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.
What do you all do on days that things are to good? Not much of a problem to bear. I am trying to find ways to make the good days last. But, I know it is not all up to me. My God & I walk hand in hand. He makes the calls I just walk the walk. It can be frustrating when I cannot follow my plan. Just like they say make plans & God starts laughing! I am not lost. I know that He is real to me. I don't know how to live my life w/o gratitude. It is amazing how much easier it is to get into gratitude these days after being at this for all this time. I have been thinking about affirmations a lot lately. I hope that doing them I can get to a place where I really believe all the positive things I do say about myself. Maybe it hasn't already happened but if I pray & think good thoughts maybe I can find the positive instead of all the negative. Short but sweet.
"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
hi there when things are too good I try to enjoy them for what they are. Fully embrace and feel them and as you said express gratitude. Love the affirmations too.
What do I do when things are too good? I do three things...I enjoy life...I go to meetings...and I work my program.
All three of those things are innate for me. They are automatic. I don't have to try to do it. For me, it's like breathing. It just happens naturally.
There is an old joke for people who have been in the program a long time...The joke goes like this...
When you have a bad day...you go to a meeting...when you have a good day...you go to two! There is some wisdom and truth in jest. LOL.
One thing seasoned people, people who have been in the program a long time, look out for...and they understand it can be a potential problem...and that thing they look for is...complacency. Think about it.
There is a lot that is in fact up to us. We can start our day all over again, at any time we want. We can control our thinking, our perspective, our mindset. We can make choices. All of that, and more, is up to us.
God may deal the cards...but God gives us the ability to make choices on how we play them. JMHO.
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Bo
Keep coming back...
God, grant me the serenity...to accept the PEOPLE I cannot change...the courage to change the ONE I can...and the wisdom to know it's ME...
(((Kathleen))) - great topic/question! I am one who does better with routine so my routine each day is the same - whether there is calm/mellow happening or not. Trust me when I say that during moments of chaos/stress, there is a part of me that would rather stray from my routine....however, what I do know about me and my recovery is my serenity/joy is directly related to my self-care and recovery routine. Each/every time I allow anything to take priority over my routine, I run the risk of loosing my serenity.
So - an attitude of gratitude, constant contact with the God of my understanding and a desire to be selfless vs. selfish set the stage for me upon awakening....an intentional effort to stay present, enjoying what's working well vs. not and affirmations are a healthy habit picked up through practicing recovery. It's my goal, through my spiritual journey to 'feel' that mellow/calm every day, no matter what is happening around me! The only way I know to achieve that is by practicing what's working or has worked, which is what I've learned in recovery! I do believe in daily miracles and see them all around me. I also hold tight to the phrase, "the best is yet to come"!! It's been true to this point, so why not? (((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
This is a great question Hoot. Thanks for it. As a child I never questioned joy. I just enjoyed it! But it is only very recently, like two months of recent that I've started to do that again. I'm really enjoying my children. For no reason other than they're just like this pure energy and I'm filled with gratitude that yes this is my life and I get to be part of my own little family. Simple simple things which I never noticed or noticed then feared would be followed by something to ruin it are now a source of gratitude. Grateful I'm an island girl, grateful I'm a world citizen, grateful for the company of really interesting little humans. I don't question those things as much of late, I just smile and say good morning to everyone I meet.
You may be at a point in your life where you're ready for some further growth. Maybe a year ago, I had absolutely nothing wrong going on with me. Life was good. I had a lot to be grateful for. I was doing what I always do - work, exercise, prayer and meditation, meetings, service, fellowship, but something in me was restless.
I called it being discontent with being content.
I just needed some new growth in my life. I was in stasis so it was time to experience more. I just started with a goal to learn new things and put a very heavy emphasis on gratitude.
Now, in addition to my Al-Anon program, I'm also learning Spanish, and I set myself a goal to read 24 books by the end of the year - I'm ahead of schedule with 19 books under my belt already. I've been particular about choosing subjects that I feel feed my spirituality and serenity and not just fictional dramas. Probably one of my favorites this year was Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch.
I've also been continuing to flex my creative muscles and I've been doing lots and lots of art.
But that's what's working for me.
So, I don't know if that's what you're getting at. A little red flag goes up when I hear someone describing stuff as being "too" good. If I say that, it sounds almost like I think I don't deserve it because it's just "too good" for me. Buzz. WRONG. I deserve every good thing life has to offer, and I know you do, too. Nothing is "too" good for you or any of us.
The "too" good thought also makes me think of being in that state of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Expecting something bad to happen.
Trust your HP. You're being blessed with this good time in your life. Write some gratitude around it and ENJOY. Live your life to its fullest.
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