Blog entry for:

Sat, Mar 19, 2011 08:58:12 AM


℘ a simple, honest message of recovery from addiction rings true ℘
posted: Sat, Mar 19, 2011 08:58:12 AM

 

sharing as a full contact competitive sport, why not? i can see it now, all over ESPN and the billions of dollars the networks would pump into it. finally recovering addicts would get their due, and all the $$'s they are entitled to! i can see it replacing football, and drag many wannabe addicts into the rooms, so that they too, can grab a piece of this pie.
WHERE DO I SIGN-UP!??!
alright, enough of the silliness, here. i know that was a bit of hyperbole and absurd as it sounds, there are times in my own recovery where i am engaged in that exact behavior. pondering, how to top everyone with my brilliant and oh so pithy words of wisdom. i have no idea if my competitive spirit comes from being human, and has been warped out of perspective by addiction, or if i just got an extra dose by nature. it really is irrelevant in the short and the long run. what is relevant this morning, id the feelings i get when i start to engage in competitive sharing, or more importantly in the milliseconds just before i get the notion to do so. there are days i long to be way back when i had never worked steps 4 through 9, as way back then i could engage in this behavior, without having to look at what was really going on, after all in this case ignorance was BLISS. those days, however warmly i recall them, are long gone, and honestly, as much as i think i would like to go back to being in a state of ignorance, and behaving exactly how i want to, without all the attendant feelings being identified, i know i am better person living in the here and now. i can always play the game and say i accept that i feel such and such, and i do not care, i am going to act this way anyway. that is always an option. OR i can live a program of active recovery and delve a bit deeper before i open my mouth and ponder if i am about to share something that is really going on inside of me, or am i sharing just to hear the sound of my own voice, or for me even worse, am i sharing to alter the opinion of others about who and what i am? that is of course one of my favorite places, doing my best to look better than i am feeling and doing, and days of recovery has given me the ability to say all the right things, to foster appearances, which like many of my sponsees is one of the most important aspects of the part of me i call addiction.
“I ALWAYS NEED TO LOOK BETTER THAN I AM FEELING!”
well speaking of looking better, the time has come for a light and quick workout. i really want to get over to boulder for a meeting this morning, and in order to do so, i need to get moving forward through my task list. today, i can be aware that i DO have something to share, i CAN be honest about what it is, and in the long run being genuine will pay greater dividends than looking good. i will be able to live more comfortably and that is the salient fact in this discussion.

∞ 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!

α nothing to share α 382 words ➥ Sunday, March 19, 2006 by: donnot
∞ when i simply share what has been effective in my life, ∞ 439 words ➥ Monday, March 19, 2007 by: donnot
↔ sharing is not a competitive sport. the meat of meetings is identification and experience, … 412 words ➥ Wednesday, March 19, 2008 by: donnot
μ my sharing does not have to be either fancy or funny to ring true μ 575 words ➥ Thursday, March 19, 2009 by: donnot
∏ every addict, even me, who are working an honest program ∏ 553 words ➥ Friday, March 19, 2010 by: donnot
∈ i have something valuable to share ∈ 533 words ➥ Monday, March 19, 2012 by: donnot
“  i have times when i feel that what i have to share ” 718 words ➥ Tuesday, March 19, 2013 by: donnot
˜ every addict, including me, who is working an honest program ˜ 720 words ➥ Wednesday, March 19, 2014 by: donnot
⇔ something valuable to share ⇔ 613 words ➥ Thursday, March 19, 2015 by: donnot
🙌 something valuable 🙌 794 words ➥ Saturday, March 19, 2016 by: donnot
⊈ what i had ⊉ 661 words ➥ Sunday, March 19, 2017 by: donnot
🛸 the one thing 🛠 678 words ➥ Monday, March 19, 2018 by: donnot
💬 the truth 💬 556 words ➥ Tuesday, March 19, 2019 by: donnot
🌈 something i have 🦄 411 words ➥ Thursday, March 19, 2020 by: donnot
🏅 a competitive sport 🏆 580 words ➥ Friday, March 19, 2021 by: donnot
🙂 neither fancy 🙃 442 words ➥ Saturday, March 19, 2022 by: donnot
😭 feeling connected, 😭 656 words ➥ Sunday, March 19, 2023 by: donnot
🎯 my own experience 🎯 513 words ➥ Tuesday, March 19, 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 2

3) Therefore when the sovereign occupies his place as the Son of Heaven,
and he has appointed his three ducal ministers, though (a prince)
were to send in a round symbol-of-rank large enough to fill both the
hands, and that as the precursor of the team of horses (in the court-yard),
such an offering would not be equal to (a lesson of) this Tao, which
one might present on his knees.