Tag Archives: daily reflections

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 5th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Help to change

Honesty, openness and willingness to change are three essentials of successful recovery. Openness is important because it allows us to accept new ideas. These can take many forms but one of the most surprising for some people is the idea of a Higher Power. Yet, anyone looking back at our past and the change that has happened since, might conclude that they see something pretty miraculous. How do people who have been written off as hopelessly addicted manage to turn their lives around? Since we were unable to help ourselves at that time, some other powerful force must have appeared.

A miracle is an extraordinary event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws. Life itself is one – nobody has been able to explain scientifically how it first happened. I am not being asked to believe in a specific source of power in the universe. I am simply asked to open my mind to the idea that there is a power of some kind that is greater than me and which helps me if asked. I can feel that power in the experience, strength and support of other people. May it always be there for us all, so that what I see darkly, I will see face to face one day.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days July 4th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually

Enjoy the simple things in life

Happiness and good self-esteem are legitimate goals in life and recovery gives us a second chance. In that sense, we are truly fortunate. Life may be difficult, but recovery should most certainly be enjoyable, otherwise – what is the point? Our goal should be to become ‘Better than Well’. If we keep things simple and just try to do the right thing, we will reach our goal in the end. Poet William Blake wrote about the simple things of creation and the need to know right from wrong:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the Palm of your Hand And Eternity in an Hour

William Blake.

There is a choice in life between the material and the spiritual – between wealth, pride and status on the one hand and honesty, love and service on the other. Which will be the dominant principle in my life? It is difficult to try to achieve both. Wealth and status are not necessarily evil, but I need to choose whatever brings peace of mind and happiness.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 30th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review

Better than well

This month we have explored humility, not wanting, listening and keeping it simple. We have looked at how mindfulness can help us bring balance and calm into our days. The process of spiritual growth is gradually happening within us. You could say the same thing about learning to enjoy life. Perhaps the two are linked. We will not achieve this ‘better than well’ state without ensuring that our attitudes, aims and choices are right. Do I understand that the goal of ‘better than well’ is not a passive state but something to be worked for?

Every day that I try my best to follow the programme of recovery, I am learning new habits. Perhaps I can already feel the difference. Each time that I help another person, be true to my word and assert myself appropriately, I increase my self-respect. If I can tell myself each night that I did my best, then I will feel peace of mind and will thank my Higher Power for guiding me. I ask God today to continue guiding me along the route of spiritual progress.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 29th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – relax your whole body gradually

Steps Six and Seven

Judge each day by the seeds you plant, not by the harvest that you reap. We long for quick results that confirm our success and validate our self-image. Sometimes it doesn’t work like that. Maturity is about doing things that require the long view. It is a sign of immaturity to look for instant gratification – that’s how we used to be. Letting go of our childish ways is a part of growing up in recovery.

When I became a man, I put away childish things. St Paul, Corinthians.

Steps Six and Seven are about letting go. I must now be ready to let go of my character defects and the shame and guilt that go with them. This is not as easy as it sounds, unless I have help. Today I ask God for guidance in letting go of my past.

St Paul makes letting go sound easy but some of us struggle with impatience. We perceive all our tomorrows as an unbearable eternity. Much better to be patient. Can I take things a day at a time?

Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 28th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment

Al-Anon

We who are in recovery have managed with the help of a Higher Power, to rise phoenix-like from the bonfire of our addictive vanities. But how should our loved ones deal with this strange but vaguely familiar creature that has re-entered their lives? People in early recovery are often touchy and emotionally fragile. The best thing that family members can do for this ‘phoenix’ is to stay detached but supportive while they themselves go to Al-Anon. Do I appreciate the power of Al-Anon?

If instead of a triumphant hero, our phoenix turns out to be a wobbly, ambivalent and slightly lame duck, that does not necessarily mean disaster. The first bab steps are often faltering. Family members are advised to remember the ‘Three C’s’ – I did not cause this; I cannot cure this, and I cannot control this. Sometimes loved ones are so desperate for the person’s success that they find themselves managing their recovery for them. But success will only come when the addicted person takes action. Today I give thanks for the fellowship of Al-Anon.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 21st by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly

Empathy

A person with a big ego will struggle to find the empathy needed to offer true kindness. Addicted people are sick people, not bad people. They deserve to be treated the same as anyone in need of health care. When the day comes that they ask for help, it is important that they receive a good response. Most people in recovery never forget the welcome and the kindness that they received at their first meeting. The memory remains, because people remember how they felt at times of great stress. Will I show kindness and empathy when I offer help to an addicted person?

The first stages of recovery are a time of great vulnerability. It is a common experience that unites us in fellowship. The kindness and support that we all receive is a precious thing that we must keep alive by passing it on like an Olympic torch. In doing so, we are passing on our power – Higher Power. Today I ask God that I will always pass on what I receive.

Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 19th by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – review expectations

Keep it simple

For many people, the words: I did this – it worked, are more compelling than: Do this – it will work. The Twelve Steps don’t instruct, they merely suggest that we do the things that worked for others. They do not claim that theirs is the only path to sobriety. We tend to question direct orders, whereas the example of another is difficult to deny. The Twelve Steps are known as a simple programme for complicated people. The slogan ‘Keep it Simple’ is not just something to hang on the wall but something we should carry around in our hearts and minds wherever we go. Am I keeping things simple?

It is usually my ego that leads me to question things. Of course, some actions and some statements need to be questioned. Perhaps I should check if I am suitably qualified, before I raise my hand. Do I know better what is good for me, than people with years of sobriety? My track record seems to indicate otherwise. There is sense in the old timers’ advice to take the cotton wool out of my ears and put it in my mouth. I ask God today to give me the common sense to listen to advice instead of questioning.

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Daily Reading from Recovery Days June16th by Chris B

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JUNE 16             

Remember Mindfulness – enjoy the moment

Temptation

Book lovers celebrate this day as Bloomsday, in honour of James Joyce’s wonderful book Ulysses which chronicles the ‘voyage’ of Leopold Bloom around Dublin, on this day in 1904. The book is structured like Homer’s Odyssey, written around three thousand years earlier. Homer’s hero, Ulysses encounters challenges and temptations such as the Lotus Eaters and the Sirens, which are sometimes seen as a metaphor for addiction. To avoid the Sirens’ seductive call (which leads to death) Ulysses has himself tied to the mast of his ship so that he cannot respond; his forward thinking allows him to be exposed to temptation but still be kept safe. Have I put measures in place to keep me safe from the Siren call of addiction?

Addicted people, especially in early recovery, are often encouraged to think like Ulysses, which means having a pre-arranged plan for dealing with cravings and events which trigger addictive behaviour. Such a plan might include carrying the phone number of a fellowship member and erasing contact details of dealers. Today I ask to be alert to the Siren call of addiction that may sound any time.

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Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 10th by Chris B

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Step Six


Step Six is part of removing what doesn’t work for
us, to make room for new attitudes and ideas. It
follows on from Steps Four and Five where we
identify the defects we need to get rid of. It may all
sound quite neat but in reality, we are often reluctant
to remove bad habits. The softer, easier way may
not have worked but ‘softer and easier’ was a
comfort zone – it was a coping mechanism, albeit
a maladaptive one. We turn to our Higher Power at
this important moment because there must be no
compromises and we need guidance. Am I entirely
ready to go through with Step Six?


The French writer and critic Charles du Bos said:
The important thing is this: to be able, at any
moment, to sacrifice what we are for what we could
become. His use of the word ‘sacrifice’ is important
here, because it recognises how difficult it can be to
give up our old ways. To use another phrase that
du Bos would have recognised: ‘nostalgie de la
boue’ (the attraction of degradation) is hard to
remove. It is a process that may take time, but it will
be time well spent – another new experience for
some of us. Today I ask God for guidance as I work
to remove all my shortcomings.


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Daily Reading from Recovery Days June 3rd by Chris B

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Remember Mindfulness – close eyes briefly


Awareness


By putting our awareness into the present moment,
we remove our minds from everyday matters and
focus on what we are feeling and thinking in the here
and now; we recognise and accept our body’s
sensations at this instant, in the calm knowledge that
this experience in time is all that we really have.
Mindfulness is about keeping things simple,
listening to our bodies and not wanting anything
else. When we stay in the moment, we are freeing
ourselves from all illusions – those strange ideas
and attitudes that lead us into so much trouble. Can
I close my eyes and enjoy this moment of peace?


Nowhere can man find a quieter or more
untroubled retreat than in his own soul.
Marcus Aurelius.
This Roman Emperor and philosopher tells us how
peace and acceptance can be achieved, even in the
midst of a highly demanding lifestyle. We can be
distracted far too easily by events that in retrospect
appear meaningless. Balance is vital for a contented
lifestyle and contemplation is like balm to the troubled
soul. Today I ask God for the wisdom to be mindful.


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