For Today: November 5th

In the carriages of the past you can’t go anywhere.

Maxim Gorky

I need not wallow in the pain of yesterday, nor shun it out of shame.  The lesson of my past is part of me, and I use it for greater understanding of myself, greater empathy for those who still suffer, and as a solid foundation for my recovery.  The past is the sum total of experience that made possible what I have today.

The OA program helps me to keep my past in perspective.  As I practice each of the steps, the guilt, shame and self-pity engendered by defects and wrongdoings are dissipated.  With my amends, I sweep it all away.  I belong to the world today and I will be part of its tomorrows.

For Today:  I have no desire to live in the past; rather, I embrace it and feel joyous about the experiences that have brought me to Overeaters Anonymous.

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Yes, I AM grateful for my past………without it, I wouldn’t be who I am today.  I am not, however, ‘feeling joyous’ about it.  Hmmpfffffff.  Honestly, if I could erase a whole bunch of mistakes I’ve made, I truly WOULD be joyous.

But I can’t erase the past, nor should I agree to live in it.  The past is finished and what lies ahead is a bright future.  

OA gives me a step-by-step plan to take my life back and to live it without shame and fear.  I can't change yesterday, but I CAN change today!

For today, I will stay true to my food plan; I will seek out another person to help (thereby getting me out of my own selfish behavior); I will go through the motions ahead of me without complaining or feeling sorry for myself.  For today, I will live 'as if' I am not the center of the universe.

For the next 24 hours, I will live in the blessed peace of Recovery.