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.

December 25

”I wish we could put some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.” Harlan Miller

I think this is true of many things, patience, love, kindness – it would be nice when we have an excess to be able to take some and store it away to be available when we are in short supply. I imagine having a little pantry with a bunch of glass jars, filled with lights of various colors for all these attributes I wish could be stock-piled, waiting for the day when I need a little boost. The truth is that I have something in my life now that has an endless supply. My recovery program is teaching me that I am no longer alone, that I have the accompaniment of a Higher Power, who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent – all powerful, all-knowing, and always present. I am learning that on my own I am not able to walk this path before me, but that in surrendering to the will of my Higher Power I will also be granted all that I need to succeed. Therein in lies my infinite supply of whatever is required to live the life I am meant to have. Prayer and meditation are my ways to ask and receive what I need most. When I seek guidance to know the will of the God of my understanding, I am asking for the tools and capabilities to follow through with His plans. So I can have a little bit of Christmas with me every day of the year, as long as I ask for it.

Affirmation My Higher Power will provide me with everything I need if I but ask, and seek to know the path I am to follow.

May 7

”Still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate.” J.R.R Tolkien

Life is full of surprises. As I am discovering, the more open I am to allowing my Higher Power guide my life, the more likely the unexpected seems to happen. It’s funny how this letting go tends to allow things to work out alright in the end, and often better than what I had imagined. For example, I was planning a trip recently and expecting a bonus to arrive to help pay for the travel costs. I had everything prepared, but my bonus was delayed. When it eventually arrived and I went to make my reservation, the prices had dropped, so I saved money in the process of things taking the time needed. Working on His time and not my own really can pay dividends! Having the patience in situations like this is not always evident. It’s easy for me to want to get my own way, when I want (usually NOW!) Letting things unfold as my Higher Power has foreseen takes a good deal of faith, and even courage. It is still unnatural to not take control and make things happen. Yet the rewards continue to provide proof that this trust is well-placed. The new roads and secret gates placed before me are mine for the taking, by not seeking them out but by allowing myself to discover them as my Higher Power presents the opportunities. I will continue to seek His will, his path for me and follow the signs to all the good things that are part of His plans.

Affirmation In letting God work His plan for me, there are many great rewards if I am patient to let things unfold in their own time and way.

May 4

”Be of good cheer. Do not think of today’s failures, but of successes that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you preserve; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles.” Helen Keller

Patience, patience, and more patience. If I have discovered one thing that I need more of in recovery, this is probably the biggest. Patience is letting things happen in their own time. Patience is pausing to process difficult situations so that I may act, rather than react. Patience is learning to bite my tongue rather than let my addiction speak. Patience is listening to others when I would rather they were listening to me. Patience is prayer and meditation to strengthen my contact with my Higher Power. And most of the time, patience is doing nothing more than being present in the moment. My life is still challenging. There have been many days where my life has felt worse than when I was in my active addiction. Days like those test my resolve, my faith in my Higher Power and my program. Dealing with life on life’s terms is not always easy or straightforward. Tragedy, loss, pain, and hurt are as real as success, reward, happiness and joy. Powerful emotions on either side of the spectrum can disrupt my serenity – especially ones that I am used to pushing aside. Allowing myself to experience them gives me strength not to be overwhelmed, to not turn back to my old ways, and to reinforce my serenity.

Affirmation My patience is a virtue and can help me with all the challenges, positive and negative, that I will face today.