December 4 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 12 Living Principles Alcoholics Anonymous Today's Daily Reflections: "into action… Every action is twelve step work, sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes ugly…" Whether we like it or not. Every experience is a spiritual experience, and the actions we take impact not only us, they impact on everyone around us. Every emotion, every single emotion and all of them together are the our touchstones which work in the moment of now…
Video For Today:
For every action we take, there will be a reaction in the world around us and we make an impact. Even when we feel we make no difference, and can be disheartened, people will see that we are disheartened and try help if they are minded to. And it is truly okay to be disheartened, how on earth would we know the difference between joy and sadness? When a person is told they must be joyful by some who try think their recovery, that is a spiritual experience both ways, for the recipient of an instruction and someone who believes they have the right to be an instructor. Twelve step work, it starts with keeping our side of the Street clean, so other people can deal with their side of the Street with as little interference from our judgement as possible…
I heard him say, "Cheer up, it's not the end of the world," and I saw the impact on the depressed person, a flash of rage and homicidal glint. And another person who heard it just withered into themselves. If we don't ask people how they are feeling before we start to tell them to pull their socks up, give themselves a metaphorical kick up the backside, we better understand what we are doing when we are doing twelve step work. Ask questions and don't offer palliatives, or unhelpful remarks which are about covering up and putting on a brave face. Just for today, when I am hurt, I will bloody well tell the world I am hurt and the only way to work through my pain is to share it and deal with it and ask for help. Fortunately for me, and just for today, I don't have pain and I'm very grateful…
Twelve step work is about telling the truth, learning what love is, learning how to love other people unconditionally and how to be loved back unconditionally. Nobody said it was going to be easy, because if we don't know what love is, we cannot just manufacture feelings because they are appropriate. The most appropriate way forward, especially with twelve step work, is to learn what our emotions are first and foremost before suggesting much of anything to anyone. If you can share that you don't know what your feelings are, what your mood is right now, you don't know why you're thinking the way you do, and so your actions might be suspect to yourself hopefully, and you can share your suspicions about your mood, your feelings and why your feelings might make your thinking wonky in the moment of now…
The more we practice these principles of telling ourselves the truth as part of our morning waking reflections and meditation, we get to understand emotional and spiritual living as life experience unfolds. It may seem very strange to ask oneself three questions, "how am I feeling right now on waking up?" "Why am I feeling this way?" "And what can I do?" If you truly know what your feelings are at the beginning of the day, you know how your feelings will impact your thinking and the actions you may take as a result. Know our feelings, how they impact on our thinking and the actions we take is emotional and spiritual enlightenment in the moment of now, the imperfectly perfect moment, where we make decisions and live the consequences…
I felt angry yesterday when I tried to confirm my medical appointments for the morning by telephone. The telephone system cut me off three times, and as a consequence I arrived at the health centre with an hour to spare. So I left, did my shopping and took it home and then went back to the medical centre with two minutes to spare. I could have complained to the receptionists about the incompetence of the telephone system and those who operate it. I could have got angry with the admin manager at the medical centre. I chose to do what I needed, have a medical medication review with the Doctor, who turned out to be very helpful, and then had a session with practice nurse which led to get a flu jab, blood tests taken on the spot and an update of my medical records. I even went shopping for a cutlery drainer, but to no avail. Handed in a detailed prescription to my chemist, and at the end of it got home with just enough juice in me to walk through the door. Walking is always going to be a trial for me from now on, and I don't mind because I know what's going on. So… Knowing my mood could go angry and horrible, I chose to stick to the agenda which people could work with and work with me. When it comes to situations which people are part of, and powerless on a daily basis, it does no good to shout at them about the incompetence they live daily. Just work with where they are competent, and improve the system by treating them fairly and helping them make the most of the time they have with me. I'm responsible for my conduct and being fair, even when things don't seem that fair for me. So I could have had a step six experience where my defects would have played out my righteousness, and I chose step seven experiences and have the courage to change, faith in asking for help in getting it and the confidence to let go of the old horrible me, who would've made a stink, got what he wanted and then be remembered as a cuntibollockbastard by all concerned….I feel better for having said that today…
DonInLondon 2005-2011
Open, honest and willing my actions will be decided not just by me, but the wisdom I learn from others. Open I share, honest people hear what I believe to be true, and always willing to change today…
DonInLondon 2005-2010
December 4 2010 ~ A.A. All About - Action. When I become complacent in fellowship, I may sit back, listen and expect my life to be fixed by just being there. Before fellowship I was active finding the next fix, the next drink. In recovery action is key. As I share experience strength and hope, sober feels right and is my reality today...
December 4 2010 ~ A.A. All About Sober. And all about action, the twelve steps, to be open, honest and willing to work at life. I could be a tourist today, or I can do something useful for my fellows. We can relax and we can work at changing, find balance when it is possible. Life works when we face reality sober today...
AA Daily Reflections ~ "INTO ACTION December 4 A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven’t been given the truth may die. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 13
I desperately wanted to live, but if I was to succeed, I had to become active in our God-given program. I joined what became my group, where I opened the hall, made coffee, and cleaned up. I had been sober about three months when an old timer told me I was doing Twelfth-Step work. What a satisfying realization that was! I felt I was really accomplishing something. God had given me a second chance, A.A. had shown me the way, and these gifts were not only free - they were also priceless! Now the joy of seeing newcomers grow reminds me of where I have come from, where I am now, and the limitless possibilities that lie ahead. I need to attend meetings because they recharge my batteries so that I have light when it’s needed. I’m still a beginner in service work, but already I am receiving more than I’m giving. I can’t keep it unless I give it away. I am responsible when another reaches out for help. I want to be there - sober."
-/-
December 4 2007
DonInLondon - ‘Day in the Life’ Replies To Recovery In Love
Living Life Present
You are right there is quite a lot of email from people who stumble across my videos or some of my other websites. Recovery from anything to do with love or people, places and things in general. In essence the recovery from anything is pretty hard to do.
The problem seems to be in our new world, we are trying to speed all experience along, as if on a roller coaster and the ride is up and down, at quite fast paces. As we fall in love quickly quite often, and with our ideal loving relationship a dream we need make good. Well it is like that roller coaster, the high and low, the loyalties, the intimacy, and everything we need to make life happy.
I know without a doubt learning how to live all over again is a fairly long and timely process as we find our natural pace once more. We can snap out of the doldrums for a while and then we seek solace and find it sometimes in other company.
Music is a big influence on us humans from times back when? Since we heard the wind, the rain the touch inside which awakens and stirs us up. The sea brushing gently at golden shores, the tempest as nature whips and makes frenzy and scares then subsides as if like any human quality back into rhythm and some place of serenity.
Music made from the heart and with the touch of the one creating a mood and empathy can only do, we feel its embrace.
And gently as time passes and we find some peace from turmoil, heading back to deep water and calm, then another ripple is made and storms brew where they will.
Family are happy presently and thank you for asking. My Mother’s birthday tomorrow, and we have celebrated with a lovely lunch already yesterday with my Sister.
Holidays! A friend of mine is off on a seven week adventure to find some happiness in an otherwise difficult year. He had found love and then passion and more a love beyond his wildest dreams, only to find his lover was still uncertain and she is as always, uncertain offering friendship and not a lovers touch. This has made for storms beyond endurance causing untold harm to both as one fights and one runs and then comes back for more and it goes around and around. A break away will do nothing to break free when we see no good reason for change.
How Do We Deal With Broken Hearts?
First is to know we have one. We forget in the great tempest that we are already in our own sad place where the world has thrown another torment as deep can be. We can brave face and we can make out we are dealing with our losses. We can live just so long until we bounce back with outlooks changing with our acceptance.
How Long?
The deeper the connection, the deeper we love and have love back, or so we may imagine? Maybe we are understanding of our own love, and maybe we judge others as we may judge ourselves. How many times might we ask ourselves, “I would never do that!” Yet we do as we learn all over again the truth.
Truth
Simple truth is we learn to be as deep as we can be. We are cherished and we learn to cherish our near ones, especially we cherish our partner and have a profound connection we are apt to be reluctant to let go.
We fear letting go as we realise maybe we have made a mistake, maybe our lover has been misguided and maybe and most awfully we realise we are not loved and feel the sting of shame, as we feel repulsive in some horrible nightmare not of our making.
Sadness and sorrow come from confident hearts. Shame guilt and low feelings where ego drifts to catch as we shout “how dare they treat me this way” Grief is all this and much more as we are restoring our balance as life helps us to our new path.
New beginnings and Trusted Loves
We need keep to our own moral compass as we feel this limbo living where nothing helps restore that completeness we had so short a time ago and then as time moves us, to long times past, it still is within.
As we realise the passage of time, how we were, how we are, we can make good our way, understand as we have loved and lost, so too for others. If we skip lightly then we are fleet of foot and fleeting moments can help make good and still never help with the deep of our being.
Day by Day
Learning we have made no foolish investment in loving anyone we may encounter. We have love then we can share our love as life helps and situations manifest because we are free to do just that, love..
Day by day we come to realise the truth all over again. We made no mistake in loving, we may mistake who we feel can love us back. And life feels where it can be felt, in the moment of now.
A song title suggested we are best loving the one we are with, indeed this has a truth, more likely thought this love is ephemeral and has no deep place in our hearts. And yet it might happen in this one instant as we recognise in the blink of an eye a connection profound and possible.
Time Heals
Time heals if we are able to let go hard moments and calamities we would wish on neither an nor beast. And we know we had hard feelings for those we love and trust and then find the bond broken without our permission. We never wanted it this way, and still we will atone for sins we have not committed or we do, just to level the field we find so unacceptable.
Sense of Self
To be happy to live love and be loved, to share and develop as we may and make life a spiritual encounter as days roll by. We grow together interdependent and equal or we live in shadows controlling or being controlled as we learn the path to happiness all over again.
Good we can mend as we surely can, different from the past and a repertoire far beyond our wildest dreams, as nightmares fade, we find happiness in ourselves and not others. Love helps us find inner peace as innocence returns in the forgiving mind.
The ever present, perfect imperfect moment of living helps us find our way..
December 4 2006
Nothing is ever over
It is true, nothing is ever over, even when we might wish it so at the time. Memories are there to remind us of all the good, the bad, the indifferent and the superficial encounters we have as we get on. We learn as we go and make our way. We need not dwell on history, we can learn from it.
As we wonder what might happen we can insulate ourselves in some ways physically, rather more difficult emotionally and also we are about in the spiritual sense of turning up for life one day at a time.
Quality of life
So we may be present and absent almost at the same time across our world of living in the day. Depending on our outlook and our in-look, we make the day what it can be, a chore a pleasure, a stroll in the park, the road to hell, it is our choice. Once we have choices back.
Choice
Choosing what to do when life has no meaning means we find choice hard. We all go through depressions, I enjoy clinical depression most days, for even with clinical depression we can come up from the depths and plunge down again with an emotional submariners ease.
Choices may seem often to be limited to what we find comfortable. As life has taught me best choices come with most challenge and most discomfort. And in choosing we need patterns to support our endeavours.
Tonight or last night as you read this most likely
It was an affirming night in many ways that endeavour and choices can be made to live well to good conscience without blame or restraint from others or to others. We need not blame anyone for our living, unless they hold us in powerful grips of one sort or another. We get choice eventually, even if we must move away and onwards. We need not be shackled forever with preconceived niceness. Get power and choice back with humility is my suggestion tonight. And when others are out of order maybe don’t rush to fix them when they need fix themselves.
Powerless over everything
We are powerless over people places and things, where? Everywhere. What we are not powerless over is our choice to the next right action as a response to our circumstances. We may succeed better if we respond and not react. We live better to our principles when we listen harder and more carefully, without wants on our minds. We cover our needs and work from there. Never let material matters take precedent over emotional, physical and spiritual matters, be a duffer materially if it means giving up your peace of mind and tranquillity. Tranquillity will best serve endeavour with efficiency and speed once we know the direction we may take.
Get up and go with the Flow
Yes we can with speed when needed and endeavours require, we are not slow when we need be fast, as we determine the right path and with right support from our insides and outsides.
Spontaneity
We all have this when we are working well to our principles and values. We can be the life and soul of any party as we engage with gravitas and confidence, we need nothing to alter our mood but life itself as we live it and make it a day at a time. There is no need to trick ourselves or make good what nature and providence provide, unless of course like me the deficit will kill me without medical interventions. We can live to normal and be productive with a clear head and clear codes to living just this one day.
Life Changing
We can all do this, at any time and any age, my Mum is 75 on this day 4th December 2006. Still learning and still able to experience the joy afforded with age and forever learning just one day more at a time. A gift of providence indeed!
December 4th 2005
Courage
Courage is stepping forward into the unknown with no solution in mind, and feeling opportunity ahead. Moving forward open and even handed, with good conscience for our strength and hope..
December 4th 2004
Striving to be good
Something I suspect is in the back of everyone's mind is the notion of being good. We are fundamentally good in our own eyes. Goodness is something we like in ourselves, yet goodness might often lead to others seeing us differently. We do things for the greater good, which implies we step beyond our own boundaries to encourage a society of good. Our problems multiply when we try to regulate beyond our own good.
So many in history are held as example of good or bad. We learn from history. We learn in the moment and our heads spin with information, context and denial. We learn from open and honest exchanges what is good, and what is bad.
The notion of something being good for you, it is a hard choice to be open and not closed to good. To enjoy a full life we must let in the good and the bad, for without one we would not recognise the other.
Our conscience, the place where our feelings have expression will be our touchstone. Conscious feelings, experienced and tempered with learned wisdoms feed our connection to ourselves and all mankind. Our conscience is our connection to all worlds inside and out, the ever present and ever prescient divine, the collective universe, nature and God..
-/-
Just For Today And Every Day, Cherish Always...
-------------------------------------------------
“Awakening as the result of what? The result, or consequence of taking the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is a Spiritual Awakening. Please reflect that this step does not say the awakening comes as the result of taking steps 1 through 11, those preceding Step 12. On the contrary, the awakening comes as the result of taking these (all of the twelve) steps, including Step 12. (If you disagree, that is wonderful. Keep on digesting these steps.)” Big Book Bunch
December 2012 | Playlist About Step Twelve: Step Twelve Playlist
-------------------------------------------------
AA Official Online Site: Big Book And Twelve And Twelve
Big Book And Twelve And Twelve
AA Official Online Site: Daily Reflections
December 2012 | Step Twelve Reading Video Link:
December 2012 | Video Reading How It Works:
December 2012 | Video Reading A Vision For You:
December 2012 | Video About Grief And Depression
No comments:
Post a Comment