Alcoholics Anonymous Blog December 12 2014 "Freedom To Choose”
Video December 12
A good start to the day! All the AA meetings and any fellowship meetings seemed to clash with my dentist appointment. All my bones ache, its age and neuropathy caused by diabetes, type I diabetes and insulin injecting dependent. I was alive long enough to get diabetes in recovery, which might seem a bit harsh in recovery, but I was alive long enough to get it and cope with it on the emotional and spiritual journey one day at a time.
Having a filling, rather than a crown or worse having the tooth out, it's a good dentist that keeps me on track or all my teeth could fall out! Only lost two teeth at the back, in forty odd years. Not so bad then one day at a time, and my dentist reminded me that life is best lived in the moment and one day at a time. I have an ethical dentist, not in it for the money, so that's why he is so popular and has looked after me and my teeth for many years. My dentist, he knows my mum and sent his love to her for her eighty-third birthday.
So now I have a half numbed mouth and a new filling, no pain at all and I was happy. Then a trip up the Kings road, and the world especially the Kings road is full of beautiful people, and even on this gloomy day they seem to be happy. I went into the great big department store, Peter Jones, and chatted with staff, I am an awful flirt, and one or two of the female staff gave me some extra gifts as a result. I love complementing all women, especially my age, is just the way I am and I like making anyone happy as I go along.
Life in general just seems to get better, the lighter we are, the gentler we are with ourselves makes it possible to be gentle with everyone we encounter. Even the angry people I encounter seemed to calm down, I don't get in the way, at the same time if I can help them I do. Sharing experience, strength and hope in the big wide world and not being afraid of who I am or any disabilities I have. What a beautiful way to live.
Listening to people recently in fellowship meetings I realise just how important it is to treat ourselves as we would a best friend. What advice would a best friend give us when we encounter the world? "Go placidly amidst the noise and haste," is the first line of Desiderata, and any best friend would suggest that a starting point. It does not mean to go into the world and pretend, it means that if we can take the advice of a best friend, we are likely to see the wonder of life rather than the worst of life. Even in the most difficult of circumstances, we can stand tall, have faith and have confidence to be ourselves as we get to know who we are in recovery.
Recovery is one day at a time, finding out who I am happens one day at a time in every moment of now. All life is spiritual, and how we cope is by learning as we go. We are not meant to find the answers until we get into that moment, and we may know our path or need to ask for help. What prevents our learning is most often fear, pride and ego, and these three elements that everyone has, can impact adversely in any moment. Courage, faith, building confidence and being open honest and willing. We experience more than we ever imagined.
And I was sharing with friends not long ago that a mantra like: "can do, can't do, judge not and wisdom comes from the most unlikely places we never knew existed until that moment occurs." The mantra of course need be shortened to "can do, cannot do, judge not."
Step Twelve Reading 12 & 12
Alcoholics Anonymous Videos, AA is for Alcoholics, AA 12 Steps, Addiction And Recovery, DonInLondon, Don Oddy,
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