Believe in Yourself

Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.
~ Roy T. Bennett

Self-Esteem:  a positive or negative orientation toward oneself;
an overall evaluation of one’s worth or value.
Do you trust yourself? Do you believe in yourself?
Does it sound possible that you are braver than you think?
In what way are you talented? How capable are you?
Is that really all? Do you know many around you
have the same insecurities you do, or that you once had?
Wouldn’t this be an ideal time yo build them up?
Tell someone you admire what you think of them!
Then look in the mirror and tell your reflection the same thing!

As a Little Child

Whenever you are doing what you do in life, aim to do it with the presence and wonder of a child. Don’t question whether you chose the right color lipstick after you already put it on; don’t regret the comments you made in the office meeting or become so consumed with what others might think that you do not express yourself at all. This world is your playground. Like children, be present in all that you do, and you will inevitably experience all the simple joys God has for you! ~ Lawton, Sabrina Universal. Each Day a Gift: A Gratitude Devotional for Women: 90 Devotions to Make a Habit of Praise and Thanks (p. 111). Althea Press. Kindle Edition.

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change
and become like little children, you will never
enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3 (NIV)
Can you imagine a little child choosing a color
to draw with or a shade of lipstick and rethinking it,
changing? Does a little child rethink conversations,
regretting what they said? Or worrying what the others
thought of you? Can you just for one day have the world
as your playground? Can you just for today
be present in all that you do. Do you dare
to experience all the simple joys God has for you?

Image copyright: Jan Mika

The Peace You Seek

Boil every choice down to what heals versus what hurts, answer fear with love, and you will find the peace you seek. ~ Cohen, Alan. A Course in Miracles Made Easy (p. 4). Hay House. Kindle Edition.

We can name dozens of attitudes...
angst, anxiety, concern, despair, dismay,doubt, dread, horror, panic, suspicion, worry...
as well as acknowledgment, admission, approval,compliance, consent, cooperation, recognition...
ad infinitum. But it's easy to break them down,
to list attitudes that hurt and those that heal.
If we answer each of the less comfortable acts,
those that sting or cause irritation, with only love
it changes the equation all around and guides each side
toward the peace and wellbeing each of us desires.

Image by Katrina Edwards

In God's Way

How can I get out of God’s way? ~ Miranda O

How can I get out of God’s way?
That’s not the question, is it?
How can I possibly get IN God’s way?
I can take away my surrender.
I can renege in my commitment
to turn my will and my life over
to the care of God as I understand Him.
But if I don’t renege, if I surrender,
then I not only can but must
step aside and wait for instructions
aware that with God taking the lead
I get everything I need
and generally everything I need
delivered to me if I continue
to let God lead.

No Hurry

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. Commend all to God, and then lie still and be at rest in His bosom. ~ St. Francis de Sales

When the whole world seems upset,
live your life calmly, without time concerns,
holding on to your inward peace,
not losing peace despite the whole world’s
distress, worry, concern, and fear.
Trust the Power, the administration,
the Guy Upstairs. Trust the universe.
All is under control. Lie still and rest,
understanding all is under control.

The Power in Our Hearts

  In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it. ~ Marianne Williamson

As we sit, thinking, considering, concerned,
we may be feeling powerless, unable to cope,
unable to make a difference, but we’re not!
We sit, feeling powerless, wanting to help,
but hesitant to tackle the issues
dominating the news. What can I do?
I’m not trained for medical matters,
have no skills to share, little to contribute.
How can I heal the world’s wounds?
I can pray, I can contribute money,
time, effort. I can love people I know,
and I can pray for those who have skills,
praying our world will be healed.

At Their Expense

We cannot disclose anything to our wives or our parents which will hurt them and make them unhappy. We have no right to save our own skins at their expense. ~ AA World Services Inc. Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, page 74.

The psychological catch phrase of the day was “inferiority complex,” and we used that frequently as the cause of our overeating. In addition, I blamed my mother for many of my problems. ~ Overeaters Anonymous. Beyond Our Wildest Dreams: A History of Overeaters Anonymous as Seen by the Founder. Overeaters Anonymous, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

I blew it once in speculating what happened
then talking loosely about a family member,
if I was right, I was telling a fact the person
had hidden from me for many years.
If I was wrong it was a devastating lie
I told “in confidence” to people
in my 12-Step fellowship. When one challenged me
on what I was doing I was devastated by my guilt.
I had no right to save my own skins at their expense.
I doubt I’ve used the phrase “inferiority complex”
to justify my addiction, but I’ve certainly
used a parent’s weakness to justify my own.
from this point on, I’ll not blame others
for my character defects.
Instead, I’ll become entirely ready
to have  to have God remove all my defects of character
and humbly asked Him to remove my shortcomings!

Image Copyright: Mrgao

Forgiveness

Forgiveness isn’t about the person or people being forgiven—it’s a gift you give yourself that allows your heart to stop being contracted. When you forgive, you release the toxic resentment and anger you’re holding in your heart, finally freeing yourself to get on with your life.
…. The medical community is starting to recognize the major role that anger and resentment play in creating disease and addictions. ~ Shimoff, Marci. Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out (p. 137-8). Atria Books. Kindle Edition.

…the major role that anger and resentment
play in creating disease and addictions.I learned the hard way that anger and resentment
can screw up Recovery. I came into the Rooms
and it was smooth sailing for a while…
until a foreign trip with most evenings
spent working on a project promised out
soon after our return home.
Then I learned on coming home
a “friend” had betrayed me,
the work I had done was in vain,
futile, wasted, usurped.
Filing suit was required
but others stopped my intentions.
My Recovery slid away as I proved
conclusively he major role
that anger and resentment play
in creating addiction!! (Mine)
It ate at me for months then years.
And a decade later I’ve matured enough
to understand  forgiveness isn’t about
the person or people being forgiven—
it’s a gift you give yourself
that allows your heart
to stop being contracted.

Image Copyright : olegdudko 

Criticism

There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. ~ Aristotle

Courage. Audacity. Fortitude. Spunk.
It boils down to bravery,
to risking, to spunk, to temerity.
We can all avoid criticism
but if we try, we settle for ineffectiveness,
for blandness. As John said to Laodicea,“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either one or the other!
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot
nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”We can avoid being criticized, but the cost
far exceeds the reward. Only if we are inert
can we succeed in that oh-so-questionable goal!
Do SOMETHING! Say SOMETHING!
Be SOMETHING!

Battles that Count

The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself — the invisible battles inside all of us — that’s where it’s at. ~ Jesse Owens

The harder achievement is the days, weeks, months,
years of training, of becoming a champion, a contender…
The simpler achievement is putting to use that work,
walking away victorious.
The best usage of the victory is gaining it in your imagination
through the tedium of the days, weeks, months,
years of training.

The Proper Use of the Will

But now it appears that there are certain things which only the individual can do. All by himself, and in the light of his own circumstances, he needs to develop the quality of willingness. When he acquires willingness, he is the only one who can make the decision to exert himself. Trying to do this is an act of his own will. All of the Twelve Steps require sustained and personal exertion to conform to their principles and so, we trust, to God’s will. ~ AA World Services Inc. Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (p. 40). AA World Services, Inc. Kindle Edition.

The foundational truth of the Rooms of Recovery
is that we’re no longer facing life depending
on our own willpower! We’ve gone through life
determined to set aside our addiction and be tough…
tough enough to do it right, to be free of obsession.
We’ve resolved over and over to pull ourselves up,
by our bootstraps, by our intelligence, by our skill…
and over and over again, we have failed,
falling back into the clutches of compulsion!
Then we read AA’s Twelve and Twelveand this line yells at us! All by himself,
and in the light of his own circumstances,
he needs to develop the quality of willingness.But I’ve TRIED! I can’t make it work for me!
I can’t get there on my will!
Isn’t that what it means, “he needs to develop
the quality of willingness”? Are they different…
willpower and willingness?
Does making the decision to exert oneself
differ? Willpower means control exerted to do something
or restrain impulses.
Making the decision to exert yourself
Is that all that’s needed, is that “an act” of your own will?
Does that take it beyond my will,
and all the way to God’s will?
A proper use of a person’s will?
That, I can do!
All of the Twelve Steps require sustained
and personal exertion to conform
to their principles
and so, we trust, to God’s will.

Thank About These Things

“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” ~  Philippines 4:8. English Standard Version

It’s tough thinking about only the good,
the true, the honorable, the just,
the pure, the pleasing, the commendable.
That’s always true, but 24-hour news cycle
on every channel with anyone we talk to,
inserts that which is the opposite
into our thinking. But, if you pay attention,
the good gets mentioned as well,
and we can think of the good.
Besides, there is another
constant presence in our lives.
This morning I was lamenting
the quality of the support system
confined with me, self isolating,
but the glorious truth is there’s another here,
a welcome and loving presence
and we are constantly fed
and renewed from Him,
and without Him we are nothing.
With Him we’re comforted,
comfortable, at peace,
and filled with joy
despite the newsfeed.

Image Image Copyright : Dmitry Pichugin

Addicted to Distraction

…we are addicted to distraction, and therefore functioning with multiple stimulants at one time has become accepted and normalized so that it becomes difficult for us to question it. ~ Monique Rhodes

What distracts you?
I sit, intend on reading,
sitting in the room with husband
who reports on the webcams
he flits between. After a while
he turns on the TV
which he mutes as he talks on the phone
and I can talk to him if I tell him to mute first…
but the reading is falling by the wayside
and when I get too distracted I play a game
just “for sanity’s sake.”
So here I sit at 8:30 working on tomorrow’s Dose,
two of my fourteen readings yet unread,
the “morning’s “meditation to come
after the Dose and readings…
I am addicted to distraction,
functioning with multiple stimulants
at one time, a routine that has become
accepted and normalized and
difficult to question it.

Social Isolation

I’m doing well. I’ve been practicing for social isolation my entire life.  ~ Anonymous

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?*
In these days of encouraged/enforced
social isolation enhanced by
constant near-catastrophic news coverage…
what do we do for people who have not
been practicing for social isolation their entire life?How many telephone calls do you need to make today?
Whose mailbox would bring joy this week
because it held a note from you?
We may not be able to comfort
all the lonely people, but let us do our part!

*John Lennon/Paul McCartney

Precient Quote

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed. ~ Catherine (Kitty) O’Meara

I just learned of this quote.
It seems the author, Kitty O’Meara,
had nothing to do with the bar by that name.
She published it this week
about the Coronavirus at a blog,
thedailyround.wordpress.com.
It is awesome writing
and I’ve done all I can to give proper credit.
I can add nothing. Read it again!

CDC image

In Twenty Years

Twenty years from now you’ll be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream, discover. ~ Mark Twain

Twenty years from now!
My mid 90’s? I would not want
to to be disappointed then!
Am I too old to throw off bowlines?
To sail away from safe harbor?
To catch trade winds in sails?
I’ve only been in a sailboat
lacking a knowledgable pilot once…
more than forty years ago,
and the other occupant took the helm…
But I can certainly learn to explore,
to dream, to discover…
and perhaps how to sail a boat!
How about you?
Are you up for the adventure?

Image copyright: Ivan Smuk

Beware The Ides of March

The world is in turmoil.
There are no confirmed cases
of Coronavirus closer than 150 milesfrom here, yet it dominates thoughts
and actions of virtually everyone.
What can you do?
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.
When you can’t control what’s happening,
challenge yourself to control
the way you respond to what’s happening.
That’s where your power is.

A trigger in psychology is a stimulus
such as a smell, sound, or sight
that triggers feelings of trauma.
More specifically, triggers are social,
environmental or emotional situations
that remind people in Recovery
of their past drug or alcohol use.
These cues bring about urges
that may lead to a relapse.
Long-term drug use
creates an association in the brain
between daily routines
and drug experiences.
For compulsive overeaters
whose triggers are a part of life itself!
The smell of bread baking from a bakery,
candy and sweets as you check out groceries
or pay in a restaurant.
I know two fast food chains
have totally acceptable salads
but avoid them because for years
they were the source of frozen treats
that were once my favorite indulgence.
We cannot avoid the triggers
heard, seen, or smelled,
but we can choose to heal
and to live a life with far more marvelous treats
awaiting our choice
to walk triumphantly to a different ending!!

Your Problems Are Your Own

The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny. ~ Dr. Albert Ellis, psychologist

Blame. How many years we needed it!
We preferred to pin it to someone else
but deep inside we carried a ton of it
on our shoulders.
Only in the Rooms of Recovery
could we acknowledge the massive guilt as ours.
But fortunately in these Rooms
we no longer had to carry the burden.
We looked at our resentments,
inventoried them thoroughly,
found where we had wronged others,
refusing to accept the blame.
And as we admitted these truths
to  ourselves, to God as we understood God
and to another person.
Then as we became entirely willing
to have character traits removed
and asked God to remove those in the way,
we reached the point of willingness
to make amends to those we’d hurt,
made them and  daily continued
to make those that arose,
guilt became unnecessary,
as we lived promptly setting matters right,
realizing with God’s guidance
we were controlling our own destiny.

Inhale Divine, Exhale Surrender

On rough days, I make outreach calls and commit to three breaths where I inhale “divine” and exhale “surrender.” ~ Overeaters Anonymous. Taste of Lifeline. Overeaters Anonymous, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

What’s a rough day?
It could be a nagging ache
in the leg, the arm. or in the heart.
It could be feeling bad, a cough,
a sore, or it could be traumatic
with you or someone close
in the hospital or never coming back…
So you make an outreach call
to somebody who shares your compulsion,
someone whose “remedy”
once would have been the one
you set aside, you tell them what’s happening
and that you’ll do what you know will work,
that you’ll take three deep breaths,
understanding as you do
that you will each time inhale the divine,
God as you understand God,
and as you breathe out, you will exhale
your worry, your obsessing, your fears
and in doing that once more
make a decision to turn your will
and your life over to the care of God
as you understood Him,
surrendering the issue and your reaction
to a Power Who Can.

Image copyright: Lilkar

God Is the Total of All Good

God is not a being or person having life, intelligence, love, power. God is that invisible, intangible, but very real, something we call life. God is perfect love and infinite power. God is the total of these, the total of all good, whether manifested or unexpressed. ~ Cady, H. Emilie. Complete Works of H. Emilie Cady (Annotated) . Unity Books. Kindle Edition.

Step Two says, “2. Came to believe
that a Power greater than ourselves
could restore us to sanity.” followed by
“3. Made a decision to turn our will
and our lives over to the care of God
as we understood Him.”
I have written descriptions
od Fod as I understand God
but enjoy seeing those of others.
I like “God is that invisible,
intangible, but very real,
something we call life.”
and even more that God is
“the total of all good.”
And thank God you and I matter to God!

Image Copyright : lilkar

God Delivers Us

The words God is my defense and deliverance held in the silence until they become part of your very being, will deliver you out of the hands and the arguments of the keenest lawyer in the world….
The ultimate aim of every man should be to come into the consciousness of an indwelling God, and then, in all external matters, to affirm deliverance through and by this Divine One. There should not be a running to and fro, making human efforts to aid the Divine, but a calm, restful, unwavering trust in All-Wisdom and All-Power within one as able to accomplish the thing desired. ~ Cady, H. Emilie. Complete Works of H. Emilie Cady (Annotated) . Unity Books. Kindle Edition.

I know a judge who claimed,
“I know all the lawyer jokes…
They practice in my court!”
I have no reservation in knowing
God’s more than able
to trump the keenest lawyer!
But with all earnestness
I believe he ultimate aim of each of us
should be to come into the consciousness
of an indwelling God.
We have no need to take any action,
merely watch in faith
at the  deliverance through and by God
We watch with a calm, restful,
unwavering trust in All-Wisdom
and All-Power.
Thanks be to God!!
God is our defense and deliverance!

Meditation

…the command, or rather the invitation, is “come away … by yourselves and rest a while” (Mk. 6:31). And it is the only way in which you will ever gain definite knowledge, true wisdom, newness of experience, steadiness of purpose, or power to meet the unknown, which must come in all daily life. Doing is secondary to being. When we are consciously the Truth, it will radiate from us and accomplish the works without our ever running to and fro. If you have no time for this quiet meditation, make time, take time. Watch carefully, and you will find that there are some things, even in the active unselfish doing, that would better be left undone than that you should neglect regular meditation. ~ Cady, H. Emilie. Complete Works of H. Emilie Cady (Annotated) . Unity Books. Kindle Edition.

I notice poems named the same years apart
since Recovery Daily Dose began May 4, 2011.
But I was surprised to see this was the third
entitled “Meditation” So I looked.
Poems written on the subject were published
in May, 2016 and 2017, February 2014, May and July 1012
and August 2011. This shows a struggle to meditate,
something often tried
but never approaching habitual until 2020.
I love the description of the command/invitation
as the only way in which you will ever gain
definite knowledge, true wisdom,
newness of experience, steadiness of purpose,
or power to meet the unknown,
which must come in all daily life.And that we can BE consciously the truth.
I want to ask as the disciple did for instruction,
but rather than “Lord, teach us to pray,
as John taught his disciples.”
I would seek information on
the listening part of the interaction,
Lord, teach me to meditate.

Image copyright : Juri Samsonov

Forgiveness

Forgiveness means accepting responsibility – not for causing the destruction, but for cleaning it up. It’s the decision that restoring your own peace is finally a bigger priority than disrupting someone else’s. ~ Priebe, Heidi. This Is Me Letting You Go (p. 41). Thought Catalog Books. Kindle Edition.

Forgiveness is accepting what happened
then cleaning up the mess.
It’s not sorting out blame,
not disrupting and calling attention.
It’s looking for peace, creating peace…
Forgiveness is loving and accepting,
finding the way forward,
refusing to cast blame, setting aside
the friction, passing peace around.

Image Copyright : Pop Nukoonrat

Sharing Our Wisdom

Each one of us finds our own unique vehicle for sharing our bit  of wisdom with others. ~ Ram Dass

What do you do well?
What are you most comfortable doing?
What do you do that is different?
Is there something you do you know
of nobody doing anything like it?
How are you unique?
What do you feel called…or compelled…to do?
Each one of us finds our own unique vehicle
for sharing our bit  of wisdom with others.
What is your unique vehicle?
How can you use it?
Are you using it?
Will you start using it?

For the Love of Life

With an undefended heart, we can fall in love with life over and over every day. We can become children of wonder, grateful to be walking on earth, grateful to belong with each other and to all of creation. We can find our true refuge in every moment, in every breath. ~ Tara Brach

An undefended heart
enables…no, facilitates!
falling in love with life
over and over every day?
And the undefended heart
person can become a child of wonder
giving thanks for walking on earth,
appreciatively aware of a sense of belonging
to people around and creation itself!
An undefended heart means safety
in each moment, in each breath.
So just what is an undefended heart?
Brach mentions “exquisite risk”
describing our willingness to be fully alive,
open, available,  living true to our heart
and with the challenges and blessings
of taking the exquisite risk,
both in becoming more intimate with our inner life,
and in engaging with others from full authenticity.
What are you willing to have others see?
How open are you willing to be?
Is it acceptable to you for others to see
the truth in your heart, in your life?
If you truly are, your unprotected heart
invites everything good, even attracts it.
Will you present an unprotected heart
for the love of life?

Image Copyright : bolina

For Ourselves

We do not join OA to please anyone else; our primary purpose is to do what is best for ourselves. ~ L., Elisabeth. Food for Thought: Daily Meditations for Overeaters (Hazelden Meditations Book 1) . Hazelden Publishing. Kindle Edition.

The First Step is written in first person:
We admitted we were powerless over food —
that our lives had become unmanageable.We make a very personal decision
in joining Overeaters Anonymous.
Sometimes two people come together,
but often when  that happens
one returns time after time
while the other comes only once
or returns without enthusiasm
and soon drifts away.
But people do not stay for someone else
They stay for themselves.
Yet they do not stay alone,
but having found people like them,
people even more like them
than their own family and closest friend.
While the decision is first person,
the Steps are first person plural
and the others in Recovery
often become closer to each other
than their own family.
They have found their people,
their family of choice

Be Your Own Hero

I hope, pray, wish, cross my fingers and my toes that you will look around and find an opportunity to be your own hero. Every woman should feel that kind of pride, but if you’re seeking change you shouldn’t just want that for yourself, you should need it. You need to set a goal for yourself and then work your butt off to get there. I don’t care if that goal is to pay off your credit card or lose ten pounds or run an Iron Man. ~ Hollis, Rachel. Girl, Wash Your Face (Girl, Wash Your Face Series) (p. 212). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

What do you want to do?
What are you doing to get there?
What’s holding you back?
Are you allowing that to hold you back?
Do you intend to do it?
What is the plan, the blueprint?
Do you just want to do it
or do you need to do it?
What would you give up to do it?
What is your plan?

The Chains of Habit

The chains of habit
are too weak to be felt
until they are too strong
to be broken.  ~ Samuel Johnson

I’ve been becoming aware of my habits…
which ones I need to develop,
and which are detrimental…
the issue Paul addressed
in writing to the Romans:
For I do not do the good I want to do,but the evil I do not want to do —
this I keep on doing.I’m working on walking six thousand steps a day
and avoiding video games,
on reading material worth learning,
on gradually bringing order from chaos.
I’m trying to automate habits,
to build new ones I wish to keep.
I would have the thoughtless habits
dissolve like shattered chains
and the desirable ones too strong to be broken.

Image Copyright : Manop Phimsit