Blog entry for:
Tue, Jan 27, 2015 07:38:17 AM
∼ i busily lodged complaints ∼
posted: Tue, Jan 27, 2015 07:38:17 AM
against everyone and everything, nothing and no one was ever good enough for me.
so my cynicism had its root in active addiction, well actually long before i picked up for the first time, but it certainly was finely honed and polished across the decades of using. today, i have come to accept that yes, i am a cynic, BUT not everything needs to be viewed through that dark lens. as i grow in recovery, i am learning that while i still relish seeing the mighty fall, i do not get as much satisfaction from it, as i once did. ironically, it seems the most social of my peers, are the ones that have the greatest difficulty establishing and maintaining long term relationships. for me, any relationship i CHOOSE to form, has the opportunity to be a long-term one, and i seem to work hard at having a few, very deep relationships, rather than many shallow ones. when i was using, that sort of activity, forming anything but the most superficial relationship, was not an activity i took part in. there is one exception to that rule of thumb, i do have an ex-wife. i have made my amends for my part in that relationship, which bordered on abusive, was definitely co-dependent and without a doubt on of the most toxic relationships i was ever a party to. so when i see the failed relationships of my peers, i often think back to the final days of that one.
honestly, there was nothing i could have done any different, as i was incapable of being wrong in those days. i still had a minimal ability to care, in fact i did cry when she kicked me out, but i made sure i got my pound of flesh when it came time to split our stuff. i did get blamed for the cat that her sister threw away, because i once mentioned how i would have got rid of it, but at least today, i know that sin is not on my conscience.
so for a socially retarded individual, the fact that i can be a friend, a partner, a lover and a spouse is an incredible feat. learning how to do relationships, how to care and how to be more than the sh!t i was, when i walked into the rooms, is what it is all about today. it is true, not everything in the world or my life is exactly to my liking. honestly, i have come to see that will always be the case. today i need not settle for the first thing that comes down the road either. one of the gifts of being among the socially awkward, is that every single interaction i participate in, takes effort and concentration on my part. i may be able to explain the Schrödinger's cat joke, but some days i lack the ability to predict what someone else will do when i say something off-color or derisive. each day, as i walk forward in this path of recovery that seemed to have chosen me, i GET to learn the quantum physics of relationships, which in my mind is harder to explain than Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.
anyhow, speaking of the real world, and the here and now, the time is fast approaching to be headed down to work. i certainly will do my best to be an attractive part of life today, instead of a detractive one.
so my cynicism had its root in active addiction, well actually long before i picked up for the first time, but it certainly was finely honed and polished across the decades of using. today, i have come to accept that yes, i am a cynic, BUT not everything needs to be viewed through that dark lens. as i grow in recovery, i am learning that while i still relish seeing the mighty fall, i do not get as much satisfaction from it, as i once did. ironically, it seems the most social of my peers, are the ones that have the greatest difficulty establishing and maintaining long term relationships. for me, any relationship i CHOOSE to form, has the opportunity to be a long-term one, and i seem to work hard at having a few, very deep relationships, rather than many shallow ones. when i was using, that sort of activity, forming anything but the most superficial relationship, was not an activity i took part in. there is one exception to that rule of thumb, i do have an ex-wife. i have made my amends for my part in that relationship, which bordered on abusive, was definitely co-dependent and without a doubt on of the most toxic relationships i was ever a party to. so when i see the failed relationships of my peers, i often think back to the final days of that one.
honestly, there was nothing i could have done any different, as i was incapable of being wrong in those days. i still had a minimal ability to care, in fact i did cry when she kicked me out, but i made sure i got my pound of flesh when it came time to split our stuff. i did get blamed for the cat that her sister threw away, because i once mentioned how i would have got rid of it, but at least today, i know that sin is not on my conscience.
so for a socially retarded individual, the fact that i can be a friend, a partner, a lover and a spouse is an incredible feat. learning how to do relationships, how to care and how to be more than the sh!t i was, when i walked into the rooms, is what it is all about today. it is true, not everything in the world or my life is exactly to my liking. honestly, i have come to see that will always be the case. today i need not settle for the first thing that comes down the road either. one of the gifts of being among the socially awkward, is that every single interaction i participate in, takes effort and concentration on my part. i may be able to explain the Schrödinger's cat joke, but some days i lack the ability to predict what someone else will do when i say something off-color or derisive. each day, as i walk forward in this path of recovery that seemed to have chosen me, i GET to learn the quantum physics of relationships, which in my mind is harder to explain than Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.
anyhow, speaking of the real world, and the here and now, the time is fast approaching to be headed down to work. i certainly will do my best to be an attractive part of life today, instead of a detractive one.
∞ 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!
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α my isolation from the rest of society had caused me to ignore basic human responsibilities ω 433 words ➥ Saturday, January 27, 2007 by: donnot
δ whatever my problems, no matter how extreme, i have a chance … 401 words ➥ Sunday, January 27, 2008 by: donnot
α i did not know how to tell the truth or was so frank i wounded everyone i talked to. α 343 words ➥ Tuesday, January 27, 2009 by: donnot
¿ perhaps i needed to learn kindness and how to care about others ¿ 432 words ➥ Wednesday, January 27, 2010 by: donnot
◊ i am learning new ways to live, ◊ 653 words ➥ Thursday, January 27, 2011 by: donnot
∴ i know more about how to live than i did yesterday ∴ 698 words ➥ Friday, January 27, 2012 by: donnot
≠ i WAS taught right from wrong and other basics of life as a child ≠ 700 words ➥ Sunday, January 27, 2013 by: donnot
℘ by the time i found recovery, ℘ 698 words ➥ Monday, January 27, 2014 by: donnot
℧ learning how Ω 757 words ➥ Wednesday, January 27, 2016 by: donnot
❗ ignore basic ‼ 765 words ➥ Friday, January 27, 2017 by: donnot
🥀 no longer 🧟 684 words ➥ Saturday, January 27, 2018 by: donnot
🤯 bizarre survival skills 🤯 599 words ➥ Sunday, January 27, 2019 by: donnot
😠 accepting my personal 😵 501 words ➥ Monday, January 27, 2020 by: donnot
🚧 limited 🛸 509 words ➥ Wednesday, January 27, 2021 by: donnot
🌠 becoming less 🌠 481 words ➥ Thursday, January 27, 2022 by: donnot
😡 busily lodging 😶 586 words ➥ Friday, January 27, 2023 by: donnot
😉 catching up 😉 586 words ➥ Saturday, January 27, 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.