Many of us who live life one day at a time find ourselves being quite reluctant to making the changes we need to live in sustainable recovery. The first actuality of living in recovery is to live abstinent from active addiction. This is a change most of us cannot do on our own. An absolute truth is that we cannot sustain living in recovery unless we have a solid foundation on recovery, and very often we need to find such a foundation in hospitals, detox centers, treatment facilities, other avenues of professional help, and 12 step programs. Our reluctance to accept help from others has to go. We need to understand that our best thinking brought us to where we were which was needing help to save our lives. When we accept this, and surrender to the reality that addiction had kicked the hell out of us, we can be helped. We are now understanding the humility that the gift of desperation was giving us. The change was happening ever so slightly one day at a time. Peace.
Many people living in long-time one day at a time recovery understand that memories of past early recovery is full of sentimental misgivings. Early recovery becomes a grand, grand time in the minds of old-timers but in truth it induces feelings of melancholic loneliness. Upon reality checking we will discover that early recovery was not so grand and that we had to face a lot of adversity. We will also see that we had lost much to the passing of time. People died, we lost contact with others, our health began to fail, and many people lost the freedom that one day at a time abstinence gave them. In reality we today, living in recovery today, become grateful, grateful recovering people because of time. It’s a glorious sadness many people don’t get to see. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery hit their bottom and come out of it relatively unscathed. The pain, the fear, and the consequences we experienced while on our way to hitting bottom was part of the really real. The upside of hitting our bottom was that we had only one way to go and that was up. We found one day at a time recovery. When we say that we come out of our bottoms relatively unscathed what we really mean is we have learned from our suffering and we will learn to suffer well. Neither is life, or recovery, always a bowl of cherries but if we remain abstinent we are always living in freedom from active addiction. This is the hope we thought we had once lost, and in this hope we discover the reality of gratitude and wellness. Peace.
Those of us who have been living in one day at a time recovery for a fair amount of time understand that we have and will go through differing periods of significant growth. Our reality of the emotional pain of our bottom can often be a catalyst to the reality of our admitting to ourselves that we could not find a solution to the adversity we have to face which was caused by the brokenness created by active addiction. Our reality was, and is, we cannot successfully navigate abstinence or recovery on our own. We discovered the gift of desperation and reached out for help. We often turned to hospitals, treatment facilities, detoxes and support groups in order to seek shelter from the storms we were facing. If we became willing to become and remain abstinent from active addiction we would soon see significant growth in our emotional reality and our reality of choices. We discovered abstinence brought with it freedom and freedom brought with it hope. Such hope brought us the really real and that was the beginning of understanding the reality of grace and in as such we understood humility. Finding abstinence is a period of significant growth. Peace.
Many people living life one day at a time know the reality of recovering in kindness and in grace. Kindness and grace are the foothills to the freedoms of abstinence and sober minded reality. Recovering from addiction while living in kindness and in grace we discover that resilience is often the result of struggle or joy, and such resilience brings with it the acceptance that kindness and grace are important lessons in how we should treat ourselves and others as we navigate the adversities and joys that we will experience one day at a time. If we are paying attention we cannot help but realize while living in kindness and in grace we share a great freedom with others who are living in one day at a time recovery which is that kindness and grace connects us all in a gifted experience of the really real. We become grateful. Peace.
Those of us who live in one day at a time recovery understand the newness of each day. Our reality is each day comes with the reality of being able to change our minds from being people who are caught up and conditioned by the past woes of addictive thinking into a far more positive reality of choosing a healthy and doable life. In other words one day at a time recovery offers us ample opportunity to live in freedom from active addiction with the hope of, and the ability to face adversity one day at a time. To do as such many of us believe that we need to surround ourselves by those who offer us support and grace in regards to our living in one day at a time recovery. We need to recognize such support is the actuality of God, the spirit or the universe working in our lives and because of such support we function at a higher degree of competency. Our reality is we now have the ability to change our minds and live reasonably happy, joyous and free lives. We become in action and in principle people living in one day at a time recovery. We understand the newness of each day. 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.
May a smile be and warm your heart
And your God embrace your soul,
As the year unwinds may it bring you peace
And a life content and whole,
As the days pass by let your love be brave
Be your nights be filled and true,
May your path be free this coming year
And your health be good to you.
Be your burdens hushed with a simple wish
And your debts be swept away,
May life welcome you so fond and free
And never may you stray,
Let a door be ope’ to step inside
With prosperity to share,
Let a sunny day fulfill your wants
May you always show you care.
May your kin just always love you
Be your friends forever near,
Let your mornings be a blessing
From the angels you might hear,
Let you drink of nature’s kindness
Finding magic moments real,
Simply life is for your living
With the joy that you can feel.
This is a poet’s blessing
With a simple written poem,
For you this Sunday morning
May your God protect your home,
Today and in the new year
May your roads pass straight and true,
Let the world always be your friend
For this blessing is for you.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of kindness. What kindness is to many of us, and is a reality of one day at a time recovery, is when we are safe, we stand on our own two feet in regards to being responsible for our own recovery. Kindness is being a helping hand. It is not, for lack of better words, retarding our limited independences. We all need support. Especially when choosing to live a life of recovery. Life is not always easy. If we are kind we will tell others the truth. We do struggle at times but enabling us to live in our addiction keeps us sick. In active addiction we cannot be reasonable and we cannot understand the concept of being reasonably happy, honestly joyous, and then ultimately free. Teach us not to be our own worst enemy. We have to become responsible. Be kind. Peace.
Those of us who have been living in one day at a time recovery for a fairly long time find that it is fascinating to watch relatively new people grow after they have been in recovery a year or two. When we are not critical of these people we can see the miracle is happening. We see this as we visit and participate in the rooms of recovery on a regular basis. The miracle we witness is the dead rise, the lame walk, the blind see, and the deaf hear. As witnesses, and as participants, the miracle happens to us too. Our reality is we walk upon the earth and that we live good and happy lives because of the realities of grace and one day at a time living. Slaves have become free. We gratefully learn the reality of humility. It’s fascinating to watch. Peace.