Blog entry for:
Wed, May 17, 2023 07:01:13 AM
😍 practicing 😎
posted: Wed, May 17, 2023 07:01:13 AM
the principle of love for the sake of unity. the topic i pulled out of the mess i was presented with this morning, was that i need to allow my love of the fellowship and my peers to overrule my tendencies to be cynical, judgemental and self-righteous. most of the time i can use the title of my source material as the seed for this exercise, today, however,is not one of those days. the title was clunky and actually did very little to summarize what the material was all about. after a bit of frustration about what i expected to read and what i actually read, i found a “sweet spot” in which i could dwell.
for this addict, looking past what i see as trespasses against myself and those i love, is not always the easiest task to accomplish, no matter how “spiritual” i feel in any particular moment. i am pretty sure that is a human trait that most, if not all members of this species save, save for the few true saints that walk amongst us. i am also well aware that the part of me that is addiction, takes the worst traits, human or not, and magnifies them into something more destructive, cruel and heinous. i am grateful i have a program of active recovery to ameliorate and combat the effect addiction has on my life. even though i am clean and have been for a minute, does not mean i am “recovered.” more power to those who walk through recovery and get to “graduate,” i can unconditionally say i am not one of those and have accepted that i will need to live a program of recovery for at least another day. part of walking through this day, in recovery, is to acknowledge the places where i have a bit of power in my life and change what i can. i may not be able to free the minds of those that are caught up in the cult of racist, misogynistic FEAR from their “masters” but i can apply the principle of love to all i encounter today, by being kind, even if i feel like punching some a$$wipe in the face. i am not better than they are, even though i am able to look at the world and think for myself, in these uncertain times. just for today? well, just for today, i will remember that i can practice love in all situations and do my best to do just that.
for this addict, looking past what i see as trespasses against myself and those i love, is not always the easiest task to accomplish, no matter how “spiritual” i feel in any particular moment. i am pretty sure that is a human trait that most, if not all members of this species save, save for the few true saints that walk amongst us. i am also well aware that the part of me that is addiction, takes the worst traits, human or not, and magnifies them into something more destructive, cruel and heinous. i am grateful i have a program of active recovery to ameliorate and combat the effect addiction has on my life. even though i am clean and have been for a minute, does not mean i am “recovered.” more power to those who walk through recovery and get to “graduate,” i can unconditionally say i am not one of those and have accepted that i will need to live a program of recovery for at least another day. part of walking through this day, in recovery, is to acknowledge the places where i have a bit of power in my life and change what i can. i may not be able to free the minds of those that are caught up in the cult of racist, misogynistic FEAR from their “masters” but i can apply the principle of love to all i encounter today, by being kind, even if i feel like punching some a$$wipe in the face. i am not better than they are, even though i am able to look at the world and think for myself, in these uncertain times. just for today? well, just for today, i will remember that i can practice love in all situations and do my best to do just that.
∞ 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!
∞ defective character ∞ 328 words ➥ Tuesday, May 17, 2005 by: donnotα one step closer to being restored to our proper place among others α 435 words ➥ Wednesday, May 17, 2006 by: donnot
↔ one by one, i examine my character defects, ↔ 386 words ➥ Thursday, May 17, 2007 by: donnot
α with arrogance gone, i would be one step closer to being restored to my proper place among others. ω 205 words ➥ Saturday, May 17, 2008 by: donnot
μ after taking the Fifth Step, i spend some time considering μ 375 words ➥ Sunday, May 17, 2009 by: donnot
∫ arrogance may have kept me apart from those with whom i shared my life ∫ 637 words ➥ Monday, May 17, 2010 by: donnot
∀ i AM entirely ready to have the POWER that fuels my recovery ∀ 732 words ➥ Tuesday, May 17, 2011 by: donnot
‰ i will thoroughly consider all my defects of character to UNCOVER ‰ 663 words ➥ Thursday, May 17, 2012 by: donnot
† i often spend time considering **the exact nature of my wrongs** † 594 words ➥ Friday, May 17, 2013 by: donnot
≈ i CAN become capable of appreciating my peers in recovery, ≈ 736 words ➥ Saturday, May 17, 2014 by: donnot
♥ being restored ♥ 694 words ➥ Sunday, May 17, 2015 by: donnot
↳ defects ↰ 716 words ➥ Tuesday, May 17, 2016 by: donnot
☕ appreciating the ☯ 645 words ➥ Wednesday, May 17, 2017 by: donnot
🚪 that is why 🚮 728 words ➥ Thursday, May 17, 2018 by: donnot
😕 whether or not 😖 598 words ➥ Friday, May 17, 2019 by: donnot
🌁 what advantage 🌃 514 words ➥ Sunday, May 17, 2020 by: donnot
🤔 what would 🤨 314 words ➥ Monday, May 17, 2021 by: donnot
😶 the exact nature 🤫 511 words ➥ Tuesday, May 17, 2022 by: donnot
😜 at times, 😜 482 words ➥ Friday, May 17, 2024 by: donnot
☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge
Book 2
5) Who uses well his light,
Reverting to its (source so) bright,
Will from his body ward all blight,
And hides the unchanging from men's sight.