Blog entry for:
Thu, May 16, 2013 07:40:12 AM
♦ as i continue to work the steps, my relationship with the POWER ♦
posted: Thu, May 16, 2013 07:40:12 AM
that fuels my recovery grows, becoming ever more important in my life.
this could be one of those higher-powered entries, where the shock and awe of how that POWER is expressed in my life is interspersed with a heavy dose of gratitude. or perhaps it could be a history lesson in my tortured path to getting to where i could see that the will of the POWER that fuels my recovery is in fact my own true will for myself. or maybe a parroting of the fellowship party line about how important the act of developing this relationship really is. what i think i will do is a combination of all of that and yet maybe not take any of those topics on directly as what i am typing is just beginning to form up in my heart and my head.
i was just commenting last night that the ELEVENTH STEP has become my favorite STEP, just a tad more than the TENTH STEP. i did not always feel that way for all sorts of different reasons, the biggest is that developing any relationship takes work, and basically i have found, that i am spiritually lazy and avoid anything that even sounds like work. i am so comfortably smug, that i can even rationalize away the need for such an effort, even after the piles of evidence that i have accumulated, shows that for me anyways, the spiritual path is not theoretical and produces concrete, measurable results in my life.
as i think about my plans for the day, i foresee a very angry and disappointed sponsee, that may of may not meet with me this afternoon. things are not going his way in any sense of the word. i was part of that process as well, as i detached myself from taking responsibility for his stuff. i know in my heart that was the next right thing to do, and i am seriously considering letting him stew in his own juices until next week, however, that does not, at this moment, feel like the next right thing to do. as the day progresses i will allow myself the freedom to alter my plans to fit my intuitive sense of what to do next. yes, developing a relationship with the POWERS that fuels my recovery has moved me out of the “first thought, WRONG” club, most of the time. i can start to listen and yes even trust my intuition and sense of what is right and what is wrong, as a result of the step process. when someone says i must be a better man than they are, the truth is, I AM! i am not better because of anything i have done, except apply the program to my real life, to the best of my ability. in fact i am a better man, despite myself. it is the POWER that fuels my recovery, through the mouths and eyes of my peers in recovery, that has created the person who i am today. certainly an new and improved model. that metamorphosis is available to anyone who choose to follow this path and develop a relationship with a POWER that can fuel their recovery, as well. when i say that to my recalcitrant and petulant sponsee, i am sure he will continue to be pissed off about the hand he has dealt himself. that is what it may be, or i could be totally wrong. what i know is this: that it could be me, sitting in jail, being pissed off, lonely and resentful because my life has been squashed by the consequences of my actions and nobody seems to care about how much it affects me!
anyhow, speaking of the next right thing to do, it is time to shower off, and hit the dusty trail to Boulder, and oh yeah pay attention to what i hear as the next right thing for me to do.
this could be one of those higher-powered entries, where the shock and awe of how that POWER is expressed in my life is interspersed with a heavy dose of gratitude. or perhaps it could be a history lesson in my tortured path to getting to where i could see that the will of the POWER that fuels my recovery is in fact my own true will for myself. or maybe a parroting of the fellowship party line about how important the act of developing this relationship really is. what i think i will do is a combination of all of that and yet maybe not take any of those topics on directly as what i am typing is just beginning to form up in my heart and my head.
i was just commenting last night that the ELEVENTH STEP has become my favorite STEP, just a tad more than the TENTH STEP. i did not always feel that way for all sorts of different reasons, the biggest is that developing any relationship takes work, and basically i have found, that i am spiritually lazy and avoid anything that even sounds like work. i am so comfortably smug, that i can even rationalize away the need for such an effort, even after the piles of evidence that i have accumulated, shows that for me anyways, the spiritual path is not theoretical and produces concrete, measurable results in my life.
as i think about my plans for the day, i foresee a very angry and disappointed sponsee, that may of may not meet with me this afternoon. things are not going his way in any sense of the word. i was part of that process as well, as i detached myself from taking responsibility for his stuff. i know in my heart that was the next right thing to do, and i am seriously considering letting him stew in his own juices until next week, however, that does not, at this moment, feel like the next right thing to do. as the day progresses i will allow myself the freedom to alter my plans to fit my intuitive sense of what to do next. yes, developing a relationship with the POWERS that fuels my recovery has moved me out of the “first thought, WRONG” club, most of the time. i can start to listen and yes even trust my intuition and sense of what is right and what is wrong, as a result of the step process. when someone says i must be a better man than they are, the truth is, I AM! i am not better because of anything i have done, except apply the program to my real life, to the best of my ability. in fact i am a better man, despite myself. it is the POWER that fuels my recovery, through the mouths and eyes of my peers in recovery, that has created the person who i am today. certainly an new and improved model. that metamorphosis is available to anyone who choose to follow this path and develop a relationship with a POWER that can fuel their recovery, as well. when i say that to my recalcitrant and petulant sponsee, i am sure he will continue to be pissed off about the hand he has dealt himself. that is what it may be, or i could be totally wrong. what i know is this: that it could be me, sitting in jail, being pissed off, lonely and resentful because my life has been squashed by the consequences of my actions and nobody seems to care about how much it affects me!
anyhow, speaking of the next right thing to do, it is time to shower off, and hit the dusty trail to Boulder, and oh yeah pay attention to what i hear as the next right thing for me to do.
∞ 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!
∞ praying and listening ∞ 190 words ➥ Monday, May 16, 2005 by: donnot∞ a developing relationship with a loving Higher Power ∞ 366 words ➥ Tuesday, May 16, 2006 by: donnot
∞ each succeeding step strengthens my relationship with a loving Higher Power ∞ 500 words ➥ Wednesday, May 16, 2007 by: donnot
∞ when i open my heart wide enough to sense the guidance of my HIGHER POWER … 330 words ➥ Friday, May 16, 2008 by: donnot
∞ in the course of working the steps, i make a personal decision ∞ 423 words ➥ Saturday, May 16, 2009 by: donnot
α when i seek and follow the will of a HIGHER POWER in my life Ω 599 words ➥ Sunday, May 16, 2010 by: donnot
∞ the will of THE POWER that fuels my recovery for me ∞ 381 words ➥ Monday, May 16, 2011 by: donnot
ℑ i know from experience that knowledge of the will of a HIGHER POWER ℑ 528 words ➥ Wednesday, May 16, 2012 by: donnot
∧ my greatest happiness lies in following ∧ 302 words ➥ Friday, May 16, 2014 by: donnot
∼ daily, and SOMETIMES minute by minute, ∼ 666 words ➥ Saturday, May 16, 2015 by: donnot
≪ a sense of ≫ 787 words ➥ Monday, May 16, 2016 by: donnot
🂡 my own true will, 🂡 751 words ➥ Tuesday, May 16, 2017 by: donnot
🤵 the inner wisdom 🥀 806 words ➥ Wednesday, May 16, 2018 by: donnot
💪 contentment and joy 💫 560 words ➥ Thursday, May 16, 2019 by: donnot
🌠 making a 🌠 470 words ➥ Saturday, May 16, 2020 by: donnot
🌌 a HIGHER POWER*s will 🌌 582 words ➥ Sunday, May 16, 2021 by: donnot
💬 clarity, 💭 354 words ➥ Monday, May 16, 2022 by: donnot
👐 the freedom 👐 536 words ➥ Tuesday, May 16, 2023 by: donnot
🤷 a personal decision 🤷 297 words ➥ Thursday, May 16, 2024 by: donnot
☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge
Book 1
3) We meet it and do not see its Front; we follow it, and do not see
its Back. When we can lay hold of the Tao of old to direct the things
of the present day, and are able to know it as it was of old in the
beginning, this is called (unwinding) the clue of Tao.