Many people living in one day at a time recovery are people who can become stuck gazing into the visions of their crystal balls. Such gazing becomes the view points of a two sided painting. What happens when we look at this painting is that we become fixated with either the front or the back and often we become held-fast switching sides over and over again. One side is our past and one side is our future and most of the time we become troubled, anxious, fearful, or guilt ridden. When given the chance to amend such realities many of us disassociate falling short of either endeavor. This is the reality of trauma. Sometimes we can do no better so we try and live in today. In doing so grace becomes our reality. We stop gazing in our crystal balls. Today – just for today – we will be okay. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery know that we can hope for the unexpected even when all seems lost. Using took us to a place of desperation and many of us resigned to the idea that we would probably die wasted. What we did not understand was that hope had different plans for us. Those of us with scarred up wrist and memories of purposely overdosing found unexpected hope on units with locked doors. We had believed that death would seal our fate but we were wrong. Grace found us and offered us one day at a time recovery which turned our world right-side-up. We became people living in a world of decency, love, and the opportunity to find freedom from active addiction. We met others living free in the rooms of recovery and we learned to do the same. We unexpectedly discovered we belong. Peace
Many people living in one day at a time recovery live our lives in a more cautious and deliberate way. Lessons learned in life have made us fearful and we understand that more often than not many of our reactions show us that such reactions were a result of life’s conditioning. We now know that such reactions are the result of fear. Not a crippling fear but a fear like the fear of putting our hand too close to an open flame. We automatically react and pull our hand back. Present fears keep us from even chancing a different result. Fire always burns. Our reality is we are always just an arms length away from using. We know this. Using always causes pain. We have been conditioned to fear this. Fear can bring us wisdom. Wisdom is a gift. One day at a time grace shows us this. Peace.
Many people who have been living in recovery for a fair amount of time ask themselves the question, “What is recovery?” We have often heard many people say the phrase that some people are just dry and that these dry people are living miserable lives. (Kind of heavy on the self-righteous judgement isn’t it). When passing such “wonderful” judgements we forget that addiction is a disease. Our difficulty in adapting to abstinence is a common problem that all recovering people share. It’s just that some people do it better than others. Bitterness, confusion, and depression can happen to anyone. It’s all part of being in recovery. We need not judge lest we be judged. When we’re in recovery we know this. Recovery is nothing but grace. Abstinence eventually reveals this to us. That’s why we live one day at a time. Our assumptions become more generous and so do we. This is what recovery is. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery come to the understanding that while we lived an impaired and out of control life we knew no better than what we were doing. When we found this wonderful but sometimes despairing world of one day at a time recovery, especially when we thought about our wild and woolly days, not knowing any better then was how we came to terms with our mistakes. What was once an excuse for our behaviors became the reason for most of the harm or the damage we had done. What we realized was that we were bulls running wild in a china-shop and that we probably could not make amends for everything we had done. This is sometimes a reality. A regrettable reality but a reality nonetheless. We simply knew no better. Today we live in a new reality. We’ve found grace. Peace.
Many of us living in one day at a time recovery understand that when we were using we were always in the the thick of things that revolved around us being able to continue using day in and day out. Our life centered around the damaging and harmful consequences of active addiction. Being in the thick of active addiction we were usually biting off more trouble than we could chew and we were destined to hit bottom. Those of us who survive often found that such bottoms led us into recovery. Broken and desperate we reached out and found ourselves in the thick of recovery. In doing so we found abstinence. Life and recovery become a one day at a time reality. We find the reality of belonging, good health, and freedom. Not everyone gets to experience this. We become grateful and we’ll be okay. We’ve discovered an unconditional saving grace. It’s our new reality. Peace.
Many of us living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of the choice that we have which a is part of our awakening when every day begins. Knowing that we are people who live one day at a time many of us start the day with an acknowledgement of gratitude to God, the spirit, or the universe that we are people living in recovery. In doing so we understand how precious life truly is and we whole-heartedly believe that every breath we take is one tremendous act of grace. It is our first and foremost thought when we awaken past the confines of slumber’s fog. What we discover is that gratitude goes a long way in strengthening our contentment. Gratitude makes joy possible and joy strengthens resilience. When we grow in resilience we understand the gifts of recovery. Life is good. We begin to understand reality’s reality. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand what it is like to want to overcome every obstacle and every adversity that we will have to face as people trying to function in everyday life and in everyday recovery. If we always live subscribing to the belief that we must always overcome every adversity that we have to face we will come to the realization that we are better off accepting what we truly cannot change. One such thing is the past. Another is we are not now or never will be perfect. And yet another is we need to live in recovery one day at a time. If we do not learn that we cannot overcome everything we will be living in white-knuckle recovery. In other words we will be stuck. Accepting what we cannot change is a powerful tool. It prevents relapse. It helps us to grow. Peace.
Many of us living in one day at a time recovery understand that we have a need to do something good. We hope to obtain this need by speaking our peace by sharing our story which we hope will truly help more than just ourselves. Our reality is not just to do what we say. Our reality is that we have found recovery in the rooms of recovery and one day at a time recovery is not just something that we say we do we actually do what we say we do. So we do what we do and lead by what we do not just what we say we do. Our good is we continue to do what we say we do. Those of us who are new to meeting in the rooms do this too. We become examples for each other. We share grace. It’s our need. Peace.
Some people living in one day at a time recovery understand that life and living in recovery can become a sensitive unwinding. Slowly, as we grow in recovery, life’s ball of twine unwinds introducing us to the reality of our shadow-selves which had often convinced ourselves that the shadow-selves of others were the cause of all the wrongs and the injustices of our worlds. We deny our own shadow-selves promoting the facade of its perfection with no understanding of the reality of grace or self-awareness. In time and with wide-open eyes, we become witness to our own shadow-selves and we accept its reality. When we do we can become kinder and more compassionate people. We no longer make scapegoats out of others and we understand grace as we slowly gravitate towards our true-selves and we become more aware of a better reality as we grow. It’s important. Peace.