Blog entry for:
Wed, Dec 19, 2018 07:41:54 AM
🌬 words mean nothing 🌫
posted: Wed, Dec 19, 2018 07:41:54 AM
unless i act to make them a reality.
more than once in my recovery journey i have been quite certain that i was the **bomb** when it came to using the language of recovery. even when i was using, i could certainly talk as if i was doing this recovery gig. i have never had much of an issue sounding like those around me, and in the rooms, i made that same adaptation. treatment was a language lesson for me and even when i was behind those walls, i had no intention of staying clean, it was all about compliance and “looking as if” i was clean. i do not have any regret for what i did, as it paved the path towards becoming the person i am today. those days led to all sorts of cognitive dissonance, but never once did i doubt that using words to paint a picture that did not reflect my reality was wrong or something i need to apologize for, it was who i was.
these days there are more than a few of my peers, who exhibit behaviors that make me wince and cringe. as judgemental as that is, it is my reaction to hearing them share and watching them act, they are the example of what i do not wish to demonstrate and who i do not want to be. i know i am not the most spiritual, caring, or loving person in the rooms, but i own that and check my behavior on a daily basis. the one gift i GET from a daily inventory is the ability to go back and make corrections after the fact. where once i would try and justify my faux pas and sweep them under the carpet, today i have the tools to address them quickly and move along. i know that i can be a spiritual bully and today, just for today, i will walk with that knowledge into the cold harsh light of reality and see if i can choose not to behave in that manner, allowing those in my life to come to their own understanding about what is and what is not “walking their talk.”
more than once in my recovery journey i have been quite certain that i was the **bomb** when it came to using the language of recovery. even when i was using, i could certainly talk as if i was doing this recovery gig. i have never had much of an issue sounding like those around me, and in the rooms, i made that same adaptation. treatment was a language lesson for me and even when i was behind those walls, i had no intention of staying clean, it was all about compliance and “looking as if” i was clean. i do not have any regret for what i did, as it paved the path towards becoming the person i am today. those days led to all sorts of cognitive dissonance, but never once did i doubt that using words to paint a picture that did not reflect my reality was wrong or something i need to apologize for, it was who i was.
these days there are more than a few of my peers, who exhibit behaviors that make me wince and cringe. as judgemental as that is, it is my reaction to hearing them share and watching them act, they are the example of what i do not wish to demonstrate and who i do not want to be. i know i am not the most spiritual, caring, or loving person in the rooms, but i own that and check my behavior on a daily basis. the one gift i GET from a daily inventory is the ability to go back and make corrections after the fact. where once i would try and justify my faux pas and sweep them under the carpet, today i have the tools to address them quickly and move along. i know that i can be a spiritual bully and today, just for today, i will walk with that knowledge into the cold harsh light of reality and see if i can choose not to behave in that manner, allowing those in my life to come to their own understanding about what is and what is not “walking their talk.”
∞ 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!
∞ walking the talk ∞ 257 words ➥ Sunday, December 19, 2004 by: donnot∞ walking the talk, or just blowing smoke? ∞ 425 words ➥ Monday, December 19, 2005 by: donnot
∞ to receive the rewards of the Twelfth Step, ∞ 377 words ➥ Tuesday, December 19, 2006 by: donnot
δ if i talk about recovery at meetings but continue to live as i did δ 459 words ➥ Wednesday, December 19, 2007 by: donnot
δ what i pass on to newer members comes more from how i live than what i say. Δ 616 words ➥ Friday, December 19, 2008 by: donnot
ε the Twelfth Step reminds me **to practice these principles in all my affairs.** ε 698 words ➥ Saturday, December 19, 2009 by: donnot
¼ words mean nothing until i put them into action ¼ 1361 words ➥ Sunday, December 19, 2010 by: donnot
½ i will practice the principles of recovery, ½ 516 words ➥ Monday, December 19, 2011 by: donnot
∅ IF i continue to live as i did in active addiction ∅ 493 words ➥ Wednesday, December 19, 2012 by: donnot
≈ if i **walk what i talk** and share my genuine ≈ 733 words ➥ Thursday, December 19, 2013 by: donnot
¶ the more experienced members, who seem to have ¶ 641 words ➥ Friday, December 19, 2014 by: donnot
∗ walking the ∗ 563 words ➥ Saturday, December 19, 2015 by: donnot
😇 even when 😈 553 words ➥ Monday, December 19, 2016 by: donnot
🤮 nothing more 🦗 520 words ➥ Tuesday, December 19, 2017 by: donnot
🌑 the only one 🌚 325 words ➥ Thursday, December 19, 2019 by: donnot
🎪 quoting bumper stickers 🎪 406 words ➥ Saturday, December 19, 2020 by: donnot
😬 into action, 😵 409 words ➥ Sunday, December 19, 2021 by: donnot
🗫 demonstrating 🚶 522 words ➥ Monday, December 19, 2022 by: donnot
🌊 living with 🌋 534 words ➥ Tuesday, December 19, 2023 by: donnot
☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge
Book 2
1) When the Tao prevails in the world, they send back their swift
horses to (draw) the dung-carts. When the Tao is disregarded in the
world, the war-horses breed in the border lands.