One Day At A Time In Al-Anon.
New year, new start, same program, same practices
One Day at a Time – January 1, 2020
New Year, New Hopes, New Plans… Same old tripwires and traps to keep me down. I will admit that I am the cause of my own downfall. It’s time to start again, each day a new beginning. One day at a time in Al-Anon, it’s more than just a title, and a little blue book; it’s an offer of hope, a promise of redemption and a path to salvation from the manic and damages of today’s world.
Quick and Simple Disclaimer: The readings in this post are literally taken wholesale out of the book entitled “One Day At a Time In Al-Anon” available from Amazon, if you can’t find it at a local meeting. If you’re an introvert then go buy the book, if you’re a broke introvert, the daily text from many good books can be found HERE, if you’re in dire straits however, go find an Al-Anon Meeting, it saved me.
Today’s Reading
This year is a book of clean blank pages on which I will write a record of my experiences and my growth through the daily use of the Al-Anon idea. I turned to Al-Anon as a last resort because I was living with a problem that was too much for me. I know I can deal with this problem through applying Al-Anon to myself, to my thoughts and my actions, every day. If I allow myself to be influenced by what the alcoholic says and does, it will make blots and smears on the pates of my year. This I will try to avoid at all costs.
Today’s Reminder
I can live my life only one day at a time. Perhaps my confusion and despair are so great that I will have to take it one hour at a time, or one minute at a time, reminding myself constantly that I have authority over no life but my own.
Quote
“Realizing that nothing can hurt me while
I lean upon my Higher Power, I ask to be
guided through the hours and minutes of
each day. Let me remind myself to bring
every problem to Him for I know He will
show me the way I must go.”
Alleged Insight
Holy man this is a big scary concept. A new start for a full year’s worth of commitment to an ideal that I’ve not been able to hold for more than a day at most. Being able to stand aside and watch my life happen, responding with considered thought, letting go and letting God.
My life is insane. This year started by giving me a new exercise program, here’s the results after four days into it…
Cute hey? It’s now the 18th of January, so the intentional planning and tackling of a course of action, went wrong from the start. Admittedly, the storms that took out our power for more than two days gave a push to my falling off the wagon.
Naturally, there is something to take away from all this. That time without power, shoveling to get vehicles unstuck, melting snow to wash and bathe, cooking over the open flame of a barbeque, life was simpler; more physically demanding, but simpler. Asking God to keep my children safe while they’re on-line is challenging and ephemeral but asking Him to watch over them while they play in five foot deep snow is a different matter. When life is removed from the manic, and slows down to keeping warm, dry and fed until we can get back to the grind, it get’s easier.
Letting go and letting God was an activity in applied practice in that situation, and it worked. I could see how it was supposed to work, and it made sense. When you can’t change or control the outcome, worrying about it was just tiring, not helpful.
Closing Thoughts
Life, with faith, is better. Even if you don’t have Faith, just simple faith in the outcome of it all, letting go of that which you can’t change, and then addressing what you can do when you can get to it, (like now, this is January 1st’s post), it will be alright and things will work out.
Until next time,
Duke of Chaos.