Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of continuing contentment. This continuing contentment can even become evident in the most cynical of us. This is why many of us meet in coffee shops solving all the problems of the world. What we mean is we find satisfaction in dissatisfaction. We call this scathing depression. It is not uncommon for people to be content with what they are familiar with even when, or should we say especially when, we live harboring resentment. When we blame others for our own familiar distorted continuing contentment we have no sense of gratitude, no sense of joy, and very little sense of happiness. We become content wallowing in own dissatisfied continuing contentment. The strange thing is is that dissatisfaction often leads happy contentment. The ongoing spiritual experience of recovery takes us there. It’s called grace, gratitude, and love. We cannot help but to find continual freedom and true healthier continual contentment. It just takes time. Peace.
Some people living in one day at a time recovery understand that when we journal we are opening doors to self-awareness and we surrender to our reality making us ever-present to participate in life, reality, and recovery. We discover the beginnings of our true-selves which makes us aware and receptive of the love and grace given to us in the inextricable connection that we share with other recovering people and humanity at large. It is a terrifying and wonderful experience founded in our bonds of human imperfection and our shared gift of human desperation. Journaling solidifies the reality of hope. Patience reveals to us the reality of our true-selves. It’s our shared experience. The influence of our shadow-selves no longer controls us. We find a deeper sense of freedom. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand that we all have a need to do what we are capable of or to put it simply we participate in doing what we can. Doing what we can is the limiting reality of all people. If we are five feet tall and we cannot leap high enough to dunk a basketball we can always take a foul shot from the foul line. When we do this we understand that all shots are possible points and when given the chance we should all take a shot because each and every shot creates an opportunity of winning the game. In other words we take a shot at one day at a time recovery because it can change our lives for the better. This gives us the chance of being people living in recovery. It’s doable for everyone. 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 that all people have, will, and do cast the shadows of the shadow-self. With time in recovery, and sometimes very much time in recovery, we begin to recognize this reality. Our reality is for us to become capable of recognizing, accepting, and then watching these shadows become less prevalent and less demanding as we recognize the development of our true-selves. We become far from perfect and we do start to accept human imperfection in ourselves and others. We become less critical and less punishing and less punishable. Somehow or someway we become more tolerant. One day at a time we understand the importance of remaining abstinent. This teaches us that we all cast shadows due to our fearful, prejudicial, and egoic imaginings. Nonetheless we begin to become imperfect beacons of hope. We become ambassadors of grace. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand acceptance of what we cannot change is a way of quieting our minds. Passive and kind people know this all too well which often leads to the reality of the practice of radical acceptance. When we practice radical acceptance and learn to let go radical acceptance becomes simple acceptance which becomes in reality a humble endeavor. Most of us don’t want to walk around like bitter resentful people. We want quiet minds and we want quiet minds because life is much easier that way. Ask any realist if this is beneficial. They will tell you it’s simply giving grace to yourself. It’s a gift which takes time to process. It’s a one day at a time reality and it works. We know this from experience. Peace.
Most people living in one day at a time recovery understand that we lose the desire to use even though we might still have thoughts about using but experience tells us that this is normal for us. We know that early abstinence will bring with it triggers and cravings even after we have detoxified from whatever it was we were using. Many of us frequent the rooms of recovery going to at least one meeting a day for 90 consecutive days. This gives us a solid foundation in the rooms leading us into a journey of many years of solid recovery. What we will experience is that some of us still have the odd thought of using after many years of recovery. We know that these passing thoughts are normal for us. They don’t happen a lot but they do happen once in a while so we remain vigilant in our actions and continue going to the rooms of recovery which in all reality keeps us grounded in one day at a time recovery and one day at a time living. This is the continuation of giving and receiving which is the reality and the gift of living and doable grace. It’s all normal for us. Peace.
Most people living in one day at a time recovery understand that even mighty oaks have to bend. This is a reality of life, reality, and recovery. Bending has become a survival skill of all living things. We learn we have to be flexible and adapt. One of our most important adaptations is we learn we need to change our playgrounds, playmates, and playthings. If we do not there is a good chance that we will become brittle, stiff, and will not have any flexibility whatsoever. Doing so we become strong dead trees that eventually break or in other words fall back into active addiction. We have discovered that joining people in the rooms of recovery teaches us to bend and remain in recovery. This is one day at a time living. We discover the gift of flexibility. Peace.