Do you remember the best thing that happened today?

[Dallas]

Do you remember the best thing that happened today?

Sometimes life can be tough. When troubles come they seem to come in train loads. We can have a tendency to focus on the troubles and forget about the good that is going on for us. And, if it’s true – that we really do attract and manifest the things that we think about – all day long – we can be setting ourselves up for more troubles.

What do I do when life or the day is looking bad?

I try to take some actions -- that will -- cause me -- to see things from a different angle.

I remind myself that whatever it’s like in the moment – there have been times past that were worse – and I survived them.

I hang on to the saying I heard in A.A., that “this too shall pass.â€

[GINA]

Thanks Dallas.

I am currently in the mist of "life" and having difficulties of knowing the difference of what I can change, or what really needs changed, and what part of all of it is my will and I need to leave alone. I'm working towards getting to the point where " we will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves."

I want peace and complete serenity in my life so much that sometimes I forget to just breath, to just be. Very early on in recovery it was easier for me to remember and accept that sometimes just not drinking is all I can do, and that gives me hope for better to come. After a while in the program, I want more out of life than just not drinking, more than just existing, I want to live and be free. So anyway, thanks for the reminder that it is that simple. As long as I am breathing and not drinking, and have the willingness and desire to grow, it is ok to stop and enjoy what life is, be grateful, and in his time, not mine, more will be revealed. And when the time is right, I will have serenity to accept the things I can not change, courage to change the things I can, AND the wisdom to know the difference.

[Dallas]

After a while in the program, I want more out of life than just not drinking, more than just existing, I want to live and be free. So anyway, thanks for the reminder that it is that simple.

For me, that's what keeps me coming back.

The fear of drinking is a good motivator to help me do what I need to do to recover -- to take the 12 Steps, then to practice the 12 Steps as a Design for Living, and to actively be busy trying to help another alcoholic, and keeping connected with AA.

But, fear is a poor motivator when it comes to daily living. It will zap the life out of all that life has to offer. That's why the 12 Steps is such a beautiful treatment for alcoholism. It treats the alcoholism so that, if it is continued, there won't be another drink.

If my sober life didn't get better and better and better -- eventually, I'll return to alcohol. It's that simple. We can read of a guy that this refers to in Chapter 11, Vision for you, in the BB.

In AA, I often hear of "my will" as if it's a taboo or something. Like we're always supposed to be focused on "God's will."

While that sounds spiritually and saintly wonderful -- I don't believe God intended for us to live this way. If he did, then why would he return our will back to us -- overhauled, in Step 10?

If we deny ourselves the luxury of having "desires of the heart" that are healthy for us... then we are in denial of our "human-ness."

It's healthy to want better when we're willing to do the work to have the better. And, it's unhealthy to accept compromise -- when we could make some changes, that will result in the better.

I believe that God, Good and Life... are Synonymous with each other.

Once I discovered, by reading in our Big Book, what God's will for me was... I saw that it was what I wanted all along.

We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free. We cannot subscribe to the belief that this life is a vale of tears, though it once was just that for many of us. But it is clear that we made our own misery. God didn’t do it.

What is "our will"? It's our "wants". In Step 3, we make a decision to turn our wants and our life of to God's care. Then, we vigorously launch into action to make good on our decision... by taking Steps 4 through 9.

Then, in Step 10, God returns "our will" to us.

Thus, we have taken a personal house cleaning of our lives and now it's time to move on to re-creating our lives with our "healthy wants... of a life that is happy, joyous and free."

In Step 4, we were identifying some of the things that were blocking us from "having a happy, joyous, free and sober life of goodness." In Steps 4-9, we worked to remove those things. Then, in Steps 10-12, we continue to remove the blockage, and also to remove any new blockage that comes up.

That's why I love AA and the 12 Steps, and God. They work together to bring about "what I wanted all along." And, for me, this is why I say "I found in AA... what I was looking for in the bottle!" And, if I found what I was looking for -- then why would I ever want to go back to what doesn't work?

Yes. It takes time to change and to change our lives. But, if we're just waiting for life to change (or others to change)... and not taking the actions that we need to take to bring about the change that we desire... we're living in false hope.

Am I working to have the things that I pray for? For me, that's the key. And, if I am working for it -- and, it's not happening yet -- and train loads of troubles come my way -- I can serenely say "this is alright for the moment. I'm sober. I'm breathing. And, I'm taking actions" and now, just like a farmer waits for his crop to grow so he can harvest it ... I must wait. But, if I haven't been working to have the things that I pray for, by taking actions, by making changes in myself and changes in my life... in the end, I'll discover the wait was not worth waiting for.

Dallas

[ROBERT]

Spiritual Awakenings--this was so far out of the scope of my undestanding for such a long time, I was begining to think it was just something the A.A. community talked about, no real results just A.A. banter---today, I know better and the experience I have to look back on as to why I thought that way is how this thing works for me, always--I learn through experience and gain insight after the fact--it is much easier now to NOT try to figure things out when I feel the NEED to understand the situation that seems confusing. I was always wanting to know things before I was ready, wanting to know so I could mold the outcome to fit my desires...MY PAST SHOWS ME I AM NOT AN EFFECTIVE DIRECTOR!! The confusion I experienced and felt--was life trying to tell me something, intuitivley. When I am doing what I am supposed to be doing there is NO confusing feelings- Peace & Serenity is there. It says our problems are of OUR OWN making and the alcoholic will NOT know when in self will-pg. 62 we have to quit playing GOD trying to figure this and figure that! A difficult task for the real alcoholic OFF the A.A. beam. So thru experience, I have learned when things are not going smoothly, and I feel disturbed, anxious, confused- or, restless, irritable,discontented I'm trying to fit into, somewhere that I'm either not ready for or just should not be period!--- my will ---if i can just manage the situation? And by this time my trying to MANAGE my life, up to this point is why I am in my predicament IN THE FIRST PLACE--The proper use of my will, is the vehicle to peace and serenity---I can't make that happen, by looking for peace and serenity as a means to an end, it is the by product of right living--as the book says "We have the cart in front of the horse"--- so the "Wisdom" to know the difference only comes to ME with experience and a load of trust & faith when I am forced by circumstances,created by myself rather than virtue, to live the spiritual life, as suggested by the program of recovery-- A REBEL DOG ALL THE WAY, SO TRUE....

[gunner48]

Today I got up and did what I always want to do. I said GOOD MORNING GOD, LETS GO GET THEM. NEXT I ASKED GOD TO PUT BEFORE ME ONLY THE THINGS HE AND I TOGETHER CAN HANDLE. I LOOKED AT MY DAY AND MADE MY PLANS
THEN I WENT OUT ON MY FRONT PORCH AND WATCHED THE BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE OVER MISSOURI.
WHAT A START TO THE BEST DAY I WILL EVER HAVE.
PEACE AND LOVE

[DiggerinVA]

I woke up.

[angel143]

I woke up sober!!

And any day that I can do that...is the best day ever!

[Dallas]

My dogs are healthy, happy and joyous. I'm reasonable healthy, sane and sober... I've had so many good things come my way today... that I would be on here for hours writing about them. But, I won't do that! I'm going to go enjoy them! They're coming faster than I can type anyway!

Dallas