Changing Me

 No one can make me change. No one can stop me from changing. No one really knows how I must change, not even I. Not until I start. I will remember that it only takes a slight shift in direction to begin to change my life. ~ Family Groups, Al-Anon. Courage to Change—One Day at a Time in Al‑Anon II (Kindle Locations 82-84). Al-Anon Family Groups. Kindle Edition.
My daddy often said,
"There's nothing new and improved."
We have three old dogs
and two senior citizens living here.
None of the five of us adapt well
to changes of procedures.
But I need to change
from the inside out.
I believe my tension, my fear,
my trying to change me and others
is affecting my body, causing physical pain.
So how do I make this old dog newly improved?
I'm reading the wisdom of other people
who found such a path in Recovery.
I'm internalizing it.
I'm reading the Bible cover to cover this year,
absorbing the text. I'm learning to pray,
asking for help and considering trying suggestions.
No one can make me change.
No one can stop me from changing.
No one really knows how I must change,
not even I. Not until I start.
I will remember that it only takes
a slight shift in direction
to begin to change my life.