Blog entry for:

Sat, Apr 2, 2011 08:25:37 AM


¢ the public image of the fellowship that PROVIDES ME A NEW WAY OF LIVING is ¢
posted: Sat, Apr 2, 2011 08:25:37 AM

 

a successful, proven way of maintaining a drug-free lifestyle! alright i am up way too early this saturday morning, and although i think i may regret this front loaded day later, right now my plan is to take advantage of the minutes i have and get moving.
as i sat and pondered what the reading said, literally, and listened for what i heard, figuratively, they seemed to be in very close alignment. namely am i taking my responsibility of attraction seriously? it is my job to be an attractive member of the fellowship, and i do not mean physically attractive, i mean, spiritually attractive, warm and welcoming. it is true, that i tire of the seemingly endless parade of newcomers in and out of the doors of our fellowship. as a result, i do find myself withdrawing from that hustle and bustle, patiently waiting for those who seem to “GET IT.”
this detachment was something i learned in active recovery, and the echoes of that behavior still ring across my spiritual landscape. the exact same reasons that i emotionally detached myself from the people in the world around me, back in the day, are still the same ones i use to detach myself from the newcomers as they walk into the rooms. after all, if i do not become attached, they cannot hurt me, and addicts coming out of active addiction do not know any better than hurting others. quite the juice piece of rationalization there. now that i have said it, i can no longer sweep it under the carpet, as much as i would like to. it does not fit into my current view of who i am, and can i really be that wrong about who i see myself as these days? the answer is of course i can and often wrong about who i am. it has been said that addicts are complex people, but my experience is that i am not really that complex. when i shovel away the bullsh!t of rationalization, justifications and spin, it always comes down to three maybe four different motives for what i do. most of the time it is FEAR, and the particular FEAR that drives this behavior is the FEAR of being rejected. instead of putting myself out there, i watch from the corners, safe in the shadows, perhaps a little sad at once again succumbing to my fear, but confident that i cannot be hurt.
so it goes, once more the past rules my present, and what i hear underneath it all, is that i DO have a choice today, all i have to do is let go, and allow the POWER that fuels my recovery to take care of me, just for today. so with this bit of extra time this morning i think i will get moving on to my next task du jour, as it is. it is after all a great day to be celan.

∞ 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!

∞ i will remember that i was once a newcomer myself ∞ 415 words ➥ Sunday, April 2, 2006 by: donnot
∞ i cannot promote the FELLOWSHIP that has provided me a new way to live but ∞ 374 words ➥ Monday, April 2, 2007 by: donnot
∞ how do i treat the newest members when they arrive, worn out from their struggles with addiction? ∞ 377 words ➥ Wednesday, April 2, 2008 by: donnot
↔ what attracted me to this fellowship was the feeling that … 804 words ➥ Thursday, April 2, 2009 by: donnot
¿ am i offering the same sense of belonging i felt way back when, to those who are walking into the rooms today ¿ 386 words ➥ Friday, April 2, 2010 by: donnot
ℜ i will remember that ℜ 505 words ➥ Monday, April 2, 2012 by: donnot
≈ when i put principles into action in my life, ≈ 480 words ➥ Tuesday, April 2, 2013 by: donnot
◊ i will seek to attract others with the same ◊ 421 words ➥ Wednesday, April 2, 2014 by: donnot
— attraction — 465 words ➥ Thursday, April 2, 2015 by: donnot
★ offering a sense ☆ 739 words ➥ Saturday, April 2, 2016 by: donnot
⇢ am i generous ⇠ 667 words ➥ Sunday, April 2, 2017 by: donnot
🏁 working one-on-one 🏁 656 words ➥ Monday, April 2, 2018 by: donnot
🎉 once upon a time 🎊 619 words ➥ Tuesday, April 2, 2019 by: donnot
😴 a sense of belonging 😴 430 words ➥ Thursday, April 2, 2020 by: donnot
🧲 finding a place 🧲 511 words ➥ Friday, April 2, 2021 by: donnot
🏲 a successful 🏱 557 words ➥ Saturday, April 2, 2022 by: donnot
🤨 an open mind 🤯 520 words ➥ Sunday, April 2, 2023 by: donnot
👣 the never-ending  💨 357 words ➥ Tuesday, April 2, 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 (state of) vacancy should be brought to the utmost degree,
and that of stillness guarded with unwearying vigour. All things alike
go through their processes of activity, and (then) we see them return
(to their original state). When things (in the vegetable world) have
displayed their luxuriant growth, we see each of them return to its
root. This returning to their root is what we call the state of stillness;
and that stillness may be called a reporting that they have fulfilled
their appointed end.