Tag Archives: Daily inspiration

Daily Reading from Recovery Days August 8th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe slowly

Knowing reality

When we question things – advice, instructions or
just the behaviour of another person, we are
reacting in a human way. Other animals do not
normally question situations, although young
animals show curiosity in their early years. Human
ability to doubt and question may have helped our
survival as a species (why is the long grass moving?
Because there’s a lion hiding there). Strangely,
humans are also unique in having dreams and
fantasies that can influence their attitudes and
actions. So, on the one hand we can fantasise
ourselves into unreality and on the other, we check
ourselves by questioning. It is important to
recognise these two influences on our behaviour.
Am I aware of my capacity to distort reality?

Balance is everything. By daily meditation, I can
learn the habit of self-awareness. If I have internal
conflict, it is usually because I want something, or I
resist something that my conscience is telling me to
do. If I learn to see things honestly, I can take action
to restore balance. Today I thank God that I can
dream and also question my dreams.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days August 7th by Chris B

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Awareness

Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful in
your life. Mark Twain.
We are what we think – every day, the thoughts that
arise in our minds become our awareness. Thus, it
makes sense to spend some time at the start of each
day in composing ourselves into a peaceful frame of
mind, where we recognise the gratitude for our lives
and review our expectations for the day ahead. Will
I make time each day to compose my thoughts and
review my attitudes and expectations?

Self-awareness leads to self-knowledge. I watch
how I react to other people. If I become angry, I ask
myself: why? If I am anxious, I explore the reasons.
Gradually, I start to identify feelings that have been
distorted by my thinking.
A farmer once put the egg of an eagle into a chicken coop
and the bird grew up thinking that it was a chicken.
One day, another eagle flew high overhead and the
eagle-chicken thought to itself:
I wish I could do that, but I’m just an ordinary chicken.
It never learnt to fly. Anon.
We are not chickens. Today I will use the powers of
understanding that have been given to me, so that I
will recognise reality in my life.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days August 6th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment


Personal responsibility

We are powerless over our addiction, but we are not
powerless over ourselves. When we fail to take
responsibility for our lives, we give up the power to
change. Most people who try to quit their addiction
don’t really want to change at first. They want the
pain to go away, and they want people to leave them
alone, but they don’t really want to quit – controlling
their addiction would be a much better option, they
think. It is a form of dishonesty that will doom
them to failure. People who are responsible deal
with a problem when they see it , in order to meet
their basic needs – for health, happiness and
freedom. Irresponsible people want to have their
cake and eat it. They look for ways of ‘getting away
with it’ and avoiding consequences. Have I learned
that personal responsibility means facing a problem
and dealing with it?

I did not choose the disease of addiction, but it is
my personal responsibility to put things right – for
my family and others that I have hurt, and for
myself. I must not hide behind the disease concept.
I must take responsibility for my life and recovery.

Daily Reading from recovery days August 5th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – feel your body from top to toes


Service


Once you have done a man a service, what
more reward would you have? Is it not
enough to have obeyed the laws of your
own nature, without expecting to be paid
for it? Marcus Aurelius.
We should not expect payment or thanks for doing
service. It is part of our spiritual growth and our
commitment to working the Twelve Steps. Giving of
ourselves in this way adds to our sense of purpose
and self-esteem. We feel that we are part of a
community of like-minded people, that we belong.
Am I offering myself for service in the fellowships?

Prayer is often described as: The lifting up of the
heart and mind to God. Perhaps it is also the
offering of myself in service. When I do that service,
I also do God’s will. It is prayer-in-action. There are
many ways of connecting with a Power greater than
ourselves and this kind of action is satisfying as it
differs from so many of my prayers that seem to be
of the ‘please’ and ‘thankyou’ kind. I ask God today
for unselfishness so that I may help others as I have
been helped, without expecting praise or reward.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days August 4th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually

Love

Much has been written about love over the
centuries, yet it remains partly a mystery. Is it a
feeling or an activity, dependence or nurture, selfless
or selfish? It has been described as mutual therapy
and also as a mutual torture. Most of us long for it
and much of mental illness is said to consist of the
absence of love. It is also said that therapy works
best where the therapist gives unconditional love.
The Twelve Steps are a form of therapy, so it is just
as well that love plays a big part there.
An even greater force for AA’s unity is our
compelling love for our fellow members and
for our principles. Bill W.
Do I feel the love that exists in the fellowships?


There is contemplative love and love in action.
When I work the Twelve Steps, I experience both –
the service I do, the amends I make to those I have
hurt and the message I carry to struggling people
are all examples of love in action, whereas my
relationship with my Higher Power is usually love
in contemplation. Both have their important place in
my recovery. Today I give thanks for the love that I
find in the fellowships.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days August 2nd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Reaching out

Mr Toad, in Kenneth Grahame’s book The Wind in
the Willows is a children’s favourite and a
therapist’s dream. An emotional ragbag of childish
rebel and arrogant fantasist, he epitomises the ‘King
Baby’ type so often found in addiction counselling.
Mr Toad’s enormous ego leads him into all kinds of
trouble including prison, for what sounds like
automobile theft and drink-driving. His salvation
comes through his innate honesty and the
unwavering love and support of his friends. One
could draw a parallel with many real addiction
stories. Addiction isolates people. Along our path
to recovery, there is nearly always somebody who at
some crucial moment was there to extend the hand
of unconditional love and friendship. Am I grateful
for the acts of kindness that I have received?

A brand new, bright red motor car might seem the
most desirable gift. But a smile of thanks when we
perform an unsolicited act of kindness does more
good at far less cost. It takes little to bring
happiness– I just need to reach out and ‘astonish a
mean world with my random acts of kindness’ as
American writer Maya Angelou might have said. I
ask God today for the motivation to reach out to
others.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days August 1st by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – sit comfortably


Balancing needs


If you have been addicted and thus, someone who
puts themselves first all the time, you will likely
have caused a lot of damage to others. Steps Eight
and Nine are about making amends. You identify
those you have harmed. Then, in Step Nine you first
divide that list into people that you can approach
and those that it would be better not to contact
because it would reopen old wounds. At this
important moment you should consult your sponsor
or a person you trust, for guidance. In your newfound
zeal you may have difficulty balancing the
cost to others against the desire to relieve your
conscience. In some cases, more time may be
needed. Do I accept that I must balance my needs
with those of others?


The Twelve Steps are a blueprint for a happy life.
These two Steps help us deal with the past, and
teach us the importance of treating other human
beings with the love, respect and consideration they
deserve. Everyone has their own story with their
own strengths and frailties which we need to
recognise. Today I ask God for the wisdom to
balance my own needs with the needs of others.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 31st by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – feel your body from top to toes


Higher Power

Making sense of a Power greater than ourselves
causes some people difficulty. That is
understandable. It is sometimes explained like this:

  • Addiction is powerful, more powerful than us
  • We were unable to beat it until we asked for help
  • With help, we succeeded – that took some power
    to achieve
  • The power was in other people – fellowships and
    elsewhere
  • Perhaps that power came to them from elsewherea
  • What sort of power? It doesn’t matter. It’s there.
    Can I accept the existence of a Power greater than
    myself even if I can’t put a label on it?
  • There are many atheists and agnostics in the Twelve
    Step fellowships. But, we share more similarities
    than differences. Our primary purpose is not to
    promote any religious belief but to stay sober and
    help others achieve sobriety. In our differences lies
    our strength, because we can appeal to all people
    and exclude none. Not all organisations can say the
    same. I give thanks for the recovery fellowships to
    which I belong.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 30th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly


Making choices

It’s a fine thing to say: Build your life around your
recovery, but what does that really mean? Firstly, as
with any building, the foundations must be strong: I
commit to complete sobriety, personal growth,
keeping sober company, attending meetings and
doing service – all on a regular basis. Secondly, I
commit to spiritual growth through working the
Twelve Steps and maintaining a dialogue with a
power greater than myself. Thirdly, I commit to
carrying the message to others. With these three
commitments firmly established, I can attend to
other matters: family, work and other interests.
Whenever I have a choice to make about the future
for myself or my loved ones, will I first apply the
litmus test: will this be right for my recovery?

I must keep a positive attitude to my recovery and
not allow compromises or be complacent. Regular
maintenance is essential. But I must also keep an
open mind and not shut myself off from new ideas.
The internet is an example of a new approach to
unity that many fellowships have successfully
embraced. Today I give thanks to God for my
recovery and ask to remain open-minded to new
ideas.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 29th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – breathe slowly


Mindfulness

It is difficult to describe how mindfulness works.
Being aware of our surroundings and of our place
in the world and thus our place in the universe is
part of it. Opening ourselves to something we
cannot see or quantify, seems to bring us a feeling
of peace. Perhaps it is because our past lives have
been such a chaotic mess that we welcome these
precious moments. American poet William Stafford,
was a conscientious objector during World War Two:
Been on probation most of my life. And
The rest of my life been condemned.
So, these moments
Count for a lot – peace, you know.
William Stafford.
Am I exploring the benefits of mindfulness?


Prayer should be a dialogue, not a list of requests. It
is quite a turning point when our communication
turns from: Please give me this to: Thy will be done.
It is spiritual progress, not a sign that we have
reached our destination. We will not arrive there until
we breathe our last. Today, I give thanks for the new
relationship that I enjoy with my Higher Power.