Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of the slingshot effect. What had happened to us while in active addiction was we fell further and further back in the reality of bottoming out. When this happens we hit our bottom and our grip lets go. If we survive, we are shot into the reality of recovery. The further back our bottom was the farther we will need to travel to discover the reality of recovery. With grace, and when we do the work, it happens quickly. Because of this our natural maturation begins. It’s a gift of one day at a time living. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand that the houses we create while living in recovery must have windows in them. The purpose of these windows is to show us that there is more than just the egocentric bound up form of recovery that we sometimes believe is the only reality we need to know. Such recovery becomes a stagnant reality and sooner or later we will see the need and the desire to be a part of the outside world as we peer through the windows seeing there is more to life and recovery than we might know. Most of us find that we long for community and its purpose of togetherness. Our inextricable connection with others leads us outside of our houses into a joint purpose of we and we realize the gift of we. We belong in we. It’s a better reality. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery know what it is like to be the lonely, the tormented, the misguided, and the ill. Being the lonely we know what it is like to be in a room full of people and still feel alone. As the tormented we know the voices of the morning after the night before which is often full of shame and remorse while being full of guilt and fear. We became misguided fools by the lies we told ourselves. And we were ill (mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically). Our course of direction to becoming well was and is abstinence, grace, and one day at a time action of reaching out for help and also giving back by trying to help others. It’s a reciprocating reality. We are no longer alone. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of having choices. Some of the choices we have are that we have the ability to say “I was wrong” or “I did not know that”. These are hard words for many of us to say. Some of us believe this is an attempt by the ego to prove that it is in control or that it is not weak because of a lack of knowledge. In reality it is hard to accept that we all know very little in the the large scheme of things and if we believe we are a mountain of wisdom we are skating on thin ice. Wise people tend to be little children who believe in grace. We need to know we have much to learn. Accepting this is the beginning of all knowledge. It’s all a gift. Peace.
People living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of being stuck but being resilient. Sometimes being stuck forces us to endeavor along in a pool of out of control control. Out of control control is something we justify to conquer or control (there is that word again) our fears. When we get older we recognize that we have a stronger need for control but in our resilience we understand and participate in the reality of letting go and receiving grace. It isn’t easy but what else can we do. Acceptance (especially of what we cannot change) and living in grace can be our greatest act of resilience. It’s our reality and it gives us peace.
Many people living life one day at a time often learn the reality of human growth in retrospect according to our age and our time in recovery. This is not a put-down on those who are younger or those who are fairly new to one day at a time recovery. It is the reality of limited experience and the knowledge that life is grace, life is love, and life will always have its limitations. If we cannot accept this, life becomes a terribly egocentric tailspin in which we believe we live in recovery because of our own accord. We don’t understand that grace, love, and acceptance are a God thing, and that God, the spirit or the universe are in all reality the other. Reality sets in and in retrospect we understand we are all vessels who have found safe harbor from the storms of our innocence. Peace.
Most people who have been living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of the world being unsure. This is not the reality of the world is so unsure that I have to fight it and overcome all obstacles that life throws at me. The world for many of us in recovery is the reality that we need to accept what we cannot overcome or control. What we cannot overcome or control is the reality of we cannot successfully go back to the world of using because using for us is to die to the reality of being free from the reality of active addiction. We know that better people than us have tried and in reality they died in all different manners of mental, spiritual, and physical ways. It is sad to say that physical death trumps all. Don’t pick up. Please reach out. Peace.
Many of us living in one day at a time recovery need to experience a good dose of ample reality to experience and navigate life on life’s own terms. Ample reality consists of living in wellness and in struggle. It also consists of good times and hard times in which we strive and we thrive facing good emotional and mental health regardless of adversity and setbacks while we will also experience joy, happiness, and freedom. Ample reality lets us know that life is doable, faceable, and survivable as we live in reality while living in one day at a time recovery in which aloneness ends and we become inextricably connected to other recovering people who have experienced ample reality living life on life’s own terms. We know that ample reality is a gift for many. It is more common than we think. Peace.
A reality of living in one day at a time recovery is that we discover that we are made until we become the living maturing person that recovery gives birth to one day at a time. In other words we believe we are made until we are born. Some people believe this to be the recovered person who is no longer afraid of anything. For most of us this reality does not exist. (Fools rush in where angels fear to tread). Courage is an act of consciousness derived from faith and reason. In other words – we don’t need to poke the bear. What we discover that our greatest act of courage is, is that we remain abstinent one day at a time even when life is falling apart and we live sober lives regardless of any adversities that we experience. We discover resilience and are born into grace. Peace.
Those of us who have been in recovery for a few years know change happens. This is a reality. We change. Hopefully we have picked up a few more coping skills as time passes. Often we feel more comfortable around people and our levels of adaptation and flexibility grow. We become more considerate and thoughtful towards other people. For most of us we cannot say we have seen the light or that we have been reborn, but we do try and travel our journeys one day at a time. As difficult as they might be, our journeys are a little lighter. We no longer choose to be too important though we know we do fit into the grand scheme of things. We believe that maybe some day we can help someone else. And we believe God, the spirit, or perhaps the universe is our friend. When we come to this point in our journey we start to be aware of selfless love. It’s a reality we partake in from time to time. Not always but every once in a while. Change happens. One day at a time the journey continues. Not perfectly but as it should. It’s our new reality. Peace