Today's Thought - September

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September 1

Being Present

Reality can be a difficult place to live. Sometimes it seems impossible to stay in the here and now.

From time to time we all revisit the past and yearn for the future. This is natural. Being present every minute of the day is impossible for anyone.

Still, we can strive to be present for as many minutes as we can. We strive for progress, not perfection.

Today, am I doing what I can to be present?

Thought for the Day

A small dose of reality is better than no reality at all.

You are reading from the book:

A Restful Mind by Mark Allen Zabawa

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September 2

When we really understand the fact of separate realities, we will stop spending so much time and energy trying to change the reality of others.
--Jane Nelsen

What makes us want to control others, not just their actions but their opinions too? Do our personal views need the validation of everyone for us to feel adequate?

Coming to believe that we all have valid perspectives on every experience is akin to coming to believe that there is a Higher Power in charge of our lives. It takes willingness to suspend our assumptions and adopt the principles of this program.

It's liberating, even exhilarating, to realize that we all see situations a bit differently. It's like going from a black-and-white picture to Technicolor. Our experiences are enriched as we view them with new attitudes.

How I see my experiences today is up to me; how my friends see theirs is up to them. My view may complement theirs, but it's mine, solely.

You are reading from the book:

A Woman's Spirit by Karen Casey

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September 3

There are really only two ways to approach life - as victim or as gallant fighter - and you must decide if you want to act or react, deal your own cards or play with a stacked deck. And if you don't decide which way to play with life, it always plays with you.
--Merle Shain

Being the victim is, or was, uncomfortably familiar to many of us. Perhaps some of us are only now realizing we have choices, that we need not let life happen to us. Becoming responsible to ourselves, choosing behavior, beliefs, friends, activities, that please us, though unfamiliar at first, soon exhilarates us. The more choices we make, the more alive we feel. The more alive we feel, the healthier our choices.

Our aim is recovery. Recovering means participating fully in our lives. It means self-assessment and self-direction. It means trusting to move forward, step-by-step, choice-by-choice, knowing all the while that no thoughtful action can trouble us.

Many opportunities to make choices will present themselves today. The choices I make will satisfy me; they will move me toward my goal of recovery.

You are reading from the book:

Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey

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September 4

Fair play is primarily not blaming others for anything that is wrong with us.
--Eric Hoffer

As adults, we accept responsibility for our feelings and our circumstances. We haven't chosen our own troubles, but we have the job of dealing with them. If a man falls and breaks a leg, he might say to someone, "It's your fault, and I'll make you pay for this!" But that won't fix his leg. The healing still has to come from within.

Our impulse to blame others is an attempt to escape our responsibilities. We become overcritical. We want someone else to take the rap for our pain and our misdeeds, but this only delays our wholeness. There is no point in blaming ourselves either. When we first confront our discomfort directly and accept responsibility for dealing with it, we feel an inner urge to escape again. If we stay with the discomfort a while, a new stage begins -- the healing and acceptance stage. A feeling of wholeness comes, a feeling of being a real person, of having reached our full size.

May I not indulge in blame today - toward myself or anyone else. Instead, may I be strong and responsible.

You are reading from the book:

Touchstones by Anonymous

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September 5

One day at a time - this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone. . .
--Ida Scott Taylor

It's not always easy to understand that the day stretching before us is all that counts. Daydreaming about the party last week, or getting upset all over again about a fight we had yesterday with a friend doesn't help us right now. When our minds are on the past, we miss out on the conversation or the activity that is going on around us.

Every moment of the day is special and guaranteed to help us grow and understand life. All of us have been taught to pay attention in school or when others talk to us. But we should also pay attention to the birds, the sky, even the grass. And we can learn a lot by paying attention to the conversations going on around us and to the small voice inside us that helps us know right from wrong.

What's going on today is enough to pay attention to.

Am I ready to pay attention to what is around me today?

You are reading from the book:

Today's Gift by Anonymous

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September 6

I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.
-- Winston Churchill

We are used to learning the hard way. Many of us think we're different and can do things our own way. But then we get in too much trouble or pain. The first A.A. members were just like us. They knew how it was to hate being told what to do. So they suggested we follow the Twelve Steps. They didn't say we have to do anything. They didn't say working the Steps is the only way to live sober. They just said the Steps worked for them.

We're finding out that the Steps work for us too. We don't have to work them. We don't have to stay sober. We just like our new sober life better than our old drinking or drugging life. And we're learning how to live this new life by working the Steps.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, help me be open to your lessons. Teach me gently and help me listen.

Action for the Day

I will list five ways that I get in the way of my own learning.

You are reading from the book:

Keep It Simple by Anonymous

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September 7

Talk doesn't cook rice.
--Chinese proverb

Some of us are crazy about self-help books, inspirational tapes, and personal improvement seminars. We'll buy or sign up for anything, whatever the price, if it promises revolutionary insights or a foolproof new system. We want relief in a day and deliverance in a weekend. And we want the expert of the hour to do it for us.

There's nothing wrong with wishing, of course. But there's a lot wrong with kidding ourselves as a way of life. Think about it: If progress could be bought, we wouldn't need to be meditating. If personal transformation resulted from collecting new ideas, we'd have been transformed long ago. Exploring is great. And looking for all the inspiration and wisdom we can find is necessary for growth. But changing is doing. All the plans and schemes for improvement put together won't change a thing if we don't put the principles into daily practice. Even catchy words are just words.

Today, I will take the best plan I have and put it into action. Today, I will say less and do more.

You are reading from the book:

Days of Healing, Days of Joy by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty

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September 8

The persistent human cry is, "Hold me tight."
--Donald Joy

We need to be loved. We need to be held tight, and we need to hold others tight. Many of us are scared, and for good reason. During our using years, we held tight to addiction, but this attachment created serious wounds.

In recovery, first we let go of old behaviors, attitudes, and ideas. Then we grab hold - and hold tight - to the Steps, our sponsor, the fellowship, and the principles of the program. The tighter we attach to recovery, the quicker its care and love become part of our being. The tighter we hold, the deeper the values of recovery get planted into our minds, hearts, and souls.

It is, then, our job to hold on tight and allow the safety of recovery to hold us tight. We need to go to meetings, call our sponsor, read, pray, and meditate regularly, allowing the care found in the Third Step to grab hold of us and heal our wounds.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, I need Your love. Please hold me tight, especially when I'm scared or when I'm angry. Hold me until I can feel your love.

Today's Action

Today I will meditate on how I can tighten my grip on recovery and how I can let recovery hold me tighter.

You are reading from the book:

God Grant Me... by Anonymous

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September 9

That the birds of worry and care
fly about your head
This you cannot change
But that they build nests in your hair
This you can prevent.
-- Chinese Proverb

Worry can light on our shoulders or sink its teeth into our flesh. Worry can become such a habit that it may actually take over most of our waking and dreaming hours. Worry can break down our immune system and weaken our natural ability to fight illness.

For some people, worry is a full-time job and life companion. How much do each of us worry each day? This is a good question to ask when we are ready to get serious about changing our worry habits.

Once we have identified how and when we worry, we are ready to reverse the pattern. Progress, not perfection, is the key in changing our worry habits. With an open mind and willing heart we have the power to change our habit of worry into one of trust. We know as we make this change that our Higher Power is truly at work in our lives.

Today let me begin to replace my worry with trust and faith in my ability to use my resources to face whatever life brings me.

You are reading from the book:

Body, Mind, and Spirit by Anonymous

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September 10

A.A. Thought for the Day

We used to take a negative view of almost everything. There seemed to be very little good in the world, but lots of hypocrisy and sham. People could not be trusted. Those were our general attitudes toward life. Now we are more positive. We believe in people and in their capabilities. There is much love and truth and honesty in the world. Am I less negative and more positive?

Meditation for the Day

I think of God as a Great Friend and try to realize the wonder of that friendship. When I give God not only worship, obedience, and allegiance, but also close companionship, then God becomes my friend, even as I am God's. I can feel we are working together. My prayers become more real to me when I feel that God counts on my friendship and I count on God's.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may think of God as my friend.

You are reading from the book:

Twenty-four Hours a Day for Teens by Anonymous

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September 11

Stop playing tug-of-war.

Letting go can be like a tug-of-war with God.

Have you ever played tug-of-war with a puppy and an old sock or a toy? He pulls. You pull it out of his mouth. He grabs hold again and shakes and shakes and says grrrrrr. The harder you tug, the harder the puppy tugs. Finally, you just let go. Then he comes right back again for more.

I have never successfully treated or solved one problem in my life by obsessing or controlling. I've yet to accomplish anything by worrying. And manipulation has not wrought one successful outcome. But I forget that from time to time.

The best possible outcomes happen when I let go. That doesn't mean I always get my way. But things work out and, ultimately, the lesson becomes clear. If we want to play tug-of-war, we can, but it's not an efficient problem-solving skill.

God, help me surrender to Your will.

You are reading from the book:

More Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

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September 12

If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe.
--Carl Sagan

Everything is given to us. Our lives came forth with no plan on our part. We have no lease on life and no control, ultimately, over any possession. In the addictive and codependent families most of us came from, we learned something else. We learned a lonely arrogance that said, "I should be self sufficient. I have earned everything that ever came to me." Deep down we probably knew how untrue that was, and we felt great self doubt.

The cure we learn in this program for our lonely arrogance is a miracle and a blessing. We accept that we are part of a larger whole. Now it dawns on us - all of our friends and relatives share this basic powerlessness. We are all pilgrims. We are all guests. We are all stewards of creation. We can be close, and we must help one another because everyone is equally vulnerable.

I am grateful to my Higher Power today for the life which has been given me. I pray for greater understanding of my responsibilities.

You are reading from the book:

Touchstones by Anonymous

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September 13

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.
--Matthew 6:34

To worry about something ahead of time is a waste of time and energy that could be better spent on living a full life today.

For instance, if we spend hours today worrying about an important test at school tomorrow, we can't very well concentrate on studying. And if we lie awake tonight agonizing over what we don't know or haven't studied, we're going to be exhausted tomorrow when we take the test.

Wouldn't it be much better to focus on doing all we can today to prepare for the test, and then, knowing we've done our best, let go of it tonight and get a good night's sleep? In fact, if we do that every day of the year, when a big test comes along, we'll know we're as ready as we can be, and won't have a thing to worry about. What a relief it is to know we've done our best today and every day.

What can I do well today so I won't worry about it tomorrow?

You are reading from the book:

Today's Gift by Anonymous

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September 14

The answer to personality problems is found in a quiet return to Godlike thinking.
--Science of Mind magazine

When we're edgy and critical or perhaps feeling inadequate or depressed, we've lost our attunement with God. And when acting the way God would have us act is no longer our priority, our character defects once again emerge and, in time, grow ever more numerous.

We can make the simple decision to always check out our proposed behavior against the behavior we know is from God. When we remember to think of God first before proceeding, we avoid unnecessary conflicts; we refrain from consciously hurting anyone; we manage to take our experiences restfully, moment by moment.

There's really no mystery to having a rewarding and peaceful life. Those we notice who do have likely made a more frequent companion of God than we. The decision to work more on our own friendship with God is an easy one to make.

I will act according to God's wishes today and, in the process, strengthen our friendship.

You are reading from the book:

In God's Care by Karen Casey

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September 15

Believing that we deserve better is the first step.

Some people say there is magic in believing. Our expectations are powerful; they are self-fulfilling, in fact. And if our expectations are generally negative, we'll find the circumstances of our lives pretty dismal too.

The good news is that when we expect better experiences, we'll also find them. How does this work? Surely it requires more than just believing. But it really doesn't. When we look for the good in every situation, we quite selectively see it. Making the choice to live this way means we'll regularly see opportunities for opening doors to better lives.

The formula is simple: Our Higher Power's plan for our lives is always for our benefit. Some part of that plan may be difficult to bear at first, but when we remember to believe that it is a positive opportunity, we'll feel its potential for changing our lives.

I will monitor what I believe about every experience I have today. Looking for opportunities will help me see them.

You are reading from the book:

A Life of My Own by Karen Casey