There Is No Try

 “Remember, a real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided.” ~ Tony Robbins

Do or do not, there is no try.

Yoda understood.
The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
of Overeaters Anonymous understand.
"Once we compulsive overeaters
truly take the third step,
we cannot fail to recover."

Do or do not, there is no try!

Consult Your Hopes and Dreams

Most of us have amassed

more than enough fears, 

frustrations, disappointments. 

We can list ad infinitum

 the times we disappointed ourselves,

our friends, our supporters.

But the rewards in continuing that recitation

are nil,  counterproductive.

We are best served by consulting our hopes, our dreams, 

by considering what is still possible for us to do.

Consult Your Hopes and Dreams

Most of us have amassed

more than enough fears,

frustrations, disappointments.

We can list ad infinitum

 the times we disappointed ourselves,

our friends, our supporters.

But the rewards in continuing that recitation

are nil,  counterproductive.

We are best served by consulting our hopes, our dreams,

by considering what is still possible for us to do.

Broken People

God uses broken people like you and me to rescue broken people like you and me. ~ Eddie Cortes

I am broken, thank God!
It's no longer a miserable feeling,
being broken. There's comfort there,
in brokenness...because I found a fellowship
of broken people and in our brokenness
we find we are the only people
who have felt isolated by brokenness
so understand the loneliness, the despair,
the isolation and cam give the fellowship,
the cure, the joy that comes from watching,
remembering sharing the exit from those
who in their brokenness find the fellowship
and hope.

I Surrender All

Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. There fore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. ~ Hebrews 7:22-25 (NIV)

Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give them selves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. ~ Alcoholics Anonymous, Page 58

Completely.
Not a plurality,
not more likely than not,
not clear and convincing evidence,
not even proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Completely.
A hundred ten percent.
Cannot completely give self to Steps,
can’t be honest
even to the committee in the mind.
Completely hopeless.
But letting go,
surrender —
surrender to one whose
completely works,
saves us from
self,
saves us to
life.

God, I surrender all.
Completely.

Rollins, Barbara. A Cloud of Witnesses -
Two Big Books and Us
(Kindle Locations 1067-1083).
Eagle Wings Press imprint
of Silver Boomer Books. Kindle Edition. 

Under Construction

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The road to success is always under construction. ~ Arnold Palmer

Retired. Three-score and ten...plus.
I believed if I didn't grow up
by forty it wasn't going to happen,
and I changed myself, rewrote my life that year.
But old, staid, settled, uninteresting...
what's ahead at this point?
Writing, at long last, those books I've planned?
Am I, possibly, still under construction?

It's the Fellowship

Today, I stand in the middle of a full-fledged spiritual awakening. I have begun working the Steps in earnest, albeit grudgingly. I have begun to follow suggestions provided by other members. I’m beginning to realize that God tapped me on the shoulder that day and told me all I would ever need to know. Now I know that to learn how to apply the great wisdom God revealed to me that day, I need to join my fellows. ~ Overeaters Anonymous. Seeking the Spiritual Path: A Collection from Lifeline (Kindle Locations 179-183).

I stand in the middle
of a full-fledged spiritual awakening.
I try to do my part, working the Steps,
listening to others, understanding
my Higher Power may well be speaking
through other people, using the resources
available, actively working the program.
And I know my Higher Power is with me
without exception, whether I choose
to communicate or not. God set it up
for the fellowship to hold me, be used
for God's communication.But if I listen,
if I try, if I stand united with my fellows.
I stand in the middle
of a full-fledged spiritual awakening.

To Those Who Think Most Often of Food

How many diets have you begun?
Have they ever been successful,
so you were content six months
after the last day you dieted?
Can you take one from a serving dish
of your favorite food, leaving the rest?
Do you eat in secret, hiding how much you eat?
Would you say you're powerless over food?
Did you know there are more like you,
who ate for years like that
but have found serenity?
These people are members
of Overeaters Anonymous,
and there are more than 6,500 registered groups
in over 80 countries,
about 60,000 members worldwide.
You can find serenity, too.
Just find the neatest meeting of OA.

I Can't Wait for Thanksgiving Because...

Thanksgiving was the dining table

and the football game on TV,
the annual confrontation
of Aggies and Longhorns.
Both were emotional events,
the desire to win it all...
but times change.
"So good-bye to texas university
We’re going to beat you all to
Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem
Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem
Rough Tough! Real Stuff! Texas A&M!"
and "Texas Fight, Texas Fight,
And it’s goodbye to A&M.
Texas Fight, Texas Fight,
And we’ll put over one more win."
may still ring out but not at the same game.
And the food on the table is bountiful
but no one including me
demands I eat from every dish.
And from the feast, it's easy to
build a meal fitting my food plan.

I can’t wait for the Thanksgiving holiday
because I can visit family and friends
without a stomachache or guilt,
for the times have changed!

Friendly Temptation

Aunt Bessie will bring seven pies
for Thanksgiving. And her feelings
will be hurt if you don't try several.
Grandmother doesn't believe
in moderation on special days
and will not rest until you've eaten
plenty of calories for two weeks
on your food plan. Resentments?
Probably. But it's better to resent them
for offering than to resent yourself
for accepting.

I Learned It Is about Me

Thirty-five years ago I
was counseled five years,
seeking sanity. After
maybe a couple hundred sessions,
the psychologist told me
there was nothing wrong with me,
end a relationship and I'd do fine.
Maybe ten years later,
a different psychologist
another five years
and the same response again.
I don't give up, another century,
another try, another counselor.
Different results. She was atuned
to recovery, recognized my part,
worked on changing me.
Eleven years ago she gave me a present,
Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition.
I read it, knew they were my people,
decided to thy it...after Christmas!!
Who starts weight loss right before Christmas?
God nudged me, I agreed about the food
I held, telling God, "This is stupid!"
December 17, 2006, I gave up,
found OA people, found my part
and have worked these years to become
Recovered, and the relationship continues,
with both of us better people.

Patience

Sociologists call it “benign neglect.” What it is, is patience. If only I can keep myself from rushing about to do something, things generally turn out fine. I first do what I can, then let go. ~ Overeaters Anonymous. For Today (Kindle Locations 3116-3117).

Benign Neglect: a noninterference
intended to benefit someone or something
more than continual attention would.
That's not substantially different
from the Serenity Prayer, is it?
And surrender to a Higher Power,
"Not my will but Thine be done!"

Having Our Own Needs

For too long, we’ve stood in the background, attending to the needs of others and claiming we have no needs of our own. We’ve shut off, for too long, the part of us that longs to be nurtured. It is time, now, to claim those needs, to identify them, and to understand that we deserve to have them met. ~ Beattie, Melody. The Language of Letting Go: Hazelden Meditation Series (p. 333).

What do I need? "I'm just fine."
My parents remembered
my saying that as a pre-schooler
in the hospital. I never stopped
answering, "I'm just fine."
But how true is it?
I need a lightbulb changed,
but that will happen soon.
I need knee surgery
but a new insurance card first.
I need a prescription renewed...
but that insurance card first.
I really am just fine.
My Recovery improves home.
I need hugs but get them
at meetings, respect
but I leave the house
seven times a week,
and get that in abundance,
as well as through the computer.
What do I need? I need to be better
at acknowledgingI can't do it all,
at asking for help when I need it,
at accepting aid when I need it,
and pampering me
when that's what I need.

Each Day Is New

Yesterday cannot be changed.
Tomorrow can be planned for
but not affected today. 
Only one day can be changed,
just today. But if it's a day of Recovery
it will take it's place
as a day of peace, purpose,
service and joy.

Rightful Getting Even

Let today be the day you stop being haunted by the ghost of yesterday. Holding a grudge & harboring anger/resentment is poison to the soul. Get even with people... but not those who have hurt us, forget them, instead get even with those who have helped us. ~ Steve Maraboli

Have you ever longed to get even...
with those who have helped you?
The normal context of getting even
poisons your soul.
And if you've worked a Fourth Step
you understand you contributed greatly
to your grudge, your resentment.
What if you don't know who helped you?
It doesn't matter.
The random acts of kindness idea
started in a Sausalito, California, restaurant
in 1982 when Anne Herbert scrawled the words
"practice random acts of kindness
and senseless acts of beauty"
on a place mat. Are you ready
to get even...the right way?

I Am to Blame

I listed folks who made me mad
years and years ago, people
I resented, blamed them
for wrecking my life.
But as I looked back now
piecing together what happened
I realized almost without exception
the fault was mine, the resentment
a fictionalized account of truth,
that real truth be told,
in each case I was to blame.

In God's Presence

I won’t attempt to explain this—what it felt like to be in the same room with God’s presence surrounding me, because that would be impossible. ~ Overeaters Anonymous. Seeking the Spiritual Path: A Collection from Lifeline (Kindle Locations 159-160).

Immanuel. God with us.
We were told.
Twenty-seven thousand years ago
it was a promise but it came to pass
in Bethlehem, the physical presence.
But the truth is timeless.
The prophet Zephaniah said,
"The Lord your God is with you..."
The Psalmist said, "God is our refuge
and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea."
And again, " I call on the LORD in my distress,
and he answers me." And yet again,
"God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble."
Have you felt God's presence?
I remember his responding to me
forty-eight years ago. But he has remained
when I doubted, rebelled, ignored him.
He is present, will let you know that
when it matters most.
We I call on the LORD in our distress,
and he answers us.

I Don'y Know

I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn’t know. ~ Mark Twain

We don't know everything
but we feel obligated to answer,
to know the course not only for us
but for our children, employees,
those we supervise.
It feels wrong at times not to know
especially if in times past
we've taken on our shoulders
to manage the whole world.
If you need to know
there are ways to find out
but before you try to manage a life
be sure it's yours.

Transformed

You've seen the movies,
previews at least,
and the toys probably.
Transformers.
But you've seen people, too,
who have transformed once, 
occasionally more often.
Generally speaking these folk
are recovery prople,
folk who heard about 
the twelve steps,
needed relief and tried them.
It's as though they were folded
in a different way
after having been unfolded...
Its most obvious on the inside
but true outside as well.
If you've given up
on remaking yourself,
if you're powerless
over a compulsion,
and can't manage your life,
give it a try and let
Twelve simple Steps
make a transformer
from your mess.

What Should's Run Your Life?

Take a moment. Examine whose should’s are running your life. Are the things you tell yourself you need to be doing true expressions of your legitimate goals, responsibilities, and commitments? ~ Beattie, Melody. More Language of Letting Go: 366 New Daily Meditations (Hazelden Meditation Series) (p. 353).

What should you be doing?
Who said you should?
Under what authority are you acting?
What are you doing?
What emotions are close to the surface?
Is what you're doing necessary?
Will it take you where you want to be?
Is it hard to turn where you feel you should?
Are you walking the path of your heart?