Many people living in one day at a time recovery have a need to create the common enemy. It is a coping skill we develop when we are choosing to create a scapegoat or scapegoats in order that we have someone to blame for all our current, past, and future problems. It’s the reality of non-responsibility and it destroys communities and togetherness. It creates rifts and hard feelings in families. The reality of this blog is that we (people living in one day at a time recovery) are people who take responsibility for our own recovery. We do so by admitting that we are addicts and our lives are unmanageable. Addiction and its irresponsibility is a sad fact of life. There is no-one to blame. Not the government, the rich, the poor, the immigrants, the church or the powerful. Recovering people form communities and they are imperfect communities, but we help each other solve our problems. We reach out, we abstain, and we help each other. It’s called taking ownership of our lives. We’re not perfect. We know that. Nonetheless we are part of the solution. It’s called owning our reality. Peace.
There are some people living in one day at a time recovery who know what it’s like to be the passive and the kind. Those of us who are not often shame those of us who are. At least that is the way it feels at times. If we are passive, it is often because life has made us so. It is a reality of having a peace loving soul. Not everyone understands this. It often is a characteristic of the meek. Such a nature also creates the kind soul. Kindness is a wonderful human attribute which makes the world a better place. There would be no true sense of community if it wasn’t for kindness and this would greatly impair the reality of togetherness. The truly kind souls know this. When we understand this we understand the reality of grace and we know that grace is not weakness. It’s all about love and love brings us hope. Peace.
Those of us living in one day at time recovery know that art can help us to escape. Stressors, boredom, or being overly busy can wind us up or force us to live with other ill feelings. At one time in our lives we avoided it by using. No matter how much we used, we found we could not escape. Sometimes we didn’t know why we were escaping, we just kept using. The monkey was on our back. We needed to be free. Today, maybe watching a movie, or listening to music helps us to break free for a bit. Maybe creating art takes us out of ourselves. What we know is we do step work, try to help others, and take care of ourselves. We need to escape – especially when we know what we are escaping from. It’s called self-care. We need it. One day at a time.
Some people living in one day at a time recovery spend time ruminating about the simplest of slights that seem to offset a sense of belonging or perhaps even their God given sense of valued self-worth. Our over-sensitive egos understand this all too well. When we reality check with our inner-most being (our true-selves) we ask these simple questions – “How much will this slight matter in 5 years, or 5 months, or 5 days?” Inner reflections formed with a basis of love (not only for ourselves but for others too) most often reveal – “not much”. Thus comes the reality of the practice of letting go. We have better things to do than to ruminate about slight offenses which stir the egos’ need for resentment. We need to trust in grace. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery practice the realities of hope and faith which we believe are the foundations of our wellness and doable living. Wellness and doable living help us to maintain one day at a time abstinence and keep us attuned to a love for life giving us the resilience to live and to survive the adversities which interfere with our peace of mind. In all reality we get to understand that hope and faith are the strongholds of life and recovery keeping us alive so that we can thrive and maintain the realities of recovery. We make the choice to survive and live one more day one day at a time. We reach out. We’re not alone. In doing so we will see that life gets better. We know this from experience. Peace.
Those of us who live with mental health disorders and addictions need to come in out of the rain. Depressed, lonely, and tired is the rain no-one should live in. Those of us who are living in one day at a time recovery know this. We came in out of the rain. We reached out for help. Reaching out is the courageous and brave thing to do. We received professional help and some of us found our way in out of the rain. Many of us found tools to help live well lives. Many of us live one day at a time. Whether we believe it or not, we deserve to feel good. We deserve to come in out of the rain.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand what it is like to live within the midst of joy. What we discover is that living within the midst of joy is not a complicated or difficult reality. It is not a quest we must diligently seek. Most of the time joy just happens. Usually, when we live our lives while simply practicing gratitude, joy will find us. It is gratitude that helps us to see the beauty of a sunrise, and the calmness of a sunset. It also helps us to bear witness to the simple joy of abstinence and the freedom that abstinence brings. If we measured our wealth in freedom recovery would make us rich people because it grants us the ability to be aware and often present as we live within the midst of joy. Welcome to the reality of grace. It’s a one day at a time gift. Peace.
People living in one day at a time recovery are people who find direction in the darkness. What we have discovered is when darkness comes, or when darkness came, it was, or is, the really dark. The darkness ropes us into reality, but while living in reality we find the darkness can only lead us in its ever present luminous recovery. What we are saying is that we get to know ourselves and we get to experience the reality of resilience. We become the recipients of grace. Pain has a way of lighting the dark. So does love. By looking into the face of the other we find one day at a time recovery. We understand the joy and freedom in abstinence. The darkness blinds us no more. Peace.
Most people living in one day at a time recovery understand that they are allowed to have feelings. We do understand that feelings are not always factual but we really must acknowledge another person’s feelings without automatic dismissal. Sometimes others just need to be heard. If we don’t listen without prejudice others might feel as if their feelings do not matter especially with the implications of “So What”. Feelings matter. Even if they are misgiving. This is why many recovering people have mentors and advisors. It’s to help us untangle the webs of reality and navigate our thoughts and emotions. We all need to realize we all matter. It’s all about grace. Peace.
Many People living in one day at a time recovery discover that living in recovery is the reality of finding we are one in the many. Another equally important discovery is that we are many in the one. This is the reality, and the gift, that recovering people have a special inextricable connection with each other. This is more than evident in our emotional togetherness and our sometimes shared egocentric shortcomings. It can take years for us to realize that our uniqueness is not all that unique especially when our minds become open enough to accept that we are one in the many and we are many in the one because of the more than similar stories and experiences shared by people living in one day at a time recovery. Others have lived our experience. Our reality is our togetherness. It’s all grace. Peace.