Blog entry for:
Fri, Sep 6, 2013 08:14:10 AM
ℜ one of the basic elements of this new pattern of living, ℜ
posted: Fri, Sep 6, 2013 08:14:10 AM
is regular meeting attendance. okay time to get real here, i have a few days clean, and quite honestly i do not have the time nor the desire to attend a meeting every single day. the truth is, as i my life improves, thanks to an active program of recovery, my life has become fuller, and that steals time from doing the basics. yes the catch-22 here is, that as i go to meetings regularly and learn how to practice a program of active recovery, i seem to have less time to go to meetings. when my meeting attendance falls off the edge, i get spiritually unfit and all of a sudden i am back where i started, with plenty of time, resentments and desire to get a program of active recovery in place.
for me, the way out of this conundrum, is to hit what is the optimal number of meetings in any given period. that number changes as my life changes, but seems to stay right around 3 a week. this week, however…
yes, there it is, the BIG BUT! yes it is easy for me to rationalize(read lie to myself) why some weeks i can slide by on what is the optimum minimal amount of meetings for me. well…
yes, there is is, caught in that catch-22 of making an excuse or three about how busy i am and remembering why i do what it is that i do to maintain my recovery.
so anyhow, not a whole lot going on, recovery-wise for me today, however life-wise, well that is an entirely different story, perhaps with this extra day off, i can feel better about heading south for a week and getting way off the grid or not. what i do know is, that today, i am grateful to have this life, that today i have the opportunity to reflect on the meeting i participated in last night and know that i may not have changed any minds, but i certainly planted a seed of something, that like me, this is the path to a new manner of living beyond my wildest dreams. it is a great day to be walking this path and i am happy to do so willingly, at least just for today.
for me, the way out of this conundrum, is to hit what is the optimal number of meetings in any given period. that number changes as my life changes, but seems to stay right around 3 a week. this week, however…
yes, there it is, the BIG BUT! yes it is easy for me to rationalize(read lie to myself) why some weeks i can slide by on what is the optimum minimal amount of meetings for me. well…
yes, there is is, caught in that catch-22 of making an excuse or three about how busy i am and remembering why i do what it is that i do to maintain my recovery.
so anyhow, not a whole lot going on, recovery-wise for me today, however life-wise, well that is an entirely different story, perhaps with this extra day off, i can feel better about heading south for a week and getting way off the grid or not. what i do know is, that today, i am grateful to have this life, that today i have the opportunity to reflect on the meeting i participated in last night and know that i may not have changed any minds, but i certainly planted a seed of something, that like me, this is the path to a new manner of living beyond my wildest dreams. it is a great day to be walking this path and i am happy to do so willingly, at least just for today.
∞ 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!
regular??? 336 words ➥ Monday, September 6, 2004 by: donnot↔ regardless of how long i have been clean, i never stop being an addict ↔ 267 words ➥ Wednesday, September 6, 2006 by: donnot
α but the more regularly i attend i meetings, the more i reinforce my identity ω 421 words ➥ Thursday, September 6, 2007 by: donnot
± it may be true, i probably will not immediately start using mass quantities of drugs ± 397 words ➥ Sunday, September 6, 2009 by: donnot
ℜ those who keep coming to meetings of this 12 STEP program, regularly stay clean ℜ 826 words ➥ Monday, September 6, 2010 by: donnot
⌈ each meeting i attend, helps put me ⌋ 408 words ➥ Tuesday, September 6, 2011 by: donnot
“ we have learned from our group experience that those who keep coming to our meetings regularly stay clean. ” 621 words ➥ Thursday, September 6, 2012 by: donnot
¢ i will CONTINUE to include ¢ 414 words ➥ Saturday, September 6, 2014 by: donnot
♦ regular meeting attendance ♦ 475 words ➥ Sunday, September 6, 2015 by: donnot
🌇 the basic elements 🌆 570 words ➥ Tuesday, September 6, 2016 by: donnot
🎈 meetings help 🎈 336 words ➥ Wednesday, September 6, 2017 by: donnot
📡 my new pattern 💨 689 words ➥ Thursday, September 6, 2018 by: donnot
🚽 i have yet 🚽 560 words ➥ Friday, September 6, 2019 by: donnot
😎 reinforcing 😎 330 words ➥ Sunday, September 6, 2020 by: donnot
🌬 living clean 🌫 475 words ➥ Monday, September 6, 2021 by: donnot
😒 i will never 😒 409 words ➥ Tuesday, September 6, 2022 by: donnot
🤐 anonymity 🤫 658 words ➥ Wednesday, September 6, 2023 by: donnot
🚪 it is what i do 🚪 437 words ➥ Friday, September 6, 2024 by: donnot
☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge
Book 2
1) May not the Way (or Tao) of Heaven be compared to the (method of)
bending a bow? The (part of the bow) which was high is brought low,
and what was low is raised up. (So Heaven) diminishes where there
is superabundance, and supplements where there is deficiency.