Thursday 10 May 2012

May 10 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 5 Admit And Accept | Alcoholics Anonymous

May 10 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 5 Admit And Accept | Alcoholics Anonymous Today's AA daily reflection: "free at last…" Free from the bondage of self, and free from the bondage of alcohol. In my case alcohol was the first freedom, learning how to be sober one day at a time, or maybe learning how to be dry one day at a time and then learning how to be free of all the old wreckage of feelings and thinking which kept me drinking…


Sharing with another human being just a few minutes ago… Returning to Fellowship after great upheavals in their life of an emotional and spiritual nature. No one is immune to tragedy, to joy or to any extreme where we cannot cope with reality. And as we cannot cope with the changes we are experiencing, anyone anywhere can reach out the help and hopefully in time. But if the worst happens, we keep on coming back if we are lucky enough to weather those emotional storms…

Freedom from the bondage of self: in my case I need to remember that I need to be aware I can become bonded back to my old ideas and attitudes when life gets difficult and then extremely difficult. Natural reactions to extreme conditions can become extreme reactions in our feelings leading to extreme thinking and then extreme actions. And automatic reactions can catapult me into more difficulties if I do not stop, take a breath and consider what needs to be done next. Which is why I need ask the help and remind myself daily…

Humility! Humility in recovery and in life generally keeps me right sized. It means it's okay not to know the answers, and then ask and research as necessary. It means if I don't know the answer, I can ask another who may know the answer or we work together to find an answer. The outcome to life is not invented by me, the outcomes hopefully and sincerely come from everyone involved, just as each day unfolds…


DonInLondon 2005-2011

London UK: population 8 million... My first AA meeting, dazed and confused I saw neighbours, friends from the health club, people I knew... and my mum's best friend in the front row, half way through I left and went to the nearest pub in a state of anger and deep resentment. It was a good while to the next meeting, it was a start..
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AA Daily Reflection: Daily Reflections ~ "FREE AT LAST... Another great dividend we may expect from confiding our defects to another human being is humility – a word often misunderstood. . . . it amounts to a clear recognition of what and who we really are, followed by a sincere attempt to become what we could be. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 58
I knew deep inside that if I were ever to be joyous, happy and free, I had to share my past life with some other individual. The joy and relief I experienced after doing so were beyond description. Almost immediately after taking the Fifth Step, I felt free from the bondage of self and the bondage of alcohol. That freedom remains after 36 years, a day at a time. I found that God could do for me what I couldn’t do for myself."
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May 10 2007 Zeitgeist

The Long Kiss Goodbye - DonInLondon ‘Day In the Life’

May weather, cloudy and gloomy making me feel a bit cloudy and gloomy. And at last something to be less gloomy about. Me and my mood, me and my local doings and of course the long awaited kiss goodbye from Tony Blair.

On Spiritual Matters

In my local world, it’s the business of my fellowship to encourage open honest willing outlooks to daily living. This is the true way to live life. By being open, honest and willing we can live a day at a time. And it’s a programme of progress and not perfection. We try our best to apply these values and principles in all our daily endeavours.

The Spiritual Key

Our spiritual key to understanding a new way of life, to live this present moment as it unfolds, with less denial and less filters which prejudice our outlook. Denial: being our first resort when we are surprised and shocked by what we encounter. Denial helps us helpfully when we encounter the truth of life and sometimes death. When we are caught in surprises we never reckoned might happen, denial gives us some confidence to deal with and process what can be happy or unhappy unacceptable truths.

Truth without the Filters

We can have our outlook and our prejudices, we can filter out and see only what we feel is right, and so often ignore the truth of our situation and often world events which are just plain wrong.

Things like famine, war, horrors of Kidnap, of torture. We are able to filter these truths into global domains where we know we have little power or influence. And still we give and be concerned as we can, as much as we can. And this is progress and not perfect living. For indeed there is no perfect way to live the spiritual path.

In my world, my local doings, it’s been as it may these last couple of days. Back in touch with some I have been concerned about and fortunately less in touch with people who sometimes leave me feeling utilised as a resource and not as a fellow in a fellowship of mutuality and support. And immediately you may see I have my filters and my already always judging there in my head.

Some people are friends and fellows, other people are utilizers and users. Some people I need be in touch with and know it’s not possible, and some I would wish to share and talk with, and cannot just now, because it would maybe put them and me in harm’s way. All these things are part of progress and never perfection.

Some of the time we need let go and let it be, or we make more trouble and confound ourselves as we are powering up our ego and not realising that with confidence we might accept the day as it is.

A good friend and a gift yesterday, in fact two gifts of time and support. Plus some utilities to keep me writing as well. We realise support and kindness is around us and people do the most generous things when we stick to open honest and willing.

Tony Blair - Long kiss Goodbye

I realise from my honest and open behaviour in the past the danger of stating what I may do and may not do when giving up a job, where it requires some hard choices. Keeping one’s own counsel can be a way of controlling the outcome to an extent. The truth in my case as my long kiss goodbye made me sick and sicker than at any time in my life. Well my lesson was learned.

For Blair though, it’s a bit like trying to put others in a frame of mind which belies his absolute truth. He failed yet he proffers a fiction so resoundingly false, we are shocked into near believing that this man who has damaged the fabric of world politics so badly, so many others have followed suit and thought to get away with breach of international laws and be as our leader has, economic and selective with the truths they share.

As Blair bows out and we are told there is a six week jamboree of international goodbyes, it’s somewhat sick and twisted as this fellow seeks approval and understanding. He will of course get it. And why? Simply he is on his way out and there is simply no mileage in unearthing and confronting what we all know about Tony Blair.

Tony Blair and his long goodbye and farewell, as he tries resurrect himself in some other way. Well in truth he is a blunderer and although clever with a quip here and there he has lost his right to lead and did so long ago, and had it not been for our own weakness and opposition he would have foundered long ago. We hold ourselves as we may to account for where we voted and how politics has lost its sense of purpose in this world. Economy rules as always and no doubt Brown will triumph a while. And not for long. Change is coming.

So as I can observe and lampoon as only the observers can, it strikes me when people own up and are willing to find their honesty, find their way once more, anything is possible. And this is as it should be.

When truth does come out, will we care or will we be so embroiled in our own local living that is will make no odds either way? May be the times are changing as global and local views meld over time, that old prejudice and old filters work out and are lost.
Of course we are human and although we might find our spiritual journey improves, we are young at this global life, young at climate control and blinking blinkered in so many ways, well we are best accepting there is simply progress and not perfection in this life.
No matter who or what we have done, with the benefit of hindsight, less denial and a real go at living in this one day with our aim to be open honest and willing we will find some peace of mind just one day at a time.

Change

Life is all about change, whoever we are and wherever we may be. The consequence for each and every one of us, as we are truly judged in this life, Our actions are our history and history will judge us as we do, right here and now. The Long Kiss Goodbye… Too long in my opinion and leaving a bitter taste history will reflect as we deal with the consequences of Tony Blair and his leadership for decades to come. Long may he be remembered for everything he has promised, and what he has done, consequences we all have them, and history will judge us all as it will, there is no peace for the wicked or those who let denial and filters ruin their living albeit a day at a time, an eternity of regret may follow... Consequences I have mine too and reflect in a different life it may end up different; in this one however the die is cast and irrevocable. Life is life… -/-
AA Official Site Reflections ~ AA Official Big Book And Twelve And Twelve Online ~
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"Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Chapter 6, Into Action, Big Book From: Page 72 Thru: Page 75, the bottom of the page. 12 And 12 Step 5."
May ~ All About Step Five:"Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs"
Step 5 "Admit And Accept" Reading Video Link:

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May ~ Video Reading Chapter Six Into Action Link:

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I do not speak for Alcoholics Anonymous I speak for myself. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of unique and authentic people who speak for themselves where they will to share experience, strength and hope about recovery on a daily basis. Anonymity affords sanctuary to find how to live sober and be open, honest and willing to learn life day by day. For me "truth," "love" and "wisdom" offer the best spiritual experience by living reality today. Into the fabric of recovery from alcoholism are woven the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions, steps to be open, honest and willing to learn, traditions to live unity, service and recovery.
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Spiritual principles ~ Forgiveness Acceptance Surrender Faith Open-mindedness Honesty Willingness Moral-inventory Amends Humility Persistence Spiritual-growth Service
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