Daily Reprieve

From Courage to Change of May 27:

There have been days when many of us felt that good times would never come again. After so many disappointments, it seemed too painful to continue to hope. We shut our hearts and minds to our dreams and stopped expecting to find happiness. We weren’t happy, but at least we wouldn’t be let down anymore.

Caring, hoping, wanting — these are risky. But as we recover from the effects of alcoholism, we may find that the risks are worth taking. In time, it may not be enough to simply avoid disappointment; we want more; we want rich, full, exciting lives with joy as well as sorrow. Just finding the willingness to believe that joy can exist in our lives today can be very challenging, but until we make room in our hearts for good times, we may not recognize them when they arrive.

Nobody is happy all the time, but all of us are capable of feeling good. We deserve to allow ourselves to experience every bit of joy life has to offer.

Today’s Reminder

I will not let fear of disappointment prevent me from enjoying this day. I have a great capacity for happiness.

“I want to grow in my willingness to make room in my life for good times, having faith in their arrival and patience in my anticipation.”

~ Living with Sobriety

END OF QUOTE—————————————

I have no investment in notions of feeling good. Feelings are what fall off of me while I am moving, pushing forward in life. They are the breeze that comes through the open window of my vehicle. For me, emotions are the most deceptive of guides. They only become relevant if I can dominate them and use them to support the vital plans of my daily living.

Now, intuitive connection across the Veil of life and death is magical. That sense of life beyond the frivolous mundanity is where I am invested. Emotions tend to make their home in my autonomic nervous system, like my beating heart and regular breathing. That is the animal of my life. That is the impulse of biology.

But there is a space between stimulus and response in the human psyche. It can and should be expanded. It is the place where freedom is forged. In that place, I can slow down enough to listen to Infinity and translate that to a properly employed will. It is why I was created with a frontal cortex and a somatic nervous system.

“Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance. For after all, God gave us brains to use.”

~ Bill W. in Alcoholics Anonymous,

This entry was posted on October 23, 2023 at 5:52 pm and is filed under Uncategorized with tags Addiction, Alcoholism, Courage to Change, Journal, Life, Personal, Recovery, Spirituality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.