Many people living in one day at a time recovery know that we don’t fly solo. What we discover is that every day that we face in recovery actually unfolds as uncharted territory. Exploring uncharted territory is easier to do with co-pilots and other concerned people. Often it is necessary that we need guides. Mostly we find these wise souls in the rooms of recovery. We discover we’re just trying to safely get our planes off the ground and then land them without crashing. We also know we will hit turbulence while flying. This is all part of the flight. It’s reality in the making and reality will let us know we need co-pilots. They make the flight safer. We don’t need to fly alone. Those we are akin with teach us this. Reach out and enjoy the flight. It’s a gift. We call it grace. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery feel a sense of a lack of faith when we become afraid because of an abrupt change or bad news in regards to health events or diagnosis for either ourselves or a loved one. We turn to other recovering people who were in similar situations asking them if they too were afraid. In such situations they tell us that of course they were afraid and for anyone in such situations of course they’ll be afraid. So now we will know – of course we’ll be afraid. Many of us pray at such times using centering prayer as a way of coping with the fear in hopes that we or our loved ones will be okay. What we discover is we are experiencing universal feelings. They’re part of being human. Peace.
What some people living in one day at a time recovery get to understand is that letting go and letting God should lead us into the right direction of finding rest for our weary minds. Desperate and weary we’ve tried to follow the ball wherever it bounces to find rest for weary minds that belong not only to us but also to others who seek recovery with us in the rooms of recovery. We find ourselves continually trying to change both the past and the future often to no avail. Focusing on the present and the task at hand become a bit of relief. Prayers, one such being the Serenity Prayer, help us to accept our past. It also helps us to change what we can. This becomes the gift of radical acceptance. Although we can find a broken rest and a humble peace we accept this. We will have our regrets. It’s just that they no longer own us. We find rest for our weary minds and our souls. It’s called grace. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of “Prayers Are Never Late”. Some people have beliefs that people living in active addiction simply have no hope of ever becoming well again. They give up on us be they family, friends, or other concerned people. Our illness, or our disorders, have done so much damage to us it seems unrepairable. Many of us give up on ourselves but with our last ditch effort we cry out, “Please God help!”. And God, the spirit, or the universe does intervene. It could also be the last prayer of a loved one that could be being heard. It is a funny thing that prayers are never late and they may need to be said many times. Those of us who are the result of last ditch efforts understand this. We keep on praying. It’s all grace. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery come to the understanding that reality is captivating. With a bit of time in recovery we realize that finding reality takes work which soon forces us to see our delusions for what they are which is the imaginings of an oversensitive ego trying to instill its self-imposed will over us trying to make us believe that living in fantasy is the best reality we could ever experience. Our delusions are amazing little creatures who tell us reality is way way too hard to face. Although facing reality can be difficult freedom from active addiction gives us hope and we experience truth, joy, and love making life a captivating endeavor capable of changing us into grateful recovering people living life one day at a time. Fear no longer owns us in our inextricable connection with others. It is all grace and it’s amazing. We have become an undeniable part of. Oh how we do belong. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of becoming clinically cynical about whether we can find happiness and purpose in our adventure to be or become truly recovering people. Often we see the world as the glass being empty or to very least half-empty. Often cynical beliefs or cynical life-styles occur because life’s adversity might have been or are extremely difficult for us to overcome. We can find relief in accepting what we cannot change. Also we participate in the reality of changing what we can especially if it helps us develop past the scourges of cynicism. In as such we find the reality of grace. Connection with other recovering people help us think this way and we can become grateful recovering people. Gratitude brings joy and the reality of purpose and happiness. It’s a developing gift. 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.
Most people living in one day at a time recovery understand that it is very difficult to find reality as long as we live our lives without abstinence and continue to use thereby living in denial of the fact we are sick people living with an illness that tells us that we are not ill. Bottoming out and finding the reality of desperation often make us reach out for help. Whatever mess that we were in takes us to detoxes, hospitals, rehabs, and 12 step programs in search of help. Such places have people who tell us that we need to stop using by finding a day at a time recovery. If we do we will discover that the desperation we had experienced was a gift because it brought with it the opportunity to find reality. We became ready to change and growing abstinence brings us hope with grace. Peace
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of being a day late when it comes to finding abstinence. When we discover this reality we often understand the meaning of feeling alone. Bottomed down and beaten up guilt and remorse screamed at us that we must find a way to stop using. Many of us cried out, “God help me!”. Although we are a day late, or even years late, God, the spirit, or the universe touches us with the gift of grace which in all reality becomes the gift of desperation. We find abstinence. Nonetheless years of using left us frightened and confused as we lived in our own little corner of the world. The rooms of recovery changed that. Although we were late finding recovery we did find it. We no longer felt alone. Perhaps now we could do some good. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery will create a mind-frame of recovery for ourselves for as long as we have a pen. Those of us who write in our journals or on our sites par-take in such creative action reminding us we are recovering people who are grateful for our abstinence and the freedom we have found in our one day at a time reality. The reality we found is that grace has given us back our souls. Reality was we didn’t even know they were missing. At the beginning most of us just wanted to find escape from our troubled and painful lives. What we discover is that we have a daily reprieve enabling us to become free from active addiction. When we find this reprieve we continue to write hoping to help more than just ourselves. Maybe we’ll help others. It’s all grace. Peace.