Release, Not Restriction

…abstaining is not a restriction but a release. ~ L., Elisabeth. Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters. Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Counting calories,
avoiding anything
tasting luscious,
driving past a donut shop,
wondering if the tiny lady
working the drive-through
would still know me,
remember my order…
We can describe abstinence
in terms of deprivation,
restriction, missing the good stuff.
Truth be told, that’s a lie
but if we persist in negativity
a relapse is just around the bend.
But if we realize we’re no longer
mice running in circles on a wheel
but birds set free to fly
into a wondrous world
of freedom!.

Like a Crowbar

The Twelve Steps worked like a crowbar, prying into my dishonesty and fear. I didn’t like the things I learned about myself, but I didn’t want to go back where I had come from. I found out that there was no substance on the planet that could help me get honest. I would do just about anything to avoid working on myself. ~ A.A. World Services Inc.Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition. A.A. World Services, Inc. Kindle Edition.

The Steps worked like a crowbar
to pry into dishonesty and fear.
The dishonesty? I’m fine,
perfectly capable of living,
just a weight problem…
or drinking, or sex,
or pick-any-addiction.
But the rest, I’m doing fine,
can’t you see?
Well there is some fear,
of people, places, activities…
fear the world will learn
I’m an expert liar, that I blame you
for making me look bad,
for my embarrassment
at who I really am.
I can’t be honest,
not even to myself!
It’s true, I would do just about anything
to avoid working on myself.
How fortunate I am
to have the part laid out
in Twelve simple Steps!

The Water Pail

If people really want to get drunk, there is, so far as I know, no way of stopping this—so leave them alone and let them get drunk. But don’t exclude them from the water pail, either. ~ AA World Services Inc. As Bill Sees It. A.A. World Services, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

I never before considered A.A.
or O.A. either asa water pail.
but it is, in the sense of being available,
a lifeboat when a relapsing 12-Stepper
comes back home. A better choice,
a saner solution than their compulsion offers.
So we do 12th Step work by keeping
the home-place ready, by
setting out the welcome mat.

image Copyright : Aurlie Le Moigne

Love Anyway.It Comes Back.

So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in Godʼs hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. All share a common destiny – the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

As it is with the good man,
so with the sinner;
as it is with those who take oaths,
so with those who are afraid to take them. ~ Ecclesiastes 9:1-2, NIV

No man knows whether love or hate awaits?
Hey, did he never try loving somebody
who hates him?
Yeah. Tough to do. But worth it?
You betcha.
Love your enemy because it drives him crazy.
Nope. Just do it.
Be good for nothing.
Love your enemy.
Pray for who persecutes you.
Be the child of your Father in heaven.
Did Jesus really mean that stuff?

God, forgive me
AS I have already forgiven people
who hurt me.
Help me to be freed from resentment and hate.

Rollins, Barbara B..
A Time for Verse -
Poetic Ponderings on Ecclesiastes .
 Eagle Wings Press imprint of
 Silver Boomer Books. Kindle Edition.

Oh Blessed Simplicity!

…Jan Hus, a fourteenth-century religious reformer in Czechoslovakia. As Hus was being burned at the stake for heresy, his last words were, “Oh blessed simplicity.”
….The simplicity of addiction is not to do the next addictive behavior. The simplicity of the spiritual life is living with love. ~  May, Gerald G.. Addiction and Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions (pp. 177-178). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

K.I.S.S.
Where but in the rooms of Recovery
would that convey the message,
“Keep It Simple Stupid!”?
Well, it’s an old idea.
Leonardo da Vinci
is often credited
with saying that simplicity
is the ultimate sophistication.
Albert Einstein put it this way:
If you can’t explain it to a six year old,
you don’t understand it yourself.
Bill W. and Dr. Bob left off the “Stupid”
for excellent reasons.
Resent suggestions for alternatives:
“Keep It Simple Sweetie”
“Keep It Simple Spiritually”
and “Keep-It-Soft-&-Shallow”.
Then there’s “Prior to recovery,
‘Stupid’ was probably
one of the NICEST things
that I thought about myself!
Perhaps the message is best
communicated, “Oh Blessed Simplicity!”

Jan Hus

My Prayer

2 May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard over my mouth, LORD;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil ~ Psalm 141, NIV, Holy Bible, eBook (p. 613). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

God, give me the words
to praise you, to please you,
to remind me of the mystic feel
when I come to you, seeking
not my own will but that yours
Your own be done in my thoughts,
my words, my actions.
May my demeanor, my intent,
my thankfulness be as
a pleasing aroma reminding me
of your majesty, your awesomeness.
bring me to such atonement(at oneness)
that I am cleansed of hurtful thoughts
that keep me from an attitude of love
for all people that in some way
I may be a worthy tool for
bringing a climate of love to all I meet.
Don’t let me wander from your path
into negativity and strife.
I would abide in the love that is you.
Amen. So be it.

Responsibility

When we turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him, we are linking up with the source of newness and creativity. God moves, and if we are linked with Him, we also move. His spirit changes us, and what we thought and did yesterday is not adequate to the demands of today….Responsibility is the real living out of consecration. ~ L., Elisabeth. Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters. Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Step Three is that we
“Made a decision
to turn our will and our lives
over to the care of God
as we understood Him.”
What is the decision?
What does it mean?
I like this description…
linking up with the source
of newness, of creativity.
And, being linked with Him,
as though we’re the tail of a kite
we go where He goes,
totally connected, completely subject to
the Source. Responsibility
is the real living out of consecration.

Linking with the Source/

When we turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him, we are linking up with the source of newness and creativity. God moves, and if we are linked with Him, we also move. His spirit changes us, and what we thought and did yesterday is not adequate to the demands of today. ~ L., Elisabeth. Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters . Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Linking with the source
of newness, of creativity.
Like being the cars
behind the engine,
we move when God does,
and as we move we are changed,
becoming the up-to-date,
new and improved version.
ready to soar through life,
made better and better
as we meet the day!

Copyright : Marina Lvova

Discipline

If we think of discipline in terms of punishment, we miss the more constructive meanings of the word. Discipline is order, training, practice, study. Without it, our lives are ineffective and full of chaos. ~ L., Elisabeth. Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters.Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

The Bible is replete with passages on discipline,
Seldom does it speak in terms of punishment.
The Epistle to the Hebrews describes the two meanings:
They disciplined us for a little while 
as they thought best; 
but God disciplines us for our good, 
in order that we may share in his holiness. 
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, 
but painful. Later on, however, 
it produces a harvest of righteousness 
and peace for those who have been trained by it.Ideal discipline is for our own good,
and the desired outcome is that
we share God’s holiness.
Discipline at best is tedious and repetitious,
but through discipline we become
part of a vast harvest of righteousness and peace
since we have been trained by discipline,
tedious and repetitious though
it may have been.

Copyright : Christophe BOISSON 

A Game of Boomerangs

One receives only that which is given. The game of life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words, return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy. ~ Florence Scovel Shin as quoted by Casey, Karen. Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women. Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

My boomerang won't come back
I've waved the thing all over the place
Practiced till I was black in the face,
My boomerang won't back.
Can you throw one so it comes back?
I must admit to total ineptitude
in the endeavor. Yet, prone to experiment,
I'll say I have experimented
with the boomerang effect
as described by Shinn,
the kind you don't mind the
ricochet! The idea our thoughts,
deeds and words return to us
sooner or later, with astounding accuracy.
The trick, of course is to send out
only the good stuff, the things you welcome
when the boomerang DOES come back!

Examine Yourself

 Meditation is just one way of facilitating honest self-observation. Daily reflection and journaling are others. Discussion with other people is also critically important. However it comes to us, self-observation is necessary for an honest discernment of our position in relationship to God and attachment…  Although my cosmic intent is sincerely for God’s will, I am not so free when it comes to the small specifics of my life. ~ May, Gerald G.. Addiction and Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions (p. 168). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

This fellow, Gerald May,
made such sense I wanted to quote him
more the further I read,
like: “a matter of bringing ourselves,
just as we are, to God, just as God is.”
then “Honesty before God requires
the most fundamental risk of faith we can take:
the risk that God is good,
that God does love us unconditionally.
It is in taking this risk
that we rediscover our dignity.”
We can learn honest self evaluation
through meditation, reflection,
journaling, discussion, or
honest discernment.
We even discover who we really are.
But even as we begin to break through,
we may find lack of desire to turn over
the details!
I’m ready to try honest self observation…
at least give it a try! What about you?

I Will Be Happy

I am no one’s victim. I am where I belong. Envy is nothing more than a hostile form of self-pity. I will not succumb to it today. Instead, I will be grateful for the many gifts, talents, and opportunities I have been given. When I appreciate what I have instead of dwelling on what I lack, I feel good about my life. This allows me to be happy for another person’s abundance. ~ Family Groups, Al-Anon. Courage to Change—One Day at a Time in Al‑Anon II. Al-Anon Family Groups. Kindle Edition.

Envy is nothing more
than a hostile form of self-pity.
How true it is! And that makes me…
a victim!To be specific,
my own victim!
But not today!
Today I choose gratitude.
I will count my blessings.
name them one by one.
I will not believe I lack
but feel good about me
and be happy which somehow
makes you aware of your abundance
because I can see my own.
I will be happy so we can be happy!

Consecration in Practice

Discernment means living life prayerfully—bringing oneself to God as honestly and completely as possible, seeking God’s guidance as openly as possible, and then, in faith, responding as fully as possible. A life lived this way, trying to bring all one’s faculties into harmony with God’s transforming grace, is consecration in practice. ~ May, Gerald G. Addiction and Grace: Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions (p. 163). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Discernment. Not a word heard often.
The ability to judge well.
But more to the point, perception
in the absence of judgment
with a view to obtaining
spiritual guidance and understanding.
Carrying the Latin meaning
to separate, divide, distinguish, discern.
In harmony with God.
Consecration in practice.

The Gift of Grace

I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men: God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.

A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man – even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place? ~ Ecclestesias 5:1-6

Dying in the right order.
Parents, children, then grandchildren.
The pain of early death
stands stark, naked, clear.
The pain of a miserable octogenarian
never to have known contentment
passing from emotional pain —
better to have quality
no matter how short the life.
Do not all go to the same place?

God, I know you love me.
I know you’re fair.
I know the deck’s not stacked against me.
Help me accept with joy and peace
your gift of grace,
offered freely
whether I accept or not.

Rollins, Barbara B.. A Time for Verse –
Poetic Ponderings
on Ecclesiastes.

First Place

In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest calledthe Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides.
Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that
sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Above the
Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out
over the Ark’s cover, the place of atone ment. But we cannot explain
these things in detail now.~ Hebrews 9:4-5 (NLT)

Taking a commercial inventory is a fact-finding and a fact-facing process. It is an effort to discover the truth about the stock-in-trade. One object is to disclose damaged or unsalable goods, to get rid of them promptly and without regret. ~ Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 64

Incense altar, Ark of the Covenant,
Aaron’s staff, manna,
Ten Commandments, (second edition —
replacing smashed first set).
Last year’s must-have
Christmas gift,
the gadget ready to
storm the market —
five years back,
the new electronic masterpiece
that has them lined up
out the door.
Stuff. Just things,
though priceless or
out-of-date discardables.
When things attain preeminence
it’s time to set them all aside
without regret.

God, let me never put anything
ahead of my need for a
closer relationship with you.

Fear of Ordinary

...the fear of being found out to be ordinary... ~ Weatherhead, Leslie. The Will of God (pp. 82-83). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.

Why do we fear being ordinary?
Why did we spend so many years
denying that we were?
Ordinary is merely having
no special or distinctive features; normal.
Do we wish we were abnormal? I think not!
We wish to be habitual, accustomed,
expected, wonted, everyday, regular,
routine, day-to-day, established,
settled, set, fixed, traditional.We fought our way through school
insisting we were real, traditional,
like everybody else,
even we wanted to stand out yet feared
we might.
Let us lay aside the fear,
for we are God's.
and God makes no junk!

God Can

There’s something in you that senses, as C. S. Lewis wrote, “the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.” ~ Brooks, David. The Second Mountain (p. 43). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

A friend asks, “Can you write a poem
with ‘do I paint the stripes on the leaves?’”
The answer? “Not yet.”
In the spirit of C. S. Lewis,
can I play the role of God
and stretch to what seems impossible?
I feel the answer in my soul,
I never could have painted so infinitesimally
and now my hands flub
and bungle…. Impossible!!But who’s to say God can’t use me.
inept as I may be?
A wise woman I knew fifty years ago
protested singing lyrics of the hymn
proclaiming, “Lord, we are able.
Our spirits are Thine.
Remold them, make us, like Thee, divine.”
God, I can’t, you can. If you wish
to use my hands, they belong to you.
Go right ahead!

After-note: Asked how the question came up my friend said, “The orange water canna come back year after year. They are a fave of mine. Their leaves have stripes. We don’t paint them. We watch them grow and the stripes are there. Nothing we do makes them happen.”

Chicken Soup Prayer

I have what I call the Chicken Soup Theory. When you go to pray, when you go to pray, it’s kind of like making chicken soup. Now if you’ve ever made chicken soup, when you get everything in the pot all of the junk comes to the top, all that stuff, all the grease and whatever comes to the top. That very often is what happens when we start to pray especially at the end of a  very busy day. All of the junk begins to come to the top. That’s how it goes. And I think what happens there, it’s okay, that all of the junk, and all the distractions come. Make it  part of your prayer and choose not to focus on it,  and to move on, to place yourself in the presence of God. ~ Fr. Anthony Ciorra Ph.D.,
The Spirituality of the Twelve Steps for Everyone. (Transcribed from Audiobook)

We listen to prayers in public,
some seeming inspired,
without a stumble, eloquent…
some labored, showy,
ostentatious, seeming sermon-like,
an effort to educate the congregation.
But private prayer is between God and us
and God knows our hearts and minds
with no words at all.
If we sit in silence. God on our mind,
in our heart, it’s prayer if we seek the contact.
Let them roam. God made us
and understands us as a parent does
a language-less child.

Peace, not Conflict

Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house filled with feasting—and conflict. ~ Proverbs 17:1 NLT

The quality, artfulness, appearance
of the food on the table may be plain,
in-artful, simple, but placed there
with love in the heart, with gratitude
for the simple fare, but the meal may appeal
to those who partake a great deal more
than a banquet set out with animosity
as a side dish, and few would not choose
the peaceful meal over the second.
Loving Father, thank you for food
to nourish us, body and soul!

Dare to Leap

Leap, and the net will appear. ~ John Burroughs

I ventured out of ordinary surroundings
and found myself protected, given a hand,
worried over, loved, by all around me,
those I’ve known well for many years
and complete strangers.
My computer daily tells me as I type here,
“Not Secure,” but although I take
physical challenges cautiously
knowing more danger in walking across a
a parking lot than in working on this site
the truth is glaringly unspoken in daily life.
Still, of the 15000 steps on the pedometer
in the time I’m describing, the only time I fell
was in my home, totally familiar and
a step when I know the “No tSecure”
message is very real.

“Leap, and the net will appear?”
Yes, literally (physically)
emotionally and spiritually.
the net is there,
and the name of the net is love.
Thank God for outstretched hands
and for the net of love!

Giving Away the Treasure

Joy at our release from a lifetime of frustration knew no bounds. Father feels he has struck something better than gold. For a time he may try to hug the new treasure to himself. He may not see at once that he has barely scratched a limitless lode which will pay dividends only if he mines it for the rest of his life and insists on giving away the entire product. ~ World Service, Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book and A Study Guide of the 12 Steps. Anonymous Publishing. Kindle Edition.

What do we do with our treasure?
Recovery of body and soul which we find
in the rooms is the greatest possession possible.
Who would not hug it to himself?
Who would believe that might not be the ideal?
Truth be told, it's not. We keep this treasure one way only...
we have to give it away. For giving it away,
amazing, yields more in our possession,
in our cache, our storehouse, which incredibly
expands as we share it. To keep the treasure
we are compelled to share it
with all who will accept it,
to offer it to all we meet.
Mine the trove for the rest of your life
and give away freely to all you encounter.

I Can't

We surrender our lives to God and ask Him for help. When He knows that we’re ready, He gives us by His grace the free gift of sobriety. And we can’t take any credit for having stopped drinking, because we didn’t do it by our own willpower. ~ Anonymous. Twenty Four Hours A Day: Meditations (p. 37). Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

The first three steps…
I can’t. God can. I think I’ll let God!
We’ve been trying all our lives
to develop the will power it seems
that everyone got but us.
Such a relief when we learn the extent
to which we’re wrong,
that millions of others are powerless!
I can’t. God can. I think I’ll let God! — thank God!

The Power of Denial

..."never underestimate the power of denial." It can indeed obscure the obvious. ~ Kenneth Wapnick, Absence from Felicity : The Story of Helen Schucman and Her Scribing of A Course in Miracles

Never understate the power of denial?
Because it can obscure the obvious?
And that's desirable why??
Perhaps as Shakespeare said,
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
But how often is it true for you?
When you most energetically deny a statement
think it through. Are you afraid you're wrong?
Never underestimate the power of your own denial.

Identify, Don't Compare

They said I needed to identify, not compare. I didn’t know what they meant. What was the difference? Identifying, they said, was trying to see how I was like the people I was with. Comparing, they told me, was looking for differences, usually seeing how I was better than others. ~ A.A. World Services Inc. Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition. A.A. World Services, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

I don't recall this bit of wisdom,
identify, don't compare.
obviously it's been far too long
since I read through the Big Book.
The way I would have described it,
familiar from frequent citations.
is that we don't stand on a ladder.
above most folk, lower than a few.
Identify: find the common ground
shared with another. Don't compare,
picking what feels alien, strange,
and distancing myself.
No, in program or out,
we are far better served as we identify
and eschew comparisons!
I put my hand in yours
and together we can do
what we could never do before.

Image by Katrina Edwards

A Collection of "One Days"

Today, I will do one thing I’ve been putting off. A whole collection of “one days” will lay the groundwork for the person I’m building within. ~ Casey, Karen. Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women. Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

What can I do today
I'll feel relieved to have done?
Monday I wrote."I sit here
playing a video game...
not on my phone
but on my computer
and hear Julie saying,
'When I play a game
on my phone
I'm making a choice,'
soI'm glad I'm not
playing on my phone!!!
I set it aside and cleaned
an area. I cannot say
I've played no games today
but I have worked toward
having things done
I'll be proud to awaken to
and relieved. I will tomorrow as well
and day by day I
will string together
a collection of "one days."

graphic Copyright : lightwise

How Did I Do Today?

The idea that we can be possessively loving of a few, can ignore the many, and can continue to fear or hate anybody, has to be abandoned, if only a little at a time. ~ AA World Services Inc. Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (pp. 92-93). AA World Services, Inc. Kindle Edition.

The Eleventh Step suggests
we continue (regularly)
to take personal inventory
and when we've been wrong,
promptly admit it.
To consider feelings
rather than actions and words,
or to focus on the behavior
while excluding feelings
may leave us with a flawed understanding.
Let us consider both tonight
as we review our day,
doing this to delve deeper,
to understand better who we were
this day and who we might have been.

Graphic Copyright : Neculai Carmen  

GOOD MORNING!

Keep it simple.
Start it right.
It's a new day.
Start by taking dogs out,
repeating the Third Step Prayer
as the water's freshened,
then circling the yard
several times
saying the Seventh Step Prayer,
the Serenity Prayer,
then the OA Promise,
followed by prayers for abstinence,
for loved ones and family,
the prayer list sometimes shortened
as one friend says, "for everyone!"
Then inside. No need for originality.
the same breakfast virtually every day.
Well thought through, it sets the day,
the meals are for sustenance,
not for entertainment. Dogs eat first,
husband next then my oatmeal,
an egg cooked in, a serving of fruit added,
and it's time for morning readings,
food for the body and for the soul,
a true Good Morning!

The Things I Cannot Change

Defending ourselves by engaging in arguments with actively drinking or otherwise irrational people is as fruitless as donning armor to protect ourselves from a nuclear explosion. Only a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity. ~ Family Groups, Al-Anon. Courage to Change—One Day at a Time in Al‑Anon II. Al-Anon Family Groups. Kindle Edition.

Arguing destroys your peace,
strips you of serenity.
And if you hold in what
you want to say, never communicate
your irritation, it's a smoldering fire
ready to ignite. Claim your peace,
declare it yours, "God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference."
And, serenity claimed, pass peace on
by loving the thing, the person,
you cannot change...by loving!!

What's the Why?

Nietzsche says that he who has a “why” to live for can endure any “how.” ~ Brooks, David. The Second Mountain (p. 30). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

 An early Recovery writer said,
"The gradual elimination of
selfishness in the growth
of love for God and
your fellow human beings
is the goal of life."
Do you have a Why in your life?
The Traditions work well
using a first person singular pronoun
for each. My welfare comes first...
A loving god is my ultimate authority...
I need a desire to stop eating compulsively...
I'm autonomous when nobody else is involved...
I cannot let other concerns divert me...
I need to be self-supporting...
I can share Recovery but not as a professional...
I can over-plan, make a
Recovery too rule-based...
I need to attract people to Recovery,
not promote it...
I must always see the primary role of principles
and not consider personalities more important.
A person who has a “why” to live
for can endure any “how.”

image copyright : kchung

You Are Worthy

Ask me to name one outstanding quality about myself, and I will hem and haw, knowing deep down that my best self-appraisal is unreliable. It seems safer to be derogatory than complimentary, to criticize rather than praise. ~ Anonymous, Overeaters. For Today (Kindle Locations 1497-1498). Overeaters Anonymous, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

You know, I presume,
there's implied codicil
to the Golden Rule,
a supplement tougher
for we Recovery denizens
than that "love your neighbor"
mandate. Don't you find the harder
directive to be loving yourself?
Try. Name an outstanding quality
you exemplify. Too hard?
Try naming something
you've done well today!
Can you praise yourself?
Do you honestly love yourself?
Love you as much as you love others!

Troubles of Our Making

So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn’t think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. ~ A.A. World Services Inc. Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition. A.A. World Services, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Above all, we must be rid of selfishness!
Self- centered? Even Hugh Hefner
detects a problem there!
"It's good to be selfish.
But not so self-centered
that you never listen
to other people."
When we turn to self praise
we're too often self-will run riot.
We can't stand to live that model!
Let's discard self-will today!