The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Today's reading is about "keep it simple", so I will try to do just that. The reading discusses how non-simple life was before recovery - stressful job, limited/no time, obsessive focus on the A and denial about all of the above!
Al-Anon, when we practice it, brings about awareness and a breakage of the denial and previous habits that plagued most of us. The writers suggests she decided the top priority for her unmanageable life was to recover from the effects of alcoholism. She worked to simplify all that she could to include letting go of some social activities, switching to a less-stressful job, leaving some house chores undone. It was a way to give self time needed for emotional and spiritual health.
With time, responsibilities and chores were added back in - yet with a better understanding of how to keep it simple.
Today's Reminder --- If I am overwhelmed, I may be trying to do too much. Today I will try to "Keep it Simple."
Today's Quote --- from Hans Hofmann --- "The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak."
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I can relate to the stresses of life and how my own mind and habits magnified it all! Add to that my desire/need before recovery to be the 'perfect' wife, mother, employee, house cleaner, daughter, etc. and it's no wonder I was an exhausted, short-tempered, judgmental, broken mess!
My denial hung out longer than desired, and I truly thought 'life' would fall apart without 'me' and my duties. It took me a while to be able to breathe, simplify and keep it simple. Today, I still wake up with a 'to-do' list trying to dominate my mind at times. I am better served in my recovery when I can set this aside long enough to start my day the preferred recovery way - with prayer and meditation. "This" simple action of putting HP first each morning truly helps me better keep it simple, live one day at a time and put first things first.
Happy Friday all - we are expecting some weather again this weekend, so a few errands are on my plan for today! I have little people spending the night tomorrow so must stock up on the necessary g-ma things - fruit snacks, popcorn, juice and milk! Make it a great day!
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Practice the PAUSE...Pause before judging. Pause before assuming. Pause before accusing. Pause whenever you are about to react harshly and you will avoid doing and saying things you will later regret. ~~~~ Lori Deschene
Hii IAH, I love this reading and slogan-- Keeping it simple is not so simple. however once I learned how to do- it worked fantastically. As with many program principles ,It was a process, as I needed d to learn to let go of of the fear of making a mistake and then move to not trying to figure it all out to cover every contingency before I acted. Leaning to go inward, pray and ask for guidance and put faith in the 11th step helped tremendously.
Today I know how to keep it simple :) Thanks for your service and enjoy your Friday
Thank you IAH for your service and the reading today!
GREAT words of wisdom hotrod!! Thank you for sharing that ESH.
Keeping it simple in my world starts with the immediate space around me. I recently had the pleasure to throw out and declutter some spaces in my home that has now allowed me breathing room and places to mediate and pray daily. For me, I found there was some wisdom in the idea that a cluttered space = a cluttered mind. Decluttered space now allows me to Keep It Simple and the ability to think a little more clearly.
Today, as I look at my long list of things I want to accomplish in a short period of time, I will also remember to focus on myself adn to go gently, keeping it simple, so that I can truly enjoy my whole day while remaining in peace and joy.
Thanks for the daily and the shares. Like many of the slogans, when I first started program I thought they were such silly little unnecessary sayings. Keep it simple, Just for today, Easy does it, etc. NOW things are different for me. The slogans are a very important part of my tool box! And keeping things simple has taken me a lot of practice. I am able to accomplish this much of the time, but let's not forget progress not perfection! Lyne
I still have that defect where my mind races to "figure things out".... I am my own worst enemy as I concoct stories of the worst case scenario of things that didn't happen... maybe I missed my calling as a fiction writer. It is a bad habit and hard to break and I think the pattern started so that I could avoid further pain. It's hard, but I practice staying in the moment and work on feeling the calmness of it, as being the eye of the storm and a place of safety. I think I'll write "Keep it simple" on a post-it and stick this on my bathroom mirror to remind me each morning to keep it simple, take things at face value, and do the next right thing for me.
Lovely shares and ESH family. I must admit that I have come to realize that my first (and sometime second) thought are NOT always my finest hour....I do believe that the awareness of a brain that 'wants' to react instead of respond does help me greatly as I can go through whatever is happening, use our tools and then respond or not. KISS, Easy Does It, ODAT - all of them help me and I too was not impressed when I first heard them.
So grateful all of you are part of my journey!!
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Practice the PAUSE...Pause before judging. Pause before assuming. Pause before accusing. Pause whenever you are about to react harshly and you will avoid doing and saying things you will later regret. ~~~~ Lori Deschene
It is a bad habit and hard to break and I think the pattern started so that I could avoid further pain. It's hard, but I practice staying in the moment and work on feeling the calmness of it, as being the eye of the storm and a place of safety. I think I'll write "Keep it simple" on a post-it and stick this on my bathroom mirror to remind me each morning to keep it simple, take things at face value, and do the next right thing for me.