People living in one day one day at a time recovery understand the reality of people being people when people are healthy. The first reality we understand is when people are healthy they are more content. We know this from the personal experience of we being people who are healthy people. When we are healthy we are more attuned to what is going on in our world and also in the worlds of those around us. When healthy we are better at navigating the ever fluctuating waves of life. We could say that we are more in touch with reality. Our reality is life is life and as we go with the flow we experience the joy that life offers us. In all reality we also roll with the punches when being hit with life’s adversity. We are also better at dealing with the doldrums of being a human being who is a human being living. When healthy, which can be much of the time, we are more productive, flexible, and adaptive to the realities of human reality and its needs. We can be generous people but we are generous people who live with realistic and reasonable boundaries. Boundaries are part of being healthy. What we realize is our kindness is in large supplies when we are well. This is the reality of people being people when we are healthy. It’s a gift. Peace.
Many of us living in one day at a time recovery learn the reality of people are people. The difficulties of people being people is that we too are people and as people we live with the fragile, sensitive, and narcissistic demands of our own egos. We, ourselves, can be hurt or offended by people who disagree with or refute the reality of our self-perceived irrefutable knowledge and beliefs which are not supposed to be challenged in any way whatsoever. What we are soon to discover is yes, we are people aren’t we. If we are lucky our egoic irrefutable knowledge and beliefs teach us humility especially when we are wrong and in our humility we understand that people being people is a humbling journey. We then discover people who walk a humble journey are people with whom we would like to share our journeys with. Most of us often fall short of such humility but there are people who are just people who will pick us up when we fall and they will thank us for being people. People, just people, will see past our flaws and love us anyways knowing that they too are people just people. Our commonalities are seen more clearly in those we are akin with. We all learn to identify in our imperfection. It’s our humble reality. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of uplifting days. They can be many or they can be days apart but when we’re living in one day at a time recovery they are more than likely to happen frequently especially when we are people who appreciatively practice gratitude. When an uplifting day happens we are usually on the beam or content. Another reality is that uplifting days happen when we are recipients of grace. In all reality one day at a time growth unlocks the mystery of serenity. We understand freedom and happiness. We cannot help but to be moved by joy. We become so, so grateful for life and recovery that such realities help to get us through adversities. We find hope from experiencing the realities of uplifting days. They gift us with a much happier life. They lift us up. Peace.
Many people who live their lives comfortably numb awaken to the reality that time waits for no-one. Once time has passed it has passed. It is as real as the reality of time takes time. Such seemingly opposing realities are a paradox. In other words both realities are true. Those of us who have lived a large part of our lives comfortably numb, even while living in recovery, might have difficulty understanding and accepting that time wouldn’t or couldn’t wait for us. What happens to us is that we finds ourselves well into the second half of life before we understand or realize that we are half-way dead. It sounds cruel but we do need to start accepting the changes that are occurring in our bodies and the differing functionable abilities that occur in our minds. Our reality is that we are less able to do what we could once do easily. Most of us accept this as our new reality. Part of this is learning the reality of melancholy and at times frustration. Another reality is some of us might become kinder, wiser and more generous people. When we are comfortable, and no longer comfortably numb we see the benefits of the time we have spent in this world. We have been gifted the gift of time. It’s a privilege many don’t experience. Peace.
Many people living in one day at a time recovery understand the reality of living in gratitude. What we discover is that gratitude is a precursor to happiness and that happiness is a by-product of healthy living. To further this line of thought is that healthy living is a result of being abstinent from whatever we are addicted to which gives us the opportunity and the gift of participating in one day at a time recovery. When we get to be a part of such stages of development we get to experience hope and freedom. The idea is to keep this development alive and healthy which we do so more often than not by participating in the endeavor of trying to pass this experience of hope and freedom on to those of us living with concurrent disorders. We also understand that we are not alone in wanting to continue in life with this hope and freedom nor are we alone in wanting to discover the reality of hope and freedom if we haven’t found it yet. We on the the other hand understand the reality of one day at a time living when we get to experience abstinence and the fog starts to lift from our somewhat clouded reality. When this happens we are able to understand the concept of gratitude. We live in it. It’s a wonderful experience. Peace.
Most people living life one day at a time find they are walking one step at a time while in recovery. While we are walking in recovery hopefully we will take time to stop, rest, and experience the journey. We are walking from a journey in which we were blind into a journey in which we will develop sight, reality, and humility. When we start to see reality we will develop the reality of hindsight and if we are honest most of us cannot be judgmental for fear of being self-righteous and hypocritical. Most of us were, and still to this day, are hoping to find a sense of ease. Our humble reality is we can find a bit of peace when our hindsight reveals to us that we were sick people pummeled by an illness that left our thinking so impaired and fragmented that we had no grasp of reality whatsoever. When we understand this we understand that we were given the gift of grace and a reality forged from desperation. This becomes in part the beginning of recovery. Again we understand the reality of our condition. We were sick people. When we accept this we are ready to walk while in recovery one day at a time. It took many of us many years to comprehend this. A somber reality is not everyone gets the chance to. We will learn this while walking in recovery. Peace.
The reality of many people living with active addictions and mental health disorders is that we often mismanage our finances. In an honest reality a large amount of people (just everyday people) are just two pay-checks away from bankruptcy. Those of us who have been through this or are going through this understand how stressful this can be. And being stressed leads to careless spending because careless spending leads to temporary relief from stress. The problem with careless spending is that it hurts us in the long run. It’s a hard cold reality. Addiction is the simple fact of obtaining temporary relief by doing something that brings temporary relief but in reality has harmful consequences. It doesn’t have to be the obvious chemical addictions that we have or once had. It applies to careless spending too. Another reality is that maybe we just don’t have the finances to get by in a healthy and reasonable manner. This is the way the system works. It dangles a carrot in front of our noses and we continue to chase it but never quite get it. Perhaps, just perhaps, we can stop chasing the carrot. Our hope is to live a manageable life with good health and a bit of contentment. In doing so we find a bit of freedom. Peace.
Many people who learn or are learning to live in one day at a time recovery also understand that they themselves are responsible for their own recovery. When we understand this reality we understand the reality that we don’t have to face these responsibilities alone. We need to know that it is alright to reach out for help, and when we do so we are securing a far better chance of living happier lives abstinent from whatever addiction it is or was that held us in its cages. Some of us find that if we are people who seek support in the rooms of recovery we understand that even though we are not responsible for our disease (addiction) we are responsible for our recovery. What many of us have discovered is that being a person who commits to, and frequently attends gatherings in the rooms of recovery we are actually people who feel the need to be accountable for staying and living in one day at a time recovery. If we don’t quite get it the first time we try, many of us keep coming back or kept coming back until we get or got it. When we do get this we understand responsibility. Reality and life become a healthier and happier endeavor. Be responsible. Peace.
Many of us living in one day at a time recovery understand that we need to stay involved in our recovery and we need to participate in life. This is the constant reality that has the ability to keep or make us content. We begin to understand that reality and recovery are not games that we play to amuse ourselves. What we are learning is that reality and recovery are our very life. When we learn this, we understand that when faced with adversity we are more likely to roll with the punches instead of defeating or conquering such difficulties. We might even say that even when things are good we just go with the flow. When we keep regular contact with others in the rooms of recovery we are exercising our abilities in regards to staying involved in our recovery and participating in life. What we discover is that when we do so we might be helping others. Also we might be helping ourselves. Staying involved in our recovery and participating in life is important. In as such we can roll with the punches and we can be content. Peace.
Many of us living in one day at a time recovery understand that there will be times that we need to be embracing hope. Most of the time that we are embracing hope we are actually living on a prayer. The sad thing is that when we are actually living on a prayer our prayer life is usually not helping very much. Then in reality, or in non-reality, our hope can be this too shall pass. It might not look like this too shall pass but it will, and our only reality is to reach out and stay abstinent from active addiction. This is important. Another reality is that if it is anxiety that is overwhelming us we might need to reach out for professional help. Perhaps our doctor or our counsellor. This is of paramount importance. When anxiety is overwhelming us we are not healthy or living a life adapted in wellness. Anxiety can put a strain on relationships with those we are close with. If we are aware of this when it is happening we are living with a bit of personal awareness. In other words, some how some way we are embracing hope. The hope is that this soon too shall pass. Hope is a gift. Peace.