The peace you seek is always there. It sits quietly and calmly beneath everything else that has been piled on top of it. ~Ralph Marston
Today I am grateful...
- for a Saturday back on schedule
- all November's bills are either paid or ready to be paid
- that these days I answer the telephone--sometimes without even looking at caller ID
- for carrying on with recovery. Not resting on laurels, not taking anything for granted.
- for friends and family and loved ones and even the ones that grate on my nerves
The trouble with staying home and isolating is--I get a lot of bad advice. ~unknown
...most newcomers already suspect the truth, even if they've only been clean for a few days. Chances are that the "life on life's terms" the average newcomer is experiencing is quite a bit more stressful than what the average old-timer deals with each day. If we do manage to convince a newcomer that everything becomes rosy in recovery, we had better make sure we are there to support that newcomer when something goes wrong in his or her life.
Perhaps we simply need to share realistically about how we use the resources ... to accept "life on life's terms," whatever those terms may be on any given day. Recovery, and life itself, contain equal parts of pain and joy. It is important to share both so the newcomer can know that we stay clean no matter what. ~Just for Today
6 comments:
Scott, thank you for the Just for Today message. Sometimes I forget how difficult it is in the early days of sobriety. I have a friend, an old drinking buddy, who is sobering up, slowly. She has helped me remember what it was like. But I find myself utterly frustrated with her and her resistance to doing the deal. Going to meetings, specifically, seems to be real hard for her. Since we're neighbors, she would rather walk over and talk to me. And while I want to be here for her, I can't get her sober.
I find myself in a scary place sometimes because she was so desperately ill physically with this disease; in a nursing home, liver shot, under Hospice care at 43 years old. Some wonderful miracle brought her back physically. Now I see the disease working on her mind, telling her that she doesn't need help, telling her all sorts of deadly things. And I'm afraid. Really afraid. I came home recently and found her drunk in my backyard. A shortlived slip, thank God. But still I just want to shake her.
I apologize for this long post. But I guess I needed to put it out there. It's kind of hard to share this at a meeting because people know her and would know who I'm talking about and I'm uncomfortable with that. By the way, I am going to Alanon on a weekly basis. It helps.
Dear Scott,
what a wonderful post !
Sojo, thank you for sharing about your neighbor. What a shame we all don't surrender. My Mother died of her disease. I tried to help her get sober - it was not to be.
It is a killer. I hope your friend will wake up and find courage to save her own life.
Love you Scott. I hope I'll see you tonight !
I'm obsessive about answering the phone. As such, I don't even have Caller ID because I am going to answer it no matter who is calling.
On the other hand, I've run off most people in my life so very few call me anyway.
great opening quote, sir!
Have a great weekend, Son!
I have to check caller ID, because I jut don't like surprises.
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