Blog entry for:
Thu, Dec 20, 2012 07:48:32 AM
♠ the more i insist on being the center of the universe, ♠
posted: Thu, Dec 20, 2012 07:48:32 AM
the less satisfied i will be with my friends, my sponsor, and everything else. this morning, as i rush to get everything done, even though i really did not sleep in, i aver a moment to ponder how far i have come. am i totally selfless? no the Mother Teresa award is not in my meditate future, nor will a Nobel Peace Prize or anything remotely similar. what is in my future, is that today, i GET to live my life by the spiritual principles i have been given and as a result, if i am diligent, i will less self-obsessed and self-absorbed. better still, IF i make it through today, without using, i have a chance to start tomorrow off in the same manner. it really is that simple, so 'nuff said, time to move along.
the themes of self-obsession has been recurrent over the past few days, as i prepared to leave one place and start a new job, as i tried to cover my a$$ with the side jobs i have on the table and as i tried to satisfy everyone and everything and yet still meet my own needs. there is this theme that goes around the rooms, every now and again, about IF i am totally selfless, i MUST be doing something wrong. it is very rarely articulated directly and yet i hear it all the time. things like “GOD willing i will be clean so many years three days from now;” and “all of what i have gotten in recovery is a gift from GOD.&@8221; the minimization of my effort at recovery, seems to be what i think others want to hear. as i start to warm up to this topic, i see that false humility and not owning what i have done, is a trap as well and plays directly into my shortcoming of looking better than i actually am. yes, i am powerless over my addiction BUT i am not powerless over my recovery. i may not be able to control my feelings, BUT through step work, abstinence and the application of spiritual principles in my life, i can control HOW i react to those feelings. yes the trappings of a normal life, that i greatly enjoy are a gift from recovery, but it was me, who went to college, who chooses to get up and show up, who pays the bills and who participates in everyday living, not some sort of mythic and nebulous entity. yes i can be a selfish, self-centered and self-obsessive asshole, but i can also be loving, kind and yes even selfless as well. today BECAUSE of the program, the POWER that fuels my recovery and THE EFFORT I HAVE PUT IN on a daily basis, the man i have always wanted to be, gets to come out juts that much more.
anyhow, gotta run to Boulder to start my new gig. IT IS A GREAT DAY TO BE CLEAN and to be a better man than yesterday.
the themes of self-obsession has been recurrent over the past few days, as i prepared to leave one place and start a new job, as i tried to cover my a$$ with the side jobs i have on the table and as i tried to satisfy everyone and everything and yet still meet my own needs. there is this theme that goes around the rooms, every now and again, about IF i am totally selfless, i MUST be doing something wrong. it is very rarely articulated directly and yet i hear it all the time. things like “GOD willing i will be clean so many years three days from now;” and “all of what i have gotten in recovery is a gift from GOD.&@8221; the minimization of my effort at recovery, seems to be what i think others want to hear. as i start to warm up to this topic, i see that false humility and not owning what i have done, is a trap as well and plays directly into my shortcoming of looking better than i actually am. yes, i am powerless over my addiction BUT i am not powerless over my recovery. i may not be able to control my feelings, BUT through step work, abstinence and the application of spiritual principles in my life, i can control HOW i react to those feelings. yes the trappings of a normal life, that i greatly enjoy are a gift from recovery, but it was me, who went to college, who chooses to get up and show up, who pays the bills and who participates in everyday living, not some sort of mythic and nebulous entity. yes i can be a selfish, self-centered and self-obsessive asshole, but i can also be loving, kind and yes even selfless as well. today BECAUSE of the program, the POWER that fuels my recovery and THE EFFORT I HAVE PUT IN on a daily basis, the man i have always wanted to be, gets to come out juts that much more.
anyhow, gotta run to Boulder to start my new gig. IT IS A GREAT DAY TO BE CLEAN and to be a better man than yesterday.
∞ DT ∞
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.
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!
∞ center of the universe? ∞ 200 words ➥ Monday, December 20, 2004 by: donnotα selfless self-obsession? α 572 words ➥ Tuesday, December 20, 2005 by: donnot
δ this self-centeredness does not cease just because i stop using drugs δ 447 words ➥ Wednesday, December 20, 2006 by: donnot
∞ freedom from self-obsession can be found through concentrating more on the needs of others and less on my own. ∞ 497 words ➥ Thursday, December 20, 2007 by: donnot
α i came to the program convinced that my feelings, my wants, and my needs were … 600 words ➥ Saturday, December 20, 2008 by: donnot
∅ i have practiced a lifetime of self-seeking, self-centered behavior ∅ 544 words ➥ Sunday, December 20, 2009 by: donnot
½ in living the steps, i can begin to let go of self-obsession ½ 840 words ➥ Monday, December 20, 2010 by: donnot
µ i will share the world with others, µ 560 words ➥ Tuesday, December 20, 2011 by: donnot
≠ perhaps i attend a meeting and am positive ≠ 665 words ➥ Friday, December 20, 2013 by: donnot
¹ in giving, i receive much more in return — 565 words ➥ Saturday, December 20, 2014 by: donnot
☢ overcoming ☣ 440 words ➥ Sunday, December 20, 2015 by: donnot
☻ self-obsession ☺ 336 words ➥ Tuesday, December 20, 2016 by: donnot
🌈 on being 🌨 536 words ➥ Wednesday, December 20, 2017 by: donnot
👉 a lifetime 👆 492 words ➥ Thursday, December 20, 2018 by: donnot
😜 me and everything 😝 560 words ➥ Friday, December 20, 2019 by: donnot
🏖 a lifetime 🏖 476 words ➥ Sunday, December 20, 2020 by: donnot
🍯 nourishing my spirit 🎂 494 words ➥ Monday, December 20, 2021 by: donnot
🌎 sharing the world 🌍 534 words ➥ Tuesday, December 20, 2022 by: donnot
🤷 willingness to serve 🦡 399 words ➥ Wednesday, December 20, 2023 by: donnot
☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge
Book 1
1) The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty,
full; the worn out, new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he
whose (desires) are many goes astray.