Today's Thought - April

[bluidkiti]

April 16

Letting Go of Fear

Picture yourself swimming—floating—peacefully down a gentle stream. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow.

Suddenly you become conscious of your situation. Frightened, overwhelmed with “what if’s?” your body tenses. You begin to thrash around, frantically looking for something to grab on to.

You panic so hard you start to go under. Then you remember—you’re working too hard at this. You don’t need to panic. All you need to do is breathe, relax, and go with the flow. You won’t drown.

Panic is our great enemy.

We don’t need to become desperate. If overwhelming problems appear in our life, we need to stop struggling. We can tread water for a bit, until our equilibrium returns. Then we can go back to floating peacefully down the gentle stream. It is our stream. It is a safe stream. Our course has been charted. All is well.

Today, I will relax, breathe, and go with the flow.

Today's reading is from the book The Language of Letting Go, Daily Meditations on Codependency

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April 17

Because I have been athirst I will dig a well that others may drink.

~Arabian Saying

Most of us do as we please. When we want to go, we go; when we want to stay, we stay. We’re accustomed to moving around freely and never even think about it. We trust that a door will open if we turn the knob and push. Unfortunately, we never appreciate what we take for granted, and we are less for that.

A young man at an adult child meeting shared that he had just been released from prison, where doors are locked. After his release, the first thing he had done, he said, was to walk back and forth across the pressure plate of the bus station door. He wanted to be the one to make a door open and close. Onlookers had laughed at him, he said, but he didn’t care. He appreciated the chance to move, to go where he wanted. Having known the hell of doors that won’t open, he had an awareness that the rest of us didn’t have. As his recovery continues, he will have much to share with people who’ve been trapped in prisons of their own.

May I have the insight to recognize my own special qualifications, and the willingness to share them with others.

Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy, Daily Meditations for Adult Children

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April 18

Every night the river sings a new song.

~Eva-Lis Wvorie

Ours is a program of twenty-four hours. We are to live “One day at a time.” We are to live in the moment, for only in the moment can we connect with our Higher Power. How? By bringing life to the spiritual principles our Higher Power has given to us. By choice.

By choosing to live by spiritual principles, moment by moment, we stay connected to our Higher Power. We work to keep the channel open in order to receive the gifts our Higher Power wants us to embrace. To stay open and to live by spiritual principles is hard. Our instinctual side wants us to take the easier, softer way. In addition, we addicts are afraid of the future. We tend to focus on the entire journey instead of what is right in front of our face.

But our recovery program tells us, “Just today, live by spiritual principles today.” Focus on today’s song, for tomorrow life will teach you a new song.
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me to live by the spiritual principles you gave me through recovery. Help me to learn your lessons and help me stay open to the gifts they will give to me.
Today's Action

Today I will work to be mindful of the moment and to see choice in the moment. I’ll work to remember that the quality of my life depends on the choices I make.

Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me, More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple

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April 19

Such is the human race. Often it does seem such a pity that Noah didn’t miss the boat.

~Mark Twain

Was it a pity? Would it have been better if humanity had disappeared in the Flood? Perhaps if we are in the depths of our addiction we may be tempted to agree—people are rotten, sex is wretched, we’re no good, life is vile. On the days we dwell in the misery of our shame, the world does indeed seem a dark and gloomy dungeon.

This is the misery of sex addiction: it takes the heart and guts out of our lives and turns the world into a place of shadows and despair. Then, everything we do is marked and marred by our feelings of unworthiness and melancholy.

But we know there is a way out. We must open up to others in recovery and speak our pain and our sorrow. We can be sure that they will listen to us because they have been there before; and now they are here, for us. When our addiction seems like a flood that God has sent into our lives, our program can be our Ship of Hope. As we join our new companions, our First Step will be the beginning of a new life.

When I rise above my addiction I see the world in a new light.

Today's reading is from the book Answers in the Heart, Daily Meditations for Men and Women Recovering from Sex Addiction

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Aptil 20

Second Lives

We are here to add what we can to, not get what we can from, life.

~Sir William Osler

Many of us used to moan, “I wish I were dead.” Our addictions and obsessions made us hate ourselves. Other people scorned and pitied us. We wanted to die. We hoped that a life after death would give us rest from our constant battle with compulsions. But today we can find a better answer.

There is life before death. Those of us who once cried out, “nobody cares” have found loving, caring friends who share our problems and help us find the answers. They guide us daily through wonderful adventures in living. We all receive great truths in recovery.

I have been given the chance to live two lives. The cruel one has gone. The second one is rich with blessings. Nothing must tempt me to return to the old.

Today's reading is from the book Easy Does It, A Book of Daily Twelve Step Meditations

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April 21

If God be for us, who can be against us?

~Romans 8:31

We go out into the world each day armed. We are not looking for a fight, but we are ready for it. Muscles tense, breathing shallow, we know trouble is coming. People will surely cause us problems today, we think. Things would go well if certain people would only cooperate, but we know they won’t. Some of them are out to get us, we think. And these thoughts frighten us. We are apt to be revealed as the incompetents we sometimes feel we are. No wonder we’re tense.

Such thoughts are common to everyone. But we need not suffer all that wear and tear on our nerves. If each day we practice turning our life and our will over to the care of God, as we understand God, no harm will befall us. Our decision to do that is enough to ensure our complete protection. We can drop our armament and be assured that with our Higher Power in charge, all will turn out well.

I will practice arms control today.

Today's reading is from the book In God's Care, Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery

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April 22

God knows no distance.

~Charleszetta Waddles

As close as our breath is the strength we need to carry us through any troubled time. But our memory often fails us. We try, alone, to solve our problems, to determine the proper course of action. And we stumble. In time we will turn, automatically, to that power available. And whatever our need, it will be met.

Relying on God, however we understand God's presence, is foreign to many of us. We were encouraged from early childhood to be self-reliant. Even when we desperately needed another's help, we feared asking for it. When confidence wavered, as it so often did, we hid the fear sometimes with alcohol, sometimes with pills. Sometimes we simply hid at home: Our fears never fully abated.

Finding out, as we all have found, that we have never needed to fear anything, that God was never distant, takes time to sink in. Slowly and with practice it will become natural to tum within, to be God-reliant rather than self-reliant. Whatever our needs today, God is the answer.

There is nothing to fear. At last, I have come to know God. All roads will be made smooth.

Today's reading is from the book Each Day a New Beginning, Daily meditations for Women

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April 23

To have more, desire less.

~Anonymous

So many of us are caught up in such a busy pace of life that we feel we don’t have time for the basic things like dinner with our family, time to talk to our intimate partner, or quiet time to unwind and reflect. What is the problem? Often the problem is that we are caught in a never-ending search for more material things than our income can comfortably afford. In modern life, we are daily subjected to well-crafted advertising that tells us we would be happy if we bought another alluring item. Turning aside from those seductions, deciding we can live more comfortably if we seek happiness elsewhere, frees us from that demanding cycle.

If we examine our desires, we will quickly recognize that we already have enough material goods. Happiness, gratitude, and peace of mind will come from the abundance of our relationships and the knowledge that we are the kind of men we hope to be. We can limit our desires for more goods and free ourselves from the feeling that we don’t have enough.

Today, I will remind myself that I have enough. I am grateful for the abundance in my life.

Today's reading is from the book Stepping Stones, More Daily Meditations for Men

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April 24

AA Thought for the Day

The AA way of living is not an easy one. But it’s an adventure in living that is really worthwhile. And it’s so much better than our old drunken way of living that there’s no comparison. Our lives without AA would be worth nothing. With AA, we have a chance to live reasonably good lives. It’s worth the battle, no matter how tough the going is from day to day. Isn’t it worth the battle?
Meditation for the Day

The spiritual life has two parts. One is the life apart—the life of prayer and quiet communion with God. You spend this part of your life apart with God. Every day your mind can be set in the right direction so that your thoughts will be of the right kind. The other is the life impart—imparting to others what you have learned from your own meditative experience. The victories you have won over yourself through the help of God can be shared with others. You can help them by imparting to them some of the victory and security that you have gained in your life apart.
Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may grow strong from my times apart with God. I pray that I may pass on some of this strength to others.

Today's reading is from the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day, A Spiritual Resource with Practical Applications for Daily Life

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April 25

I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.

~Albert Einstein

None of us knows anything for sure about the future. We don’t know if we’ll be sober tomorrow. But we can be sure of this moment. We get sober by moments. Our sober moments then stretch into hours, days, and years. Our program tells us to live in the present moment. This is because we can control this moment. We can’t control the past or the future. We need to have a sense of control in our life. In our illness, we were out of control. This was because we wouldn’t live from moment to moment.

Each moment is filled with as much life as we can handle. Each moment is filled with enough to keep us alive, interested, and growing!
Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me find You in each moment.
Action for the Day

Today I’ll stop and focus on the present moment. I will work to see how much control I can have if I stay with the moment at hand.

Today's reading is from the book Keep it Simple, Daily Meditations for Twelve Step Beginnings and Renewal

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April 26

What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

~Hugh Mulligan

We show self-respect in how we choose to spend our time. Do we give tasks the time required for our best efforts? Or do we feel unworthy of quality work? Do we have a right to stop working and just play? Are we worth spending time with—just ourselves, or do we feel meaningful time is only spent with others? Are we worth caring enough about to enjoy bathing, grooming, or getting haircuts? Do we care enough about ourselves to see a dentist or a physician when needed?

Choices about how we use our time are basic ethical and creative choices. Beyond self-respect and care, we need to put time into our day for nourishing and enriching our spirits. We do that by reading something thoughtful or meaningful, talking to a friend about the events and feelings of our lives, listening to music, fixing a pleasant meal, exercising, and giving unpaid time and energy to worthwhile causes.

I am grateful for the gift of another day, and I will live it creatively and respectfully.

Today's reading is from the book Touchstones, A Book of Daily Meditations for Men

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April 27

Making mistakes

As addicts we made a lot of mistakes; as addicts, we blanketed those mistakes in denial. In recovery, denial is no longer an option. Yet we still make plenty of mistakes.

But mistakes are okay, because we’re learning that every situation, good or bad, is an opportunity for growth. And with the right attitude, we can make the most of it.

Can I let go of my mistakes enough to learn from them?

Higher Power, help me to forgive my mistakes and to accept them as a useful way to learn.

Today I will practice what I learned from my most recent mistake by…

Today's reading is from the book Day by Day, Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts

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April 28

Reflection for the Day

In our first weeks or months in the program, our shaky emotional condition sometimes affects our feelings toward old friends and family. For many of us, these relationships heal quickly in the initial stages of our recovery. For others, a time of “touchiness” seems to persist; now that we’re no longer drinking or using other substances, we have to sort out our feelings about spouses, children, relatives, employers, fellow workers, and even neighbors. Experience in the program over the years has taught me that we should avoid making important decisions early in our recovery—especially emotionally charged decisions about people. Am I becoming better equipped to relate maturely to other people?
Today I Pray

May my Higher Power help me through the edginess, the confusion of refeeling and rethinking my relationships, the getting-it-all-together stages of my recovery. May I not rush into new relationships or new situations that demand an investment of my emotions—not yet.
Today I Will Remember

No entangling alliances too soon.

Today's reading is from the book A Day at a Time, Daily Reflections for Recovering People

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April 29

Perfection, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

Is the desire to be perfect keeping us from being our best? Are mistakes okay? Trial and error is how healthy people learn. However, our expectation of perfection when we make a first attempt keeps us frustrated, or maybe we are too fearful of failure to even start. We waste so much living wanting to be perfect that we fear to try anything new.

Because we suffer from the need to be perfect, we judge other people harshly too. Perfection quickly becomes the bane of our existence. Fortunately, we can ask our Higher Power and the friends in our groups to help us accept ourselves as less than perfect human beings. We’ll be able to do this with greater ease when we learn to accept others as they are.

I will be good enough at every activity today if I simply do the best I can.

Today's reading is from the book A Life of My Own, Meditations on Hope and Acceptance

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April 30

On the inner plane, the call to explore our edge involves risk, facing our fears, and a willingness to embrace uncertainty. The essence of an adventure—inner or outer—is encountering the unknown and unpredictable, which can be both scary and exciting. For many men, venturing into the vast terrain of their feelings can be such a long, illuminating voyage. For others, really listening to their heart for the first time, dropping the noisy expectations of others so they might hear their own truth, can be a rewarding odyssey. Learning to perceive more clearly the feedback our body is offering us in terms of stress and anxiety can also be a novel frontier filled with helpful insights.

Being in treatment has helped us begin these perilous but rewarding journeys within. We finally grasp that creating lasting changes in the outer circumstances of our lives begins within. We have, no doubt, come to realize how much unexplored territory there is within our own being. Perhaps we have even become inspired by the imperative “know thyself,” which holds enormous relevance for us in our daily lives.

I am in awe of how much there still is to discover about myself.

Today's reading is from the book Cornerstones, Daily Meditations for the Journey into Manhood and Recovery