| Author |
 Topic  |
| Information in this forum is not monitored or provided by a medical professional. The information reflects member opinions only. Do not act on advice from these forums without first consulting a qualified medical professional. All content is copyrighted and protected by Aelius Group. |
|
Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
 Posted - 11/03/2008 : 6:14:29 PM
|
November 3, 2008
"I'm glad that what's going on in my head isn't happening in my life."
I don't know why, but my perception of my life is always different - and worse - than the reality of my life. I can be in line at Starbucks, and that's what's happening, but in the storm in my head I'm thinking the line is so slow I'll be there forever; the coffee won't be hot enough; the traffic will be horrible; I'll be late; I'll miss that big deal, and then I'll lose my job and join the rest of the world of the unemployed in the 2nd Great Depression. And this is all just in line at Starbucks!
When I heard today's quote, I began to understand what they mean when they say that alcoholism is a disease of perception. My best thinking used to get me into trouble, and even in recovery the distortion of my thoughts can easily make me restless, irritable and discontented. That's why I rely on my Higher Power and the program to restore me to sanity.
Today, I've learned to run my thinking by others in the fellowship and to turn my fears over to God. Today I listen less to my thoughts and instead pay attention to the reality of my life. When I do this, I'm able to be present for the miracle my life is today, and I'm able to be happy, joyous and free.
Today I'm grateful that what's going on in my head isn't happening in my life.
From the web site Wisdom of The Rooms
www.theWisdomoftheRooms.com
"Reach for the stars...You will at least end up among the clouds"
Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!
|
Report to Moderator  |
|
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2008 : 08:25:28 AM
|
AA Thought for the Day
November 5, 2008
Experiment
We recoiled from meditation and prayer as obstinately
as the scientist who refused to perform a certain experiment
lest it prove his pet theory wrong.
Of course, we finally did experiment, and when unexpected results followed,
we felt different; in fact we knew different;
and so we were sold on meditation and prayer . . .
It has been well said that "almost the only scoffers at prayer
are those who never tried it enough."
© 1953 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 97
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Prayer asks the question. Meditation listens for the answer.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Always Say A Prayer.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2008 : 08:06:35 AM
|
AA Thought for the Day
November 6, 2008
Keep It Simple
Today I try to remember to keep things simple.
I make many mistakes that remind me to be humble.
I am far from perfect, but I'm not required to be.
Life still happens -- some good stuff, some bad stuff, and lots of in-between.
When I do what is in front of me to do, I don't need to worry about what happens
when I have done my part; I am not the one in charge.
I can face fear with faith in a Higher Power that never left me.
I can finally bring more to life than I take away.
It is as simple as that.
The AA Grapevine, Vol 65, No. 8, November 2008, p. 17
Thought to Ponder . . .
While it isn't always easy, if I keep it simple, it works.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Keep It Serenely Simple.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2008 : 06:48:21 AM
|
AA Thought for the Day
November 7, 2008
Prayer
I don't need to shut myself in a closet to pray.
It can be done even in a room full of people.
I just remove myself mentally for an instant.
As the practice of prayer continues, I will find I don't need words,
for God can, and does, hear my thoughts through silence.
© 1990 AAWS, Daily Reflections, p. 322
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
The stillness of God speaks louder than a choir of voices.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Hang On; Pray Every day.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2008 : 08:11:45 AM
|
AA Thought for the Day
November 9, 2008
Perfection
Alcoholism is deadly, ugly, and tough. It is also cunning, baffling and powerful.
It wants me to consider perfection attainable.
It wants me to regard only myself, others being merely
what reflects my recovery back to me.
It wants me to try to fix myself with the right therapist or the right religion.
It wants me to believe that self-indulgence is fine,
as long as I call it self-forgiveness. . .
It wants me to forget that it is a snake in the brain,
hoping to catch my eye, watching, waiting.
The gritty pain of alcoholism is the traction of recovery,
I cannot afford to sell off the principles for an easier, softer way.
© 1998 The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 3], p.165
Thought to Ponder . . .
Alcohol -- cunning, baffling, powerful!
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Always Aware.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
| Information in this forum is not monitored or provided by a medical professional. The information reflects member opinions only. Do not act on advice from these forums without first consulting a qualified medical professional. All content is copyrighted and protected by Aelius Group. |
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/10/2008 : 07:52:22 AM
|
AA Thought for the Day
November 10, 2008
Apples
The discussion meeting was followed by a speaker meeting,
where I had my first awakening in AA.
The speaker said, "If you're an apple, you can be the best apple you can be,
but you can never be an orange."
I was an apple, all right, and for the first time
I understood that I had spent my life trying to be an orange.
I looked around at a room filled with apples and,
if I was understanding the speaker,
most of them were no longer trying to be oranges.
© 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp.426-27
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Thank Heavens I Now Know.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/11/2008 : 09:22:01 AM
|
AA Thought for the Day
Great News
The tremendous fact for every one of us
is that we have discovered a common solution.
We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree,
and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action.
This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism.
An illness of this sort -- and we have come to believe it is an illness --
involves those about us in a way that no other human sickness can.
© 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp.17-18
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
The solution is simple. The solution is spiritual.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Believing In God Beats Our Old Knowledge.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2008 : 08:42:32 AM
|
AA Thought for the Day
November 12, 2008
Insanity
One night I was sitting alone with a fifth and a case of beer
listening to dreamy Hawaiian music on the radio.
Slowly a pile of pineapples started to build up on the table.
They got bigger and bigger and nearer and nearer,
as if they were going to fall and crush me.
Two of them leaped from the table and crashed into my head.
I was knocked to the floor, swinging madly at the faces on those pineapples.
I swung, I swore, I started throwing beer cans at the advancing hordes of
pineapple faces.
I cut my hands, my face, my legs. Then I collapsed. I had D.T.'s.
The doctor was still sitting beside my bed.
My past had slipped before me in a twinkling. . .
I'd been brought into the hospital like a madman,
crying, raving, ranting, swearing, completely in the throes of delirium tremens.
© 2003 AAWS, Experience, Strength and Hope, p.372
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
When I share my story and remember the last days of my drinking,
I remember the desperation of selling the last pieces of my soul.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Drinking Ends All Dreams.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2008 : 10:58:38 AM
|
AA Thought for the Day
November 13, 2008
The Journey
Words cannot begin to describe the feelings in my heart
as I sometimes ponder how much my life has changed, how far I've come,
and how much there is yet to discover.
And though I'm not sure where my journey may take me next,
I know I'll owe it to the grace of God and to three words of the Twelve Steps:
continue, improve, and practice.
Oh, and one more thing they told me: Humility is the key.
© 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p.511
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/14/2008 : 09:26:54 AM
|
Thought for the Day
November 14, 2008
Meditation
We will want to good that is in us all, even in the worst of us,
to flower and grow.
But first of all we shall want sunlight; nothing much can grow in the dark.
Meditation is our step out into the sun.
© 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p.10
With permission, Alcoholics World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
I have been given a quiet place in bright sunshine.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Bad Or Good, God Loves Everyone.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2008 : 10:43:57 AM
|
AA Thought for the Day
November 15, 2008
Self-absorption
We can get so stridently concerned about me-me-me
that we lose touch with virtually everyone else.
It's not easy to put up with someone who acts that way, except a sick infant.
So when we get into the poor-me bog, we try to hide it, particularly from ourselves.
But that's no way to get out of it.
Instead, we need to pull out of our self-absorption, stand back,
and take a good, honest look at ourselves.
Once we recognize self-pity for what it is,
we can do something about it other than drink.
© 1998 AAWS, Living Sober, p.57
With permission, Alcoholics World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
Into action, out of self.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Altered Attitudes.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
| Information in this forum is not monitored or provided by a medical professional. The information reflects member opinions only. Do not act on advice from these forums without first consulting a qualified medical professional. All content is copyrighted and protected by Aelius Group. |
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/16/2008 : 07:51:00 AM
|
AA Thought for the Day
November 16, 2008
A New Beginning
I knew I had to have a new beginning, and this beginning had to be here.
I could not start anywhere else.
I had to let go of the past and forget the future.
As long as I held on to the past with one hand
and grabbed at the future with the other hand,
I had nothing to hold on to today with.
So I had to begin here, now.
© 1973 AAWS, Came To Believe . . ., p.46
With permission, Alcoholics World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
If I have the courage to begin, I have the courage to succeed.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
No Othere Way.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/17/2008 : 07:51:34 AM
|
AA Thought for the Day
November 17, 2008
Too Young?
It is very different to be a sober member of AA when you are young.
If you doubt this, think back to when you were sixteen
and try to imagine yourself working the Steps in your life then as you do today.
Couple this with other people telling you that you are too young
to be an alcoholic and you can see how hard it is.
I know one thing for certain: no young person ever needs to hear
that she has gotten sober before she had to hurt: she has to hurt plenty.
She needs to hear what every newcomer does who comes into the Fellowship:
"Welcome. This is AA, where the only requirement for membership
is a desire to stop drinking."
© 1998 The AA Grapevine, Inc., The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 3], p.183
Thought to Ponder . . .
Every recovery from alcoholism began with one sober hour.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
All Accepted.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Freefly
Administrator
966 Posts |
Posted - 11/18/2008 : 08:18:53 AM
|
AA Thought for the Day
November 18, 2008
Conflict
We went back through our lives. Nothing counted but thoroughness and honesty.
When we were finished we considered it carefully.
To conclude that others were often quite wrong was as far as most of us ever got.
The usual outcome was that people continued to wrong us and we stayed sore.
Sometimes it was remorse and then we were sore at ourselves.
The more we fought and tried to have our own way, the worse matters got.
As in war, the victor only seemed to win.
Our moments of triumph were short-lived.
© 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp 65-66
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Thought to Ponder . . .
If I always do what I've always done,
I'll always get what I've always got.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
Hang On! Peace Exists.
Day by Day is the only way.... |
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Pamela7030
Moderator
800 Posts |
Posted - 11/18/2008 : 2:50:24 PM
|
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
"Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake."
Lately, things haven't been going my way. Both small things as well as big, scary health related issues have come up that are definitely not what I wanted and can't be good for me. As I climbed up on my pity pot and started collecting even more evidence why and how the world had it in for me, I heard today's quote and things began to shift.
In the past, poor me, poor me soon led to pour me another drink. In recovery, however, I'm able to shift my perception to what God's will is for me, and that almost always leads me to ask how what I'm going through can benefit or help another. No matter how far I've fallen or how rough my road has been, each experience I've had enables me to help another.
As I looked at my current set of challenges through the lens of service, I suddenly felt lighter. I realized I wasn't alone, and that by involving others I could benefit from their experience, strength and hope. I also realized that together we would grow from this experience and we would learn new ways to help others through common difficulties. As I reframed what was going on in my life as opportunities for growth, I realized the wisdom in the saying:
Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake.
From the web site Wisdom of The Rooms
www.theWisdomoftheRooms.com
"Reach for the stars...You will at least end up among the clouds"
Share your experience, strength, and hope with another and see the miracles transform your life!
|
| Report to Moderator |
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
All Forums
Thought for the Day
New Topic
Printer Friendly
