Endigar 826
From Courage to Change of April 02;
I have heard that the time to be especially gentle with myself is not when I’m doing well, but when I’m doing poorly. I may be able to push myself hard when things are going my way, but I invite trouble if I try this when I’m already struggling to manage the basic activities of my life. I used to worry that if I didn’t push myself all the time, I would turn into a slug and nothing would get done. But my Fourth Step inventory showed me that the opposite is true. I tend to be very hard on myself, so hard at times that I make my own life unmanageable. As a result, I often accomplish less than I would if I took a more gentle approach. For me, the best antidote is the slogan, “Easy Does It.”
When I notice that I’m having trouble with my day, I try to slow down. And instead of automatically assuming I am wrong, I try to consider the possibility that I might be right on schedule.
Today’s Reminder
“Easy Does It” suggests not only that I learn to slow down, but also that I lean to lighten up. Today I will strove to take a more accepting attitude toward myself and to enjoy the day, regardless of what I achieve.
“Improving our own attitudes, and our own state of mind, takes time. Haste and impatience can only defeat our purposes.” ~ This Is Al-Anon
END OF QUOTE—————————————
There is a distinct difference in the aggressive positive selfishness needed to overcome addiction and the gentle self care necessary to navigate life with humans.
The first reality I have to embrace is that I am not God. I cannot mastermind the perfections of my fellow human beings according to the enlightenment of my personal experience. There is only one human being I am capable and thus responsible for perfecting through the actions of my free will and that is me. This is Self-to-self recitation.
The next thing I have had to grasp is that there is something or someone out there that seems to give a damn about humanity. This entity cares greatly about helping without overriding free will. Many use the variable term God to refer to this invisible and apparently intelligent force. It has both the power and desire to nurture the very best that we can be. I am not that being. And I can give up trying to be God because that position is already taken.
If I ever want to find this God/Goddess being, I involve myself in helping others, because that is where it really likes to hang out. I don’t help others to become their God, but to get to know and develop a relationship with the One who gives a damn about humans and life and freedom.
These realities help me to surrender to my own need for self-care, for Self-to-self recitation and nurturing.
Daily Reprieve 
Leave a Reply