April 2

"I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.” Lao Tzu

Keep it simple. Good advice for anyone, especially me as a recovering addict. That means going back to the basics, making sure that I eat well, get a good night's sleep, exercise, and have good hygiene. It also means that I need to work my program, pray, meditate, stay in touch with my support network, journal, and practice gratitude and my affirmations.    Be patient. Easier said than done. The Serenity Prayer is a big part of this for me - focusing on what I can change and accepting that things will happen according to my Higher Power's time and schedule requires relinquishing the reins. I need to be conscious that I need to slow down, breathe, and focus on the present moment.     Have compassion for myself and others. This is about being gentle and kind, reminding myself that everyone is going through something. We are all human, we all have struggles, but each of us also has the same right to be treated with respect and dignity. I need to seek to understand others as much as I wish to be understood.

Affirmation

I will seek to be patient and compassionate today, and focus on the simple things in life.

February 3

”Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless.” Eric Hoffer

I recall life in my active addiction, and that all too frequent feeling of being a passenger within my own body as if some other entity was in control. I can remember multiple occasions where I awoke from a trance-like state in the middle of acting out, without any clear recollection of how I got to where I was. I didn’t fully comprehend the grasp that those compulsive behaviours had on me, nor did I truly know how to stop them. It was not until I found the rooms of my S-group that I truly began to comprehend my situation. Certainly one of the first things I noticed was the compassion and understanding present within all those occupying the seats around the table. I was finally surrounded by others who could relate, and for the first time in a long time, I did not feel alone. It would still take a good deal of time within the confines of those rooms to free myself from the confines of my mind. Yet the support I received during meetings, in step groups, and back in the “real world” helped me along my path to resisting those toxic impulses. Even more amazing, I witnessed several times where the sharing of my own pain, and my resurfacing compassion, were of use to someone else struggling with this painful addiction. Life is truly amazing, thanks to my Higher Power.

Affirmation

There is a tremendous power in the compassion of the human spirit; I will be open to others in the program to help support me on my journey today.