Cheatin' Ways

Abstain from buying and selling and unfair ways of weighing and measuring.
 - Buddhist Quote 


Have you ever know someone that was spending more effort and time trying to figure out how to cheat and get an angle on things, by being deceptive or a cheat?

When I was a mere pre-teen, I recall having the brainiac idea that I didn't need to vacuum the house like I was supposed to, but rather, I could use a leaf rake to get the carpet to "fluff up" like it had been cleaned good and proper.

Guess what?

It didn't work.

I had to go do it right AFTER getting an earful. Imagine that?  AND It took twice as much effort, just to get it right.

My Cheatin' ways didn't pay off.  You can guess what I'll say next can't you? If you're going to take the time to do it, you might as well do it right the first time.  If you're serious about being sober, you're not going to be able to take short cuts.

Getting honest with ourselves is just the first step, and the rest of the steps don't matter if we don't get this one right.

We Don't Know!

"..We don't know what we don't know" 
- Donald Rumsfeld 

Some quotes that fall out of peoples mouths are just to good to pass up. No matter who the person is. This is one of those. And this one, just falls right into the rooms of recovery, and I think it's going to stick. 

Why? It's a silly truism. And it's dead simple. But then when you start thinking it over, and tossing it back and forth to the other members of our mental committees they all seem to agree that "Yea, he's right! We DON'T KNOW what we don't know. We're in need of data. 

No need to panic. Think of it as an awakening of knowing that we know that we don't know that will lead us someplace where we CAN know. 

We're learning as we go along. We no longer want to say, "Everyone needs something to believe in, so I believe I'll have another beer." We no longer have an obsession to use or drink. So now we can move on to another saying...

"Progress not Perfection". Meaning that we'll always be learning something new, no matter what, on our journey. 

Fighting Nature

How often do we seem to over complicate things?  I know I do. I do it a lot. I think that I was taught some of it from my surroundings. We've got a western society that seems to have taken things and thrown them out of whack.  Take the ages that we expect children to mature, and become responsible, for instance. Nature dictates that we're ready for family responsibilities after we've hit puberty. We used to do things that way. 15 year olds getting married have starting families weren't uncommon 2-3 generations ago.  Farmers had large families to help with the farm, the kids would get a few acres to start their own farms from, and so on, and so on.

But today's modern society says that you need to resist those natural urges, get educated, and wait until you're at least 10 years older then your grandparents or great-grandparents when you start your family. Theoretically boxing your brains and gonads until they're going to be "useful".  But that's fighting the natural flow of things isn't it?  That's trying to put a damn on natures way of doing things. And it seems to me, that the more we try to dam things up, the more pressure builds until there's a disaster.

I don't think that humanity has improved over time. In fact, I think that human nature remains basically the same over time.

Modern social evolution may not be such a good thing. But I can't imagine how we'd get along with out refrigerators and freezers.

Woot! Rock AND Roll Baby!

Grateful to be sober, and to be able to do things like this: 

Wow, I just wanted to say, that I was able to make it to a Joe Walsh concert last night. (Oct 26) Joe Walsh (sober since 1994) was great, he did most of his popular stuff. He also did Wrecking Ball, off of his latest album.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd's band opened for Joe, making for an totally great evening of rock and roll. Kenny's band closed doing Voodoo Child, witch totally rocked.  Noah Hunt and the rest of Kenny's band, make for perfect blues....

Simple Gratitide

Even if I can't do these posts every day, I'll try to find something that I'm grateful for. Trying to find the best in every situation, or the good in it, helps keep us on track.  I'm mentally de-railed mess when things get hectic when my workload is over capacity. 

But, I've got bills that are paid. 

And for that, I'm grateful. 

Show me how to live!

"Nail in my hand, From my creator, You gave me life, Now show me how to live!"

 - Audioslave

How many times do we see lyrics to songs as prayers? 

Sometimes they're begging for help from God. Sometimes the songwriters are cursing God, or maybe what they thought God done wrong to them. And other times, they're thanking him for the wondrous love that they've found.  

What's that tell us about us, humans?  I think it says we're confused, we've got chaos in our lives, and we're searching for direction.  I don't have all the answers, but sometimes we can grab a song out of our "song basket" and get our heads twisted back into a positive direction.  And if the music and songs that I'm listening to aren't helping me attain a positive attitude, maybe I ought to re-think what I'm listening to. 

I've had friends in the program tell me they've taken complete groups, or albums out of their listening collection. But if they think they need to do that in order to stay sober, then more power to them, and God Bless them.  I think that's a bit extreme, but I have noticed that I don't let myself dwell on the songs that bring me down. And have taken active steps not to listen to songs or groups of songs that might make me think negative thoughts, and want to drink. 

Today, I don't want to listen to songs that made (make) me want to drink and party like I used to. 

Whipped and haggard

Sometimes I'm out of time to  make a blog post, and sometimes my head is in the dumper.

If my head isn't right, I can't write a positive blog post. - But That's one reason why I have this blog, is to MAKE me think of something positive to say. :)

Other days, I'm so out of time, or far from a decent keyboard (the phone is NOT a decent device to post to the blog, in my opinion).

Comments do help encourage me to continue on, and post some more.  Tho' they won't help me turn back the hands of time, they do help. :)

Time Management, it's an art.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Happiness never decreases by being shared

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

 - Buddhist Quote


You ever notice that smiles are contagious? The same with laughter. And laughter IS the best medicine.

I know that I've got a nasty habit of trying to make a glum person smile. An honest compliment to a person that needs it is one of the best and easiest gifts to give, wouldn't you say?

I've also noticed that when I'm busy trying to make someone else smile, I end up smiling too. Have you ever noticed that? Happiness is cool. People want it. Give it to them, and they'll remember you as being someone cool. And you didn't do anything other then trying to make them happy and you also forget your own troubles.  It's a Win Win.

That's how 12 step programs (and happiness) work, you can't keep it, unless you give it away. 

Beauty is what you make it.

When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator. - Mohandas Gandhi

Beauty is found everywhere in nature. I also tend to think that most peoples souls are also beautiful, as a person's soul is also a work from the creator. But I think as a society we tend to think to highly of surface beauty. We forget about the real beauty of a person's nature, their intentions.  

Sure, we see a nice fancy car, it'll rust. If we see a beautiful young person, they'll wrinkle.  It's the guts that matter for the long haul.  What about that old geezer that makes you laugh at the corner store, he's sharing happiness, and that's a beautiful thing. What about that old rusty pickup truck that gets the farmers grain to his chickens or cows? That old truck will get more use then most flashy cars, and it's got a beauty of getting the job done. 

I ought to strive to be beautiful like an old pair of jeans. A little worn, and a welcomed comfort. 

Dirty Laundry

Dirty little secrets, dirty little lies, We got our dirty little fingers in everybody's pie, Love to cut you down to size, we love dirty laundry!

- Don Henley / Dirty Laundry 

Rumor has it, that rumor's are juicy little tidbits of intel on our neighbors, or co-workers or family.  And they are. But they're dangerous little bombs, aren't they?  Rumors can also get misshapen, and miss the mark of truth. 

Another thing that is bad about rumors is what once they fall out of your mouth, they don't go back in. Wouldn't it be nice if rumors could just get washed up and put away like dirty laundry gets washed up and turns into clean sheets? 

Sometimes sorry isn't enough either. The damage is done. 

We've got to be careful about what we think, and say. It's easier now not to get ourselves jammed up like we might have once done when we were drinking with oh so loose tongues. 

I'm grateful that in sobriety that even tho' I'm not perfect, I'm not saying as many hurtful things today as I once did. 

Making Time Fly

Time flies. It's up to you to be the navigator.
 - Robert Orben

I guess sometimes when look back, and take a few snippets out of our drunken logs of the past, they can be funny. And, we might even learn from them, or at least get a laugh out of the stupid things we did.

I was arguing with my girlfriend, trying to get her to stay longer, and forget about some of her responsibilities. IE, to relieve her mom from baby sitting duties.  She kept looking at the clock. So I decided to make time fly, and tossed my clock radio out the 2nd story window and into a drainage ditch full of water.

DOH!

1: It didn't stop her from going.
2: I ruined a perfectly good clock radio.
3: Telling the boss you were late because you made time fly, by tossing your clock out the window because you were pissed at your girlfriend didn't garner any sympathy either...

Today's lesson? 

I don't have a pilot's licence, so I'll stop trying to make time fly. 

Fear is Sticky

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.
- Norman Vincent Peale

Fear is one of the things that motivates us, and I don't mean just the collection of recovering drunks or addicts that I know and car about.  Fear seems to be the biggest motivator killer known to man. Fear of the unknown seems to be the thing that makes my feet (or seat) stay stuck. Yours too? 

I never really thought of fear as being sticky. I thought it was scary. But really, it's more sticky then it is scary.

Think about it. Fear keeps us stuck where we are. Remember those dreams where we can't run? We're moving in slow motion and the boogeyman is going to get us. We can't move. We're stuck. See?  Sticky.  Fear is Sticky. 

So does this mean that I need a good dose of lard to get my but moving?  I don't know, but maybe I won't be upset the next time someone calls me a lard ass, I'll take it as a compliment that I'm a super hero getting one over on that monster called fear. 

Today I'm confident that I can get unstuckerd from fear, I'm a super lard man! 

It's about perceptions...

Nina Paley

I'm keeping it simple today... 

Thanks to Nina for the picture.

"Thinking" Inside the Music Box

Well, it's tough to be somebody, And it's hard not to fall apart
Up here on Rehab Mountain, We gonna learn these things by heart 

-  Warren Zevon - Detox Mansion

I think that what makes me interesting is my gift, and my curse. I've not been medically diagnosed with ADHD, but I fit that "profile".  I think outside the box, and wonder a lot of "What Ifs?".  The trick to keep myself from going crazy is to not to obsess on these things. Sometimes Music is a good distraction. Meditating while driving is NOT a good option. :P 

Music can sooth our souls. I can enjoy a few minuets out of my own head and lost in some music. I sometimes zero in on the bass line, or the drums, or try to pick out a single guitar to focus on as the song progresses. 

After all, "We are Not a Glum Lot"..

You can Grab a free and Legit Copy of Warren Zevon music here: Internet Archive.org

Did You Pee on an Electric Fence?

There are three kinds of men:  The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.
- Will Rogers

I think that what Will is talking about is the fence that surrounds the School of Hard Knocks.  I know that with all of the educational martial that was thrown at me when I was growing up, trying to convince me that Drugs and Alcohol would mess up your life, didn't seem to make much of an impression on me. I knew that I'd be smarter then them, and get out of it before I was just another statistic.

And really, I did fairly well. More or less, maybe, for a few years.  Until I look back on my actions, and saw how many of my choices were made due to my wanting to be able to grab a drink at the end of the day. How much of my time and money was wasted?  Plenty.

But when one finds themselves walking with a 12 pack under their arms, thinking that other people will be lucky, because they'll be sober, or not hung over later. One's conversation with the committee in our head gets serious.

It's kind of nice not to pee on an electric fence anymore. I can walk in a straight line.

Keeping it Simple

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple, the philosophy is kindness.
 - Dalai Lama

How often do we over complicate things? I know when I was thinking of this blog, and doing it, or one like it, I struggled over weather or not to make it about recovery, or just positive thoughts.  Since I am in a constant state of recovery, and pray that I remain in this state, I went with the recovery idea. It's my way of doing some service work, and maintaining my personal recovery.

It also meant I need to keep it simple. I've decided that the time that it was taking me to look for images has thwarted my daily posting. So, while I might have images, now and again. I'm not going to make images a priority. If things in my daily life change where I can have a little more time for posts, I will add them to the posts. :)

Today, I'm glad that I can keep things simple, and be happy with the simple things.

Maintaining Happiness

I've had a busy week, job searching, and that kind of thing. IT's not that my head was in a bad space, I just wasn't up to writing, or sitting down at the computer for anything serious.

I guess the point being, is that we need to know our limitations. Moderation is something that I've had a hard time with in my life, and I'm sure others that suffer from addictive personalities have the same thing going on with their lives.

I saw this quote on my iGoogle page, and I found it useful.

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others.

 - Buddhist Quote

Bad Ice.

When you drink Vodka over ice, it can give you kidney failure,
When you drink Rum over ice, it can give you liver failure,
When you drink whiskey over ice, it can give you heart problems,
When you drink Gin over ice, it can give you brain problems.

Apparently - ice is really bad for you! Warn all your friends . . . .

... Hope to have some regular posts up this weekend, it's been a busy week, but I guess that's a good thing. I was sober for the whole thing... 

A Good War

There was never a good war, or a bad peace. 

 - Benjamin Franklin

It's a pity the resentments mankind can hold. These resentments don't do us much good to cling to. We can look around the world and see how resentments can keep men fighting each other for years on end. The effort on war could have been so much better spent on trying to figure out how to cure some diseases, build a better car, or radio, or computer, or _____ fill in the blank. 

But we're human, it's normal for us to resent someone that has hurt us.  But we're supposed to be growing, emotionally, we have to get past that. It's time to stop the hate, move along with our lives. We can't and never will be able to change the past. 

With the help of our higher power and other program members we can make peace with the world and ourselves.  

* Photo credit

Your Own Prison.

I cry out to God, Seeking only His decision, Gabriel stands and confirms, I've created my own prison. 

 - Creed

I know of a drunk that went to a concert, grabbed a 6 pack of beer, because the place was serving it up to slow for his needs. Got caught, got handcuffed, and hauled into the security office.  Told a sob story of his divorce, and was let back into the concert.  Luck? God?  I don't know, but he did enjoy the rest of the concert and behaved. 

But what if it hadn't gone so well, what if he HAD been pulled into a real jail? It could have gone so much worse for the man.  And he would have had no one else to blame. 

I'm glad today, I don't have to be a six pack stealing thief. I can enjoy the freedom of sobriety. 

Party like a Pumpkin?

"I wanna rock and roll all nite and party every day"
- Kiss

Oh the sad extremes we would go to. The great lengths we'd subject ourselves to, just to "have some fun". The underbelly of the party. Going to a party and not remembering it. Embracing the Porcelain and praying to God. Waking up with wet sheets, because we were too passed out to get up and make it to the bathroom. Waking up with Vomit in our hair.... Waking up in a jail cell, and not knowing what we did to get there.

These are the good times we're giving up?

Be Gone "Evil Good Times!!!" Be Gone I say!!

I have gotten honest with myself. My life had become unmanageable.

I got on my knees and prayed to God.
A God that I don't, and will never completely understand, but greater then myself.
In the depths of despair, that was enough.

My Prayers have been answered. I am sober today. I am happy.

Drinking and Druging and Musicians

"I only got drunk once, for twenty years" 
 -  Joe Walsh

It's a pity that so many artists are lost due to drugs and alcohol.  I've thought that it's that part of  us that wants more of feeling good, that drives us to seek new levels. Or should I say,  Seek higher highs?  I'm not an artists, but I've been in front of a group of people, and it's a total rush.  For me, it's like trying to walk on ball bearings, I feel that I could slip and fall, say the wrong thing. It's very un-nerving for me. But still, it's a rush.

I think it's part of the thinking, that if a little is good, More is Better.  Is there a part of us that just thinks that? Is it a Societal thing? I do know that it's a common theme for those in recovery. We don't know when to say, "enough, is enough".  We're over doers, some of us are even over achievers.  Smart as a whip. Butt's kicked by addictions.

Great Talents like Amy Whinehouse, Jimi Hendrix, Bon Scot, etc fell prey to the "Feeling Gooder" effect.  Thankfully there are others that gave up that pursuit, before it killed them. Stevie Ray Vaughn, Warren Zevon, and Joe Walsh..

Can you name a few artists that have gotten clean over the years that you've enjoyed?

* Photo Credit

Rock and Roll Dysfunction

How many of us have spent hours just listening to some rock and roll, headphones on, and tuned out from the rest of the world? 

Ok, I can see from the show of hands, that most of you have.  It's a great way to escape. Drunk or Sober. But we've got to be careful, as we become what we ingest. 

I want to talk about that Dysfunction Junction that rock and roll seems to intersect with.  The slippery parts are where we lay our heart and souls down for someone else to trample on them. Because we're "so in love".  Then we're so torn up after that goes bad, that we get the blues, and have a "reason to drink and drug"...  

But we put ourselves in that position.  One of my favorite artists does it all of the time with his lyrics.  

"Hey, What Do You Say"

If I could put myself at ease for awhile

Maybe I could learn to appreciate your smile

I got a lot to give but I never give enough to you

Oh to you

I'm not tryin' to make you feel uncomfortable

And I'm not trying to make you go away

All I really want to do is be with you

For awhile or just today

I said hey, what do you say

Now dont you tease me, dont you mess me around

I got alot of friends and I dont need one now

So baby don't you let me down

Don't get me wrong, don't stop listening to music that makes you feel good, want to dance sing and/or shout.  Just make sure that you're not soaking your brain in so much music that's going to help create some serious self-pity. 

What are some of your favorite artists or tunes that might bring on serious blues if you were to listen to them? Or What's some of your favorite "Headphone Music"?

* Photo Credit 

Gotta Little Martyr in ya?

We made mad love, Shadow love, Random love, And abandoned love... Accidentally like a martyr. The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder

 -  Warren Zevon

Once while chatting with another AA, she was telling me that us AA's have a bit of Al-Anon in us. Meaning that we are also EXTREMELY capable of being enablers ourselves. I had never given it much thought. She was in fact, very right. We're good at going around putting ourselves in positions to get hurt, and then once we're hurt, might want to extract revenge. A really scheming conniving drunk might just do such a sick minded thing.

We also want to be problem fixers.  There might be those of us that get married or have relationships so that we can feel good about ourselves after we've "fixed" our mate.  Talk about a formula for disappointment.  But us humans DO these crazy things. 

I'll try and not "FIX" someone, and accept them how they are. 

Photo:  Some rights reserved by James Clayton

Qualifications

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.
 - Albert Einstein

All you got to do is turn on the news and you're bound to see someone that's qualifying themselves to spend some time in AA. If you've read the big book, and the stories at the end of it, or even spend some time over on aagrapevine.org you'll see how it's done. If you're really needy to see stupid drunk tricks, just Google "Stupid Drunk Tricks" or use your imagination, you'll find some stellar examples.

I'm thankful today that I stopped qualifying in the "Stupid Drunk" race. 

Photo:  Some rights reserved by UtopianLibrary

Pink Clouds

There are thoughts which are prayers. There are moments when, whatever the posture of the body, the soul is on its knees.
 - Victor Hugo

There are mysterious things that happen to us when we first become sober. Most of us are familiar with the "pink clouds" of just feeling good, feeling good to be clean and that something good is happening to us, and our lives. 

I recall having an incident with the law, that cost me a little over a weeks pay, and a real inconvenience to myself and to my employer.  But the incident caused me to spend 24 hrs with another AA, who had a lot of sobriety. 

I learned from that, and think that the God of my understanding was giving me some guidance with my life, and with what I should be doing. 

I'm glad to have other sober souls in my life to help guide me along the way. 

* Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/people/borkurdotnet/

A Life Worth Living For

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.

- William James

One of the nicest things about getting sober, and setting things right, is once in awhile, you'll get a GOOD letter from a government agency. One that isn't asking for money, but actually is a refund. Granted, it'll be used to pay another one. But it's cool.

Yea, that's cool.

It's nice when Peter sends you the money to pay Paul...

Photo Credit: Some rights reserved by steeleman204

An Eye For an Eye

An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
- Mohandas Gandhi

We had to see that when we harbored grudges and planned revenge for such defeats, we were really beating ourselves with the club of anger we had intended to use on others. - Page 47 of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Revenge is such a dangerous thing. And it can backfire so easily. Drunks have sat around planning and scheming revenge with righteous vigor. But we're all connected, we're only hurting ourselves when we're planning these things.

Remember the Spy vs Spy of Mad Magazine? - It seems that neither one of those dudes, the white spy or the black spy ever got the upper hand.

It makes me think about M.A.D. Also known as Mutual Assured Destruction... What good does it do? Other then keep people busy building a bigger and more destructive bomb? This is crazy talk.

Today would be a good day for me to let my higher power take over revenge.

* Photo Credit

The Four Absolutes

Forward to the Four Absolutes. 

Spelled out as such, the Four Absolutes are not a formal part of our AA philosophy of life. Since this is true, some may claim the Absolutes should be ignored. This premise is approximately as sound as it would be to suggest that the Holy Bible should be scuttled.

The Absolutes were borrowed from the Oxford Group Movement back in the days when our society was in its humble beginning. In those days our founders and their early colleagues were earnestly seeking for any and all sources of help to define and formulate suggestions that might guide us in the pursuit of a useful, happy, and significant sober life.

Because the Absolutes are not specifically repeated in our Steps or Traditions, some of us are inclined to forget them. Yet in many old time groups where the solid spirit of our fellowship is so strongly exemplified, the Absolutes receive frequent mention. Indeed, you often find a set of old placards, carefully preserved, which are trotted out for prominent display each meeting night.

There could be unanimity on the proposition that living our way of life must include not only an awareness of the Absolutes, but a constant striving toward greater achievement in the qualities that they represent. Many who have lost the precious gift of sobriety would ascribe it to carelessness in seeking these objectives. If you will revisit the Twelve Steps with care, you will find the Four Absolutes form a thread, which is discernible in a sober life of quality, every step of the glorious journey.

[Click here to Read the whole article]

1940 AA Preamble

Due to my workload, I've not been able to create a decent post for the past couple of days, so I'll share this from Silkworth.net, it's part of the history of AA...

1940 AA Preamble

We are gathered here because we are faced with the fact that we are powerless over alcohol and unable to do anything about it without the help of a Power greater than ourselves.

We feel that each person's religious views, if any, are his own affair. The simple purpose of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous is to show what may be done to enlist the aid of a Power greater than ourselves regardless of what our individual conception of that Power may be.

In order to form a habit of depending upon and referring all we do to that Power, we must at first apply ourselves with some diligence. By often repeating these acts, they become habitual and the help rendered becomes natural to us.

We have all come to know that as alcoholics we are suffering from a serious illness for which medicine has no cure.

Our condition may be the result of an allergy which makes us different from other people. It has never been by any treatment with which we are familiar, permanently cured. The only relief we have to offer is absolute abstinence, the second meaning of A.A.

There are no dues or fees. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. Each member squares his debt by helping others to recover.

An Alcoholics Anonymous is an alcoholic who through application and adherence to the A.A. program has forsworn the use of any and all alcoholic beverage in any form.

The moment he takes so much as one drop of beer, wine, spirits or any other alcoholic beverage he automatically loses all status as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

A.A. is not interested in sobering up drunks who are not sincere in their desire to remain sober for all time. Not being reformers, we offer our experience only to those who want it.

We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree and on which we can join in harmonious action. Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our program. Those who do not recover are people who will not or simply cannot give themselves to this simple program. Now you may like this program or you may not, but the fact remains, it works. It is our only chance to recover.

There is a vast amount of fun in the A.A. fellowship. Some people might be shocked at our seeming worldliness and levity but just underneath there lies a deadly earnestness and a full realization that we must put first things first and with each of us the first thing is our alcoholic problem. To drink is to die. Faith must work twenty-four hours a day in and through us or we perish.

In order to set our tone for this meeting I ask that we bow our heads in a few moments of silent prayer and meditation. I wish to remind you that whatever is said at this meeting expresses our own individual opinion as of today and as of up to this moment.

We do not speak for A.A. as a whole and you are free to agree or disagree as you see fit, in fact, it is suggested that you pay no attention to anything which might not be reconciled with what is in the A.A. Big Book.

If you don't have a Big Book, it's time you bought you one. Read it, study it, live with it, loan it, scatter it, and then learn from it what it means to be an A.A.

This post taken from:

http://www.silkworth.net/aahistory/1940_aa_preamble.html

Seriously? God?

I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil.-  Albert Einstein

The 12 step program that I'm familiar with, speaks of a spiritual program, and spiritual progress, while leaving it to the individual to make up their own mind, and find their own God and worship him (or her :P) in their own way.  

This is of such importance to the survival of the program, and the groups.  Freedom to think and to worship in the manner that the individuals concience dictates. 

This does not mean, that we're allowed to put down how others think or worship. This means tolerance for other's belief systems. OR Tolerance and understanding for someone who doesn't think that there is a God.  They simply just can't wrap their head around that idea.  That's OK!!  They just need a spark of faith that there's something bigger then them, and their home group can be that higher power.  It's that simple. Live and let live.

There's line from a healthy exchange of ideas, to trying to convince someone else that they're wrong, and you're right. 

Churches are made up of people, people are not perfect. We certainly are not.  

How many meetings are in a church basement? How many Clergy helped get AA on it's feet and going in the right direction? We should forever be grateful to them. 

Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.
- Mother Teresa

http://www.silkworth.net/music/mp3/ClarenceS/clarence-s-1966.mp3
Note: The following link has some good AA related stuff..

http://silkworth.net/freestuff.html

Photo Credit: flickr Stephen Wedgwood

Greatest Enemies.. Resentment, Jealousy, Envy, Frustration, and Fear.

Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.

-  Buddhist Quote

The greatest enemies of us alcoholics are resentment, jealousy, envy, frustration, and fear. - Page 145, The Big Book of AA

I admit. I get angry, I get resentful. It must be due to fear. But of what? The Fear to succeed? To Fail? To Help someone else? Fear of loosing time? And to do what?  So I can have the time to envy someone else?

BAH!

The committee in one's head is a circus, that needs to be ignored at times.

It's times like this, is where I just need to take a mental time out, and back away from what ever it is that is making my blood pressure rise.  If possible, distract myself with some of natures beauty or book, or music.  Or sit quietly.

If I've acted poorly towards someone, usually someone close to me, I need to make amends.

If only I could only NOT get some steam built up with these things.. I pray I get better!

Photo Credit: william john butler 

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