Many people who are living in one day at a time recovery realize when we miss awareness. When we realize we are no longer living a reasonable, happy, and functional life we need to reach out. Perhaps we start to blame others for our difficulties. Perhaps everyone we know appears to be unhappy and negative. We believe this is the reason we have no energy and have withdrawn from activities we used to enjoy. Perhaps we are so depressed we cannot go to work. We blame others. Then we realize we are missing awareness. One day at a time recovery has given us the ability to reach out. We talk to a professional. We get treatment. Realizing we have lost our awareness has led us to regain good health. These stumbling blocks can happen to anyone. We know this. Reach out. Be aware. It’s important. So are we.
Those of us who live in one day at a time recovery really don’t know the outcome of our endeavors before they happen. We might like to think we do, but when such outcomes are up to other people to fulfill, they can go by the wayside, and at times fail. Such mismanagement of plans can be humbling indeed. If we can remain humble perhaps we won’t feel humiliated. This is in accordance with how our ego takes it. It can, at times, cause arguments, rifts, or other ill feelings. In matters of marriage, or other close relationships, we should always have an open discussion about such plans and outcomes. Just because we’re close to someone doesn’t mean we can expect others to jump on board. In matters of business, expectations and outcomes should be made clear by all concerned. These are realities and one reality is that outcomes can vary regardless of no matter how well they have been thought through, discussed and planned. Even the healthiest of people can have difficulties with disappointment and failure. It happens to most of us. One day at a time we recover. That’s all we can do.
The reality of short-term physical impairment can happen to anyone, and it can be particularly cumbersome to those living with such. One day at a time we are diligent in trying to adjust to being housebound. Perhaps we have to adjust to the loss of earnings from certain types of work. Perhaps advocations, and other passions, will need to be put on hold. Recovering people are no different from other people. These are difficult times. They could last a few months. If we are managing to stay clean and sober, one day at a time, life has a way of balancing out. The calls and visits we receive are blessings, be they many or few. Any progress made in our physical recovery is a bonus, and emotional difficulties can become less than they were at the first. We become grateful for this because this is the common gift of healing. And as we know, this happens to us, one day at a time.
Sometimes hanging on to one day at a time recovery is all that people like us can do. Mental health disorders are not the only obstacle in the way of those who live one day at a time. Nonetheless much of our mindset is based on I can’t instead of help me. In addition to this there are, as was said before, times we just need to hang on. After getting through a period of just hanging on we realize how others have been there for us. Gratitude for others’ generosity, concern, and love becomes more than apparent. We now realize, as people who live in one day at a time recovery, the generosity of those close to us, our cohorts, and the God of our own understanding. Love and goodwill are the building blocks of our recovery. We might not know it now, but one day at a time we experience this. It’s the gift of hanging on, or the benefit of surprise. Hang on. It happens.
A hazed and tired autumn brings the sleeping of the bear
The hunt is on at break of dawn the tracking of the deer
And soon I’ll travel forward to the Autumn of my life
While resting is the buzzing bee and I beseech less strife
And autumn but a chance to see and also time to feel
A poet’s inspiration a painter’s rent and meal
And words could never touch this time a masterpiece of God
For He softly lets the seasons change showing artists we are frauds
As Providence puts bears at rest and buzzing bees to sleep
A masterpiece that I can’t make the time I cannot keep
So gently I will close my eyes through the colors and the winds
And before I slowly drift in sleep I will say adieu my friends.
Those of us living in one day at a time recovery know that we sometimes struggle. Injuries, or health issues, might keep us away from the rooms of recovery. We could be housebound and perhaps not up to our daily recovery routines. Perhaps we step into a practice of prayer and contemplation. Maybe our writing becomes hand written and its only purpose is to try and keep in contact with the energy force we call God. We might not comprehend but we still have faith. This is one of the aloneness moments of living in one day at a time recovery. It happens. In upcoming moments we keep the faith. We turn it over. One day at a time – more will be revealed.
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.
Those of us who are living in one day at a time recovery sometimes know when we are hearing what we feel. When someone asks us to think of them we might hear dependency because we, ourselves, feel overwhelmed and are in need of support. Frustrated we say, “What do you want Me to do?” They answer us with a simple request for a prayer. We needed support and all they needed was a thought. We, when as newcomers are feeling on fire with our program tell our sponsors all they need to do to be in recovery and our sponsors ask us who is sponsoring who. Our feelings, a bit grandiose, think our sponsors need us to be their sponsors. This is another example of hearing what we feel. Perhaps we will learn after doing this too many times that we all have our own agendas. Now we are learning feelings are not always facts. How do we stop this? It just comes to us. It’s usually a nudge that comes to us a little after on and we realize what we are doing. It’s thinking with self. It comes and it goes. One day at a time.
Those of us living in one day a time recovery are witnesses to an act of love. We learn, as we grow, that empathy, care and concern are a three stage act of love. Sometimes we witness this act of love from our loved ones, or from some other person, or people. They feel for, and with us, when we are unwell. They become – with us. This is empathy. The second stage of this act of love is that they care for us. They take us to hospitals, detoxes, and treatment centers. They might even help us with other needs, or wants. Then they are concerned for us. This is the third stage of this act of love we are witnesses to. They pray, worry, and at times, even set boundaries if we simply refuse to help ourselves. They know we are ill but what more can they do. And while we have been witnesses to this act of love, we cannot fully recognize this unless we find recovery. We learn to see this love in doctors, nurses, case workers, recovering people, and others we come in contact with. In reality, we have been brought back to life. Be grateful.
Many of us who are living in one day at a time recovery know each and every day hasn’t happened before it happens. That makes each day an unprecedented day. We can fret or worry, or we can anticipate, with almost certainty – happiness, grace, and joy. The trump card is the surprise, or the unexpected. They happen every day, either the noticeable, or the unnoticeable. The noticeable trump card can make us aware of the unprecedented event of the day. The unnoticeable might be something as simple as a new blade of grass in a neighbors front yard. Each day is unprecedented. At times some of us experience a sense of newness during our moments of repetition. Days begin to seem all the same, but this sense of newness becomes an epiphany to our inner-senses. We recognize the unprecedented moment or event. We feel it and we realize that this event, or moment, has never happened before. More often than not it brings with it a sense of awe and a sense of peace. We know that change does happen and change will happen. We learn recovery is a journey and this unprecedented journey continues. One day at a time we find peace. We learn struggles will pass. We know how to be happy, joyous, and free. If we don’t know how, it will come to us. It’s part of the journey.