Blog entry for:

Sun, Feb 24, 2008 10:56:50 AM


δ my disease slowly influenced my spiritual development for the worse. recovery introduces …
posted: Sun, Feb 24, 2008 10:56:50 AM

 

...a new influence to my life, a source of fellowship and spiritual strength slowly impelling me into new, healthy patterns of living. it is also true that patiently waiting for the changes to be wrought in my life, accomplishes nothing. "but wait," i hear you say, "what do you mean when you say patiently waiting? i thought patience is a spiritual principle that you espouse quite frequently!"
and you would be correct in saying that, patience is not where the emphasis belongs in that statement, it is on the waiting part, as in passively waiting. in my experience, these changes only come about as a result of my work on my recovery. the miracle of stying clean day after day, one day at a time, only happened for me once i decided to do something like make that admission to my innermost self, that i was an addict and that as a result my life is unmanageable. the beginning of my step wo9rk was laid in that foundation, but, for me, it does not stop with that admission, that is merely the point where i could jump pff the train of the most visible symptom of the my active addiction. after that i had to do what was suggested to me, on a daily basis, including working the TWELVE STEPS, under the guidance of a member who had come before me, one of the men who have given me the honor of being sponsored by them. and i say that with a deep sense of gratitude, for those men, gave me the tools i needed to foster the personality change i needed to learn how to do this whole recovery gig!
so i actively and patiently wait for the changes to happen, and although those changes do not happen fast enough in most canes to suit my taste, nor are those change necessarily in the direction i think they should be going, i am learning how to be content with the fact that they are occurring, as i am sure the rest of the world is too! not that my influence was so evil i affected the lives of millions, but my warped personality affected enough people that just staying clean and participating in the process makes my particular corner of the world that much less chaotic. and if you subscribe to the butterfly in Brazil theory, any change in the local world is rippled through the entire world in some small manner, and who knows what the global consequences, if any will be.
so right here and right now i am content to be better than i was, and willing to do what it takes to be that much better tomorrow, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant the change. life is good today and now i have to run off to do a bit of service. TTFN

∞ DT ∞

 

djtConsulting Brand
The views expressed on this page are solely the opinion of the author.
While the author is a member of a 12 Step recovery fellowship, these writings are not intended to endorse or express the published wisdom of any fellowship.
These writings are not meant to be socially or politically correct, and if you take issue with any opinions expressed, please seek the guidance of someone wiser than me.

Another Look!

∞  new way of living ∞ 213 words ➥ Thursday, February 24, 2005 by: donnot
↔ cooperation with the new influences in my life ↔ 438 words ➥ Friday, February 24, 2006 by: donnot
∞ the influence of addiction had warped my whole pattern of living beyond recognition. ∞ 424 words ➥ Saturday, February 24, 2007 by: donnot
δ in early life, i believe that i was capable of joy and wonder, of giving and receiving unconditional love δ 549 words ➥ Tuesday, February 24, 2009 by: donnot
∪ the further i went down the path of addiction ∪ 553 words ➥ Wednesday, February 24, 2010 by: donnot
± personality change was what i really needed ± 651 words ➥ Thursday, February 24, 2011 by: donnot
° The Twelve Steps work miracles, it is true ° 777 words ➥ Friday, February 24, 2012 by: donnot
¢ i will cooperate with the new influence ¢ 564 words ➥ Sunday, February 24, 2013 by: donnot
√ the Twelve Steps provide me with a program √ 606 words ➥ Monday, February 24, 2014 by: donnot
⇑ by cooperating with this program of recovery, ⇑ 471 words ➥ Tuesday, February 24, 2015 by: donnot
∲ a new influence ∳ 737 words ➥ Wednesday, February 24, 2016 by: donnot
≂ a source ≃ 446 words ➥ Friday, February 24, 2017 by: donnot
🌢 more than 🌣 686 words ➥ Saturday, February 24, 2018 by: donnot
🙂 i am, once again, 🙃 640 words ➥ Sunday, February 24, 2019 by: donnot
🙄 the personality 🙄 591 words ➥ Monday, February 24, 2020 by: donnot
😂 restoring joy, 😊 510 words ➥ Wednesday, February 24, 2021 by: donnot
🤕 what i really 🤔 429 words ➥ Thursday, February 24, 2022 by: donnot
💪 just happens, 💪 537 words ➥ Friday, February 24, 2023 by: donnot
💭 learning to trust 💬 497 words ➥ Saturday, February 24, 2024 by: donnot
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☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯

THE TAO TEH KING, OR THE TAO AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge

Book 1

1) The Tao is (like) the emptiness of a vessel; and in our employment
of it we must be on our guard against all fulness. How deep and unfathomable
it is, as if it were the Honoured Ancestor of all things!