Recovery Meditations: October 19th
Live and Let Live
“If I knew for a
certainty that a man was coming to my house
with the conscious
design of doing me good,
I should run for my
life.”
Henry David Thoreau
I have gleaned from the OA program that I can let others be
themselves and make their own decisions unless an issue involves me as well.
What a powerful concept. I have struggled long and hard with the issue of letting
others live their lives as they choose without the benefit of my wise, profound
advice. I really believed that I had all the answers and that by listening to
me, one could get his or her life on the right track and be forever grateful to
me for the magnanimous favor I had done them. I really believed this! I was
also deeply frustrated when people did not immediately do whatever it was I had
“advised” them to do. How could they be so dumb?
More importantly, how did I overlook the fact that my own life
was heading downhill at a remarkable clip? Thanks to the OA program, I have
slowly learned to keep my mouth shut. My motto for relationships is simple:
sweep off my side of the street. It makes being me so much easier and it makes
the lives of those around me a bit better too.
One day at a time...
Today I will accept and love those around me without acting
on the urge to make their lives “better.” I will live and let live as I
continue to realize the freedom the program offers me.
~ Pete
********************************************
Each Day A New Beginning
—Ruth Casey
How easily our minds jump from the present to the foibles of the past or our fears about the future. How seldom are our minds on this moment, and only this moment.
Before we picked up this book, where were our thoughts? We need to practice, with diligence, returning our minds to whatever the experience at hand. A truly creative response to any situation can only be made when we are giving it our undivided attention. And each creative response initiates an even more exciting follow-up experience.
All we have of life, all that it can offer us is here, now. If we close our mind to the present, this present, we'll only continue to do so when the tomorrow we dream of now becomes the present. There are no tomorrows.
I will let go of the past and the future. My only reality is here, now. God's gifts are here, today, right now.
From Each Day
a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey © 1982,
1991 by Hazelden Foundation
Food For Thought
If we do not abstain from compulsive overeating, we do not live - we merely survive. Without abstinence, joy and creativity fade and we are left with only the effort of getting from one day to the next. We remember the despair of living without the OA program, and we are grateful that we have been given a reprieve from our former misery.
Abstaining is what we do each day in order to live the life our Higher Power intends us to have. There are good days and bad days and mediocre days. As long as we abstain from compulsive overeating, we are able to accept our passing moods and the events of each day with inner serenity. We make progress in our activities and in our understanding. We are alive to the possibilities of each moment.
To abstain requires that we choose a long-term satisfaction rather than a short-lived indulgence. To abstain is to walk with our Higher Power in the way He shows us.
Thank You for the power to abstain.
From Food for
Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters by Elisabeth L. ©1980, 1992
by Hazelden Foundation.
The Language of Letting Go
What's a codependent? The answer's easy. They're some of the most loving, caring people I know.
—Beyond Codependency
We don't need to limit an inventory of ourselves to the negatives. Focusing only on what's wrong is a core issue in our codependency.
Honestly, fearlessly, ask: "What's right with me? What are my good points?"
"Am I a loving, caring, nurturing person?" We may have neglected to love ourselves in the process of caring for others, but nurturing is an asset.
"Is there something I do particularly well?" "Do I have a strong faith?" "Am I good at being there for others?" "Am I good as part of a team, or as a leader?" "Do I have a way with words or with emotions?"
"Do I have a sense of humor?" "Do I brighten people up?" "Am I good at comforting others?" "Do I have an ability to make something good out of barely nothing at all?" "Do I see the best in people?"
These are character assets. We may have gone to an extreme with these, but that's okay. We are now on our way to finding balance.
Recovery is not about eliminating our personality. Recovery aims at changing, accepting, working around, or transforming our negatives, and building on our positives. We all have assets; we only need to focus on them, empower them, and draw them out in ourselves.
Codependents are some of the most loving, caring people around. Now, we're learning to give some of that concern and nurturing to ourselves.
Today, I will focus on what's right about me. I will give myself some of the caring I've extended to the world.
From The
Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.
Today's thought from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.
--Anais Nin
We are surrounded by women and men who are necessary for our development. That's a startling revelation perhaps. We don't even like everybody in our life! How can we need them? But we do. Our Higher Power clearly understands our purpose and our needs, and ushers into our lives those people who will help us grow and change and contribute. It sounds mysterious initially, but when we get accustomed to the idea, we are relieved. Each person will teach us something we need to know about life and about ourselves.
Our individual character is growing, changing, maturing. Our understanding of others and our experiences deepens with each unfolding event. The world is ever changing. By design, not coincidence, we will befriend those people who need us, just as we need them.
I am where I need to be. My friends and associates need me as I need them. We are moving and growing in concert.
Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.
--Anais Nin
We are surrounded by women and men who are necessary for our development. That's a startling revelation perhaps. We don't even like everybody in our life! How can we need them? But we do. Our Higher Power clearly understands our purpose and our needs, and ushers into our lives those people who will help us grow and change and contribute. It sounds mysterious initially, but when we get accustomed to the idea, we are relieved. Each person will teach us something we need to know about life and about ourselves.
Our individual character is growing, changing, maturing. Our understanding of others and our experiences deepens with each unfolding event. The world is ever changing. By design, not coincidence, we will befriend those people who need us, just as we need them.
I am where I need to be. My friends and associates need me as I need them. We are moving and growing in concert.
You are reading from the book:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.