October 25 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 10 The Now Inventory Alcoholics Anonymous Today's Daily Reflections: "before recovery, life could be good, bad and ugly. In recovery life is still good, bad and ugly as life can be every day." The AA daily reflection makes clear that in fellowship we are able to respond to life with the benefit of a fellowship which helps us deal with reality and cope with each day whatever happens. The fellowship is all about how to live well, and at the heart is unity. Unity in keeping sober one day at a time and helping people with a desire to stop drinking…
Video For Today:
I have not been able to get to as many meetings as I might wish or benefit from over the last year. Although I enjoy my solitude and can be very happy in my own world, I am always energised when I can get to meetings of the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. Meetings are like life, some are good, and even when they are bad I learn something and even when they are ugly because sometimes we share the truth and ugliness of life, we see how others cope and deal with each daily challenge. Before recovery I sought oblivion and did not want to wake up at the end. And had it not been for moments of clarity that I could not beat alcoholism alone, and it could get no worse, I just simply picked up the phone and asked for help and help was there…
What does Unity mean? We rally together with a primary purpose, a desire to stop drinking and pass the message to those who feel the same way. The three guiding words, we work together in: unity, service and recovery. Unity starts when we roll up at the first day and just sit in a meeting and start to listen to the similarities we have, and how we keep sober one day at a time. People needed to remind me that the fellowship is all about emotional and spiritual well-being: knowing my feelings and living and coping with the moment of now. I learned everything is spiritual: people, places and things. And the spiritual life happens in the moment, spiritual is being present, in the ever present, imperfectly perfect moment of now. Unity in purpose, and sober today…
When I share about recovery in meetings or anywhere else, first and foremost I need remind myself I do not speak for Alcoholics Anonymous, I speak about and share about how the fellowship of AA helps me live a life with personal freedom and personal choices based on my real situation which is happening right now. And the same as anyone else, sometimes it all works out quite well, sometimes it is quite indifferent as life experience, or is it? Whether it is good bad or ugly, somehow I cherish each moment and cherish people, places and things. I cherish memories and the learning I get each and every day, and although sometimes the load may feel heavy, especially in grieving times, I learn to cherish the good, and learn as much from the bad and the ugly and cope with reality as it is today…
A wonderful day yesterday, I spoke with my mum and she is ready for her operation next week, and my brother bought her an iPad and she is over the moon. Not bad for a lady of eighty odd years using an iPad and dealing with cancer. I also cleared up a lot of things in my flat, and put them in the shed. Now I have an empty hallway full of photos on the walls and space to walk through without hindrance. And afternoon siesta, and then a meeting tonight, down at the "spiritual hut." Newcomers and old-timers all mixed up, from day one, and some over thirty years. All in the same place at the same time in the spiritual moment. And I came home, feeling like I wanted more company and that is a good sign. And then some writing for tomorrow's reflections and feeling happy, just in the moment of now. I also chatted with my best friend who is very busy and very happy with life. Chatting with newcomers as well outside the meeting, and an old friend who is making their way in sobriety on a bicycle and dealing with the usual ups and downs of life and road rage caused by bus drivers. Easy does it, eat some food, relax and chill with the TV and some drama nonsense till sleep beckons.… Step tens tonight? Resolved. Gratitude? Immense… Oh and of course, type I diabetes with all the other complications and clinical depression? Sober I live with these two bedfellows as a consequence, and because I am in recovery just for today…
DonInLondon 2005-2011
Our personal opinions, beliefs and outlooks are our own. Long may we hold good to good conscience. And our personal outlook does not translate into rules, laws and regulations in fellowship. We do not impose our views on others in fellowship. AA has no opinion on outside issues, at the same time we all have opinions on outside issues, it is what we stand for in living…
In fellowship we somehow find our sober path. Sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, and we can go forwards backwards and sideways in our attitudes and behaviour. As we are restored to sanity, we might wonder at the insanity of our world, in constant turmoil. Is it any wonder as we are all learning today? Once we accept life is difficult, it can cease to be a problem and simply about solutions day to day…
DonInLondon 2005-2010
October 25 2010 ~ spiritual experiences of the educational variety? Can there be any other experience than educational as we live and learn about nature and providence? We learn most with humility, not stuck or fearing what we do not know. As we become familiar with truth, love and wisdom, faith and courage help us be open to change today...
October 25 2010 unity, service and recovery: clarity in our primary purpose, to share a message of experience, strength and hope of sobriety. Spiritual, mind, body and breath in the moment of now, experiencing reality. Agreeable or disagreeable, our emotions connected and our expression of truth, love and wisdom as it is today...
Sobriety makes anything possible and reality can be a very bewildering state of affairs. With a clear head, no longer tormented and stuck in a malady, we are open, honest and willing to listen, change our outlook and make good our daily living.
Gumption and Common Sense
The good news is we can make progress and keep sober on a daily basis as we learn how. At the same time we do need to use our gumption and common sense in fellowship. We need to learn what works for us as individuals and what does not work. That is the beauty of hearing experience, strength and hope; we sort out what is good for us and let alone what does not.
Experts And Professionals - Only as good as their last case scenario?
Our gift in fellowship is relating and learning from each other. Alcoholics like anyone else are as good as their last case scenario, that is the ability to go to bed sober and wake up to start a new day. Same applies to any professional we may encounter, bus drivers, taxi cab drivers, doctors, psychiatrists, bankers, psychologists, teachers, lecturers, you might listen to them and find some wisdom useful or their wisdom can be completely useless and erroneous.
Alcoholics in Recovery
We are not professional in our outlook in recovery. Most of us carry a lot of emotional damage, and although we can maintain our sobriety, it does not mean we know what is good for anyone else. We simply share what has worked for us and what we hope will work again. We do not become expert on the quality of anyone else’s sobriety or their credentials to deliver others into sobriety. Always sobriety is a personal, unique and authentic journey.
We do not decry professionalism in other fields
Some professionals are worth heeding, and we learn who they are when we need to. Medical science enables millions of people daily to be physically and emotionally well. Without medical science I would be dead today. With medical science I live today, revived to whatever normal is for me…
Sobriety contingent on our spiritual condition
Our spiritual condition is dependent on our physical ability to function, our ability to experience our feelings and our interaction, or how we deal with life as it is now.
Recovery is a blend of so many different elements, when we stop learning the quality of our recovery suffers. We are all capable of ignoring common sense and not using our gumption, rubbishing what works for others and thinking we know better. I do not know better than anyone else, my problem is I think do all too often.
Tradition 10: Alcoholics Anonymous (and Al-Anon) has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never to be drawn into public controversy.
Tradition Eight "Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centres may employ special workers."
“ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS will never have a professional class. We have gained some understanding of the ancient words "Freely ye have received, freely give." We have discovered that at the point of professionalism, money and spirituality do not mix. Almost no recovery from alcoholism has ever been brought about by the world's best professionals, whether medical or religious. We do not decry professionalism in other fields, but we accept the sober fact that it does not work for us. Every time we have tried to professionalize our Twelfth Step, the result has been exactly the same: Our single purpose has been defeated.”
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AA Daily Reflections ~ "A.A.’s HEARTBEAT October 25 without unity, the heart of A.A. would cease to beat; . . . . AS BILL SEES IT, p. 125
Without unity I would be unable to recover in A.A. on a daily basis. By practicing unity within my group, with other A.A. members and at all levels of this great Fellowship, I receive a pronounced feeling of knowing that I am a part of a miracle that was divinely inspired. The ability of Bill W. and Dr. Bob, working together and passing it on to other members, tells me that to give it away is to keep it. Unity is oneness and yet the whole Fellowship is for all of us."
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October 25 2007
DonInLondon - ‘Day In the Life’ Living In The Solution
My World - Climate
In my world of DonInLondon, in London UK its been a couple of grey days and the lack of sun feels like a heavy weight. We are animals after all and we forget we are of nature as much as we are feeling and thinking beings.
Where some in the world would crave cold and clouds, the more temperate climates would love some more sun.
We want what we don’t have?
Maybe this is a part of our human make up, we want more of what we feel better having. And weather is usually a good barometer of grumpy behaviour as much as warm and giving behaviour.
Dark
As we of nature we are still excited by the dark of living. It offers fear and ways to overcome, it can be welcoming when we burrow and make warm places we call home and safe.
Yet we prefer light. We do best in the light and dark is a time for nocturnal goings on. Some delicious and some about rest from endeavours. Much about fear when we have no campfire to call home.
Boundaries, we seem always to push our boundaries. We are best when we feel at ease, have love in our lives and love certainly conquers all.
Control
As we are taught to control, we do control, it’s a subtle blend of nature and nurture as we make our way. How is it we fear loss of control, that we make our known universe our prison and we still endeavour and crave adventures? Are we mad? Not so!
We are at odds often with our feelings which encourage one way and our thinking and nurture which say another. Almost like an internal battle of right and wrong going on in heads. We need find there is no right or wrong, that we learn a path which fits us. And then we see the right and wrong of it if we are so gifted.
Prisons in the mind - Good conscience
Good conscience is no prison, and yet it defines the acceptable of living and the unacceptable. We humans so conflicted as we form civilisation and deal with our inner natures. No wonder the path to hell is paved with good intent.
Colossus
Nature takes us where it will, not our will as many would prefer. And that colossus is held fast by generations of struggle to add meaning and purpose to our living.
Simply to find love, and live a life.
As time impacts on weary journey’s we look for safe havens. We seek stories and adventures from time and endorsements to our being. If we are lucky we find truth is God, and God is truth, God made man and man made God.
There is no disappointment in living, more likely its ending with so much lost to future times as we dreamed away these moments of now, stuck between memories and adventures not yet lived.
Now is our ever present, present moment, best lived as human being.
25th October 2006 [ from last years journal]
[from Don] Smiles XXXXX,
when the mood and inclination come, there is never a rush and only when the time feels appropriate. It does become easier after we realise it is ok to say just a few words, and often the least said the better it is, as people keep telling me!
Shy sharing
Well I didn’t ! Smiles here I kept to my word, not that I had any intention, but suddenly realised there a lot of new faces and it meant there time not mine. Quite frankly is was good to sit and hear everything.
For me [my fellowship meeting of AA]
Great connection to everything said tonight. The most important affirming the patience needed for any change we may make to become recovering alcoholics and stay long enough to realise that time is the key. With time we can change, we can make a difference and we do learn if we are willing.
Denial and honesty play heavy in my head so often. Less often at the moment. And this is another key. As denial was a great asset, so now to honesty and being where I felt best all my life. And how sad so many distortions have been made as the years roll along. Although without denial there would be no measure of honesty.
In this world we are given every gift we can envisage and imagine, and utilise. The good of nature and our bad of nature. The polemic of life, that we all have, where self will drives and narrows us, and free from self will our wildest dream is not merely a possibility it is a reality. For indeed as we go with life and flow with good choices made with freedom, the path is as providence and nature enables.
So with a sensitive reflection and with more understanding and compassion for all of humanity, which somehow today includes me, forgiveness of our human condition is also a key.
Never more so, tonight hearing and revealing another truth of life, Pope when he wrote that to "to err is human, to forgive is divine " I do believe a better expression is "to err is human, to forgive is humanity."
This humanity we all have capacity to share and live. Our very existence and future depends upon it, always as we learn our spiritual path in the ever present, present...
Just For Today And Every Day, Cherish Always...
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AA Official Online Site: Daily Reflections
AA Official Online Site: Big Book And Twelve And Twelve
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Step 10 "Although all inventories are alike in principle, the time factor does distinguish one from another. There's the spot-check inventory, taken at any time of the day, whenever we find ourselves getting tangled up. There's the one we take at day's end, when we review the happenings of the hours just past. Here we cast up a balance sheet, crediting ourselves with things well done, and chalking up debits where due. Then there are those occasions when alone, or in the company of our sponsor or spiritual adviser, we make a careful review of our progress since the last time. Many A.A.'s go in for annual or semi-annual house-cleanings. Many of us also like the experience of an occasional retreat from the outside world where we can quiet down for an undisturbed day or so of self-overhaul and meditation.”
October 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 10 The Now Inventory
Alcoholics Anonymous | Step Ten Reading Video Link:
October 2012 | Video Reading How It Works:
October 2012 | Video Reading Into Action :
October 2012 | Playlist All About Step Ten :
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 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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About Psychosis And Depression:
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