The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
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Greetings MIP family! Today's 'Courage to Change' reading speaks of making the time to appreciate the simple beauties of life. The author recalls as a small child being entranced by a small caterpillar and the pleasure derived simply from watching the creature. This memory caused the writer to question how many of life's such precious moments might be passing them by due to focusing on other things. Prior to alanon, ignoring life's beauty came from trying to get all the alcoholics to stop drinking and in recovery many hours were lost waiting to solve a problem or be freed of a character defect.
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I can clearly remember the day I realised how uptight and miserable I had become, when I actively allowed myself to enjoy a walk. To be sure, I had walked on a daily basis, but the purpose wasn't pleasure, therefore none was had! Lol. I can laugh about that skewed logic now, at the time I really had no idea. I wouldn't have had any idea at all had I not been attending alanon meetings again at the time. In my heart at that moment I realised that I was out in the sunshine, alive and moving. It was an ugly neighborhood in many ways and yet, if you looked there were little bits of beauty made perhaps even more remarkable by the surroundings in which that beauty nonetheless existed. A smile to a child, a young person with a job, sun from behind a building, a wall of potted herbs, life itself living because that is what life does.... and I was/am a part of that tapestry! I looked forward to being able to share the feeling at my next meeting with my group. That small thing sparked a massive change as it was the little seed of detachment that came from shifting the focus. I can say honestly I was a very unhappy, obsessive avalanche of emotion at that time and I am so very grateful to have found alanon just as it was. I've never forgotten the power of small wonders and nature from that morning if i only open myself to the beauty around me and life itself is indeed a beautiful gift.
The daily reminder is: " I am learning to choose where to focus my attention. Appreciating life's simple gifts may take some practice, but as I become more aware of the beauty that is all around me, it gets easier to appreciate the beauty within ". The quote for the day is: " Just for today, I will be unafraid. Especially, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful....."
May the weekend be blessed all. ..blessed and in some small way beautiful.
-- Edited by a4l on Saturday 20th of October 2018 01:28:27 AM
Good Morning A31 I can readily identify with not seeing the beauty all around because I was too busy trying to make others behave.I walked about thinking , thinking, thinking of my problems and seriously attempting to come up with creative solutions. I never did-- however I did miss the beauty that surrounded me during those years.
Enter program. learning to stay in the present moment and in the day helped me to see the beauty in the world and feel the love that surrounded me. I am ever grateful. Thank you for your service
Thanks a4l and Betty. I relate to this passage because for many years I just walked around in a fog. I couldn't appreciate anything and had a very negative attitude. I spent my time blaming my A and in an anxious state. Along came alanon and I am a much improved person, and still improving. Getting the focus on me, and speaking with an experienced sponsor, enabled me to get back to the beauty of the clouds, and birds, and changing leaves. Grateful member, Lyne
...we have a lake in our valley. It was not always there- it was created to make hydro-electric power.
I was walking along the lake side on day- and I realised that the hills were moving and the trees. And no- they did not have legs on them! What I realised was that as I moved through the landscape things changed around me. Until that I had a narrow fixed view of everything around me.
We have a dogwood tree out the front of our house. it is spring here and the dogwood flowers well. I enjoy it.
This was once impossible for me- I could not see it!
Thanks to Aanon my world is alive and I am alive in it, with others like you... ...
Thank you, a4l for the daily and your elegant post!
I am absolutely loving the responses from everyone! Thank you!!
"...life itself living, because that is what life does." Brilliant! Something so simple, yet profound. It reminds me of the Beatles song, "Let It Be."
I remember living in that fog... a prison of my own making!
Today I am enjoying the "Fall" that Cali gets, and appreciating that I can get out of bed, walk, do yard work... even type on this keyboard to connect with y'all!
I. am. grateful.
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"The wolf that thrives, is the one you feed." - Cherokee legend
"Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields... Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness." Mary Oliver
Happy Saturday MIP family. As I consider what things were like before recovery, I took many things for granted. All that I did had a purpose, and I was driven and focused, yet now I realize much of my focus and what was driving me was superficial and/or for immediate gratification purposes.
I try to walk each day, and there is one hill that has two church steeples at the top. When I reach that spot as the sun is coming up, it's just beautiful and so peaceful. It makes my heart smile as does watching my dog Layla get super excited each morning as I put on socks. We walk the same way, every day, yet she's bubbling over with gratitude and excitement each time we prepare to go....her enthusiasm for simple things teaches me that a simple life is a great gift!
Because of the strange weather year in my area (drought followed by floods), our fall colors are limited and late. Yet, there is tons of beauty to be seen and all the golf courses are really great colors and peaceful. Each of our club courses has lakes, streams, etc. and it's kept up well. I see something different/new each time and it's much more fun to be outside in all that is 'free' to see/enjoy than being inside!
I am grateful for my new pair of glasses gifted by recovery. Our meeting this morning was about willingness to use all our tools and not just go to meetings. It was awesome to hear what everyone considers a 'go-to' when restless, irritable or discontent. We had some awesome ESH and 4 new people. Hope everyone had a peaceful day - I have so far and hope it continues into the evening! (((Hugs)))
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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
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