in one day at a time recovery understand that having a faith is a bonus. This is particularly true when such a faith subscribes to the reality of inclusivity and belonging for all people. We need such inclusivity and belonging as recovering people because grace from God, the spirit, or the universes is the fundamental reality of all faiths that exist in the reality of such an existing caring being. Without grace there is no love for one’s self or for life itself. The very existence of having a faith is to house the poor, feed the hungry, heal the sick, and free those in bondage. Such a faith is a bonus to recovery. It helps us to live doable lives in the realities of love and compassion one day at a time. Peace
Many people living in one day at a time recovery know that nothing is for certain and knowing this reveals to us that tomorrow is almost impossible to define. Knowing that we can have plans for tomorrow we can understand the hopeful realities of living in one more day of recovery while securing the benefits of health, freedom, happiness and joy. Such benefits can be the longings of our souls because yesterday might have been adversity after adversity causing us to be at times suspicious and timid of tomorrow. Can we define tomorrow to be anything other than what is yet to be? As we tread towards tomorrow we leave a little bit of our today to help those who are still living in the bondage of active addiction. What is yet to be will be. It’s a universal reality. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery hope to participate in the reality of perpetual recovery. Perpetual recovery is a day at a time living which stems from the reality of new beginnings. It does not make our lives perfect but one day at a time abstinence gives us ample opportunity to live the realities of life. Such realities are that we have fallen and we have risen into a life of perpetual recovery. In as such we have become aware of our own shadow selves which have revealed to us that we can no longer live in self-righteous judgement of ourselves or others. Grace becomes a permanent part of our growth because we see our our imperfections. We learn to forgive not only ourselves but others too. This helps to develop the reality of perpetual recovery. It’s the gift of love and awareness that makes continuing growth and continuing one day at a time abstinence possible. Peace.