Wednesday 24 July 2013

Alcoholics Anonymous | July 24 | DonInLondon | Step 7 "Courage To Change"


July 24, 2013 step seven in mind: all about shortcomings which means lack of something in my understanding. So important to understand our emotions and the words which describe them. I know over the years, most of the time I had courage to change, a belief and faith in doing the next right thing and confidence to keep on going to see things through. At the end of my drinking however, I used to put on a brave face, have a lot of fear and be unable to understand what was going on, and a very brittle ego covering up. False pride, the desire to sort myself out using willpower, drove me to rock bottom in the end.

Being restored to sanity: a daily exercise when we face a difficult world. My sanity is contingent on being open honest and willing, and sharing about how I'm coping with the current conditions of the day. Sometimes I wonder when I pray and meditate, to whom I pray and meditate. Certainly whoever I am praying and meditating with is part of my higher power? These are not selfish prayers or meditations, mostly they are about all the steps and how they may help me today, to be a part of and included in what goes on all through the day. And I listen to the world, I listen to the people in the world, and I listen to my fellows in Fellowship. I hope and understand that my defects of character: fear pride and ego can flare up depending on the current conditions. I am better able to live and endeavour if I can keep on developing: courage to change, faith in doing the next right thing and the confidence to keep on going and get help and suggestions and listen to the experience strength and hope on offer in the moment of now.

One person's miracle can be another person's common experience of living. One person's understanding of spiritual can be another person's understanding of reality and coping with it. Each person on this planet is experiencing spiritual living of one sort or another, the quality of the spiritual experience is rooted in reality from moment to moment. Of course I could be wrong, and probably my understanding of spiritual is quite different to another person's understanding of spiritual. And yet both understandings are understood by each of us. From spiritual and miracles, to living reality in the moment of now, all true for each who has faith, integrity and equality in their hearts. It is never easy to find the obvious because we are curious and desire sometimes something bigger than the truth of now. And I would not wish to deny you your experience however it manifests one day at a time.

Similarities and not the differences, sharing experience strength and hope with a common purpose. To live a truthful life in an open, honest and willing way. And as with all humans, experience is our teacher, the reality of now our truth as we understand it… No wonder it can be so difficult to agree on anything. So many influences, so many truths experienced, and always better if we are sober today…

From nothing to something, from rock bottom to rock steady with a common purpose opens the door to all the wisdom available today. What happens next is an individual and unique and authentic journey of human living, from the possible to the impossible. From the practical, and for some to live beyond their wildest dreams. From denial to acceptance of the reality of now is beyond my wildest dreams, the old wildest dreams were all about want. Today I find peace and serenity when it is possible to have peace and serenity in the ever present imperfectly perfect moment of now… That is when life is good, and even when life is bad and ugly, acceptance and endeavour will always be key…


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