Well Walter, I suppose we all used the excuses, until we got serious.
True, and some are faster while others are talking the long way.
But it's never too late to change live for the better! (And even a step backward can be two steps in a healthier future!)
I HATE TO ADMIT THIS, BUT I HAVE REALLY GOOFED!
Tonight at 7PM is our first actual real time chat and
I am not going to be able to be here. I had made
plans MONTHS AGO to go to a womens retreat for
the whole weekend.
Isn't that silly of me - I picked a date and time when
I can't even be there for it????????????
Who knows - maybe it will turn out better if I am
not there.
Sorry I will be missing it if you have the chat, I hope
some of you get to have a chat & enjoy yourselves.
I PROMISE that I will be there for the next one!!
Have fun
Babs
Okay, now what were we talking about? Oh yeah, excuses..
(Hee-hee)..Just a friendly busting of chops Babs.
. You've did yeoman's work in getting the thing set up. LOL
Booman<
I agree with you; babs has really been working hard on this forum. I would call it service work in cyberspace and applaud her good job!
Did you have the online meeting and how did it go? Who attended?
I'm on aol and I can't get into the chat room.
seag;ass
seaglass<
The online meeting has not been held.
I believe babs has it scheduled for Feb. 1 @ 7 p.m. (but I'm not certain which time zone she is using).
seaclass
This really should be no excuse :wink: for you: you can start IE in aol as well and have no problems at all!
Those chat meetings organized from the USA are always in the middle of the night here.
I thought that was tonight , at 7 EST. It seemed to me, she was saying it was the 1st meeting. what's the answer somebody? I'm sure about the time.
Ahh.....My favorite four words Walter. :wink:
Today's Thought
One way to become enthusiastic is to look for the plus sign.
To Make progress in any difficult situation, you have to start with what's right about it and build on that.
Norman Vincent Peale
Beginning our days with a positive mental outlook is a great depression chaser. Simply lifting our heads and looking up and out instead of down will make us feel better. Although we ca'nt spend all our time starig at the sky, we can train ourselved to look for the best in ourselves and others.
Even in the middle of difficulty or pain, we hve choices. We can choose a gloom-and-doom attitude and endlessly replay the thoughts that accompany it. Or we can step back and find the one good things. We may be blinded with pain. The situation may appear hopeless, utterly bleak. But recovery guarantees that we are equal to it, that in our pain there is at least one good thing.
We are masters of our fate. We can change even the most difficult situations with an attitude of hope and positive expectation. Approaching each day with a hopeful heart will give us a different approach to our troubles.
Today help me find the one good thing. Help me let go of fear and negativity.
There are many slogans and tools, but the two most commonly used by me are the Serenity Prayer, and KISS.
A great big HELLO to all my dearly beloved
friends in recovery!!
Just back from a weekend long retreat for
women in recovery at a wonderful retreat
center - so I am chock full of serenity -
fellowship - new thoughts and ideas and
ONE THING that ALWAYS amazes me - I
refuse to chose who I will room with. The
retreat center can assign me a roomate and
I do this every year - and every year w/out
fail I meet another woman who is just so
terrific that it boggles my mind. All the
women from my home group have carefully
chosen roomates, they always arrange to
drive in groups - but they forget that to leave
things in one's Higher Power's hands, is a
sure guarantee of success. This year, I met
and shared a room with a woman named
Mary Lee - and she is the sweetest woman
I've ever met. I simply adored & I learned
so much from getting to know her.
I don't remember what pages exactly, but
I do know that in the Big Book - our tendency
to desire to "manage our lives well" has a
somewhat negative impact on our contented
sobriety. So - I gave up on the idea of my
own carefully laid plans & I leave wide open
spaces for My Creator to fill with what I need,
not necessarily what I choose, or want, but
what I NEED!
So far, I can report only that my needs have
always been met quite handsomely.
I hope that you all had a good chat on this
past Saturday. If anyone DID chat, let me
know and I will arrange it again, same day,
same time - although I will, I think, be out of
town AGAIN, this coming weekend - this time
to visit my grandkids & we have a birthday to
celebrate - so, as I am leaving tomorrow
early afternoon - if you want to use the
chatroom - just send a private message to
Phoenix or Jespah - and let them know
you want the chatroom & when.
Otherwise, I will be back to chat with y'all
some more next Monday or Tuesday.
I sure do love you people!
todays thought
Nothing is so much to be feared as fear
-Henry David Thoreau
There are often days when we must do something we have put off doing, or something we fear. This is normal life, and it happens to us all. Not everyday is like this, but when one is, we can say a prayer, accept the fear, and not struggle against it. Being in recovery means we need to live fully in the world and do things in spite of fear.
In recovery, we learn that through acceptance and trust, we can do difficult things. When we fight fers, we usuually lose the battle and actually become more frightened. Quite cooperation with God's plan for us won't always remove fear, but it will make it more managable.
Today let me understand that faith makes fear manageable.
The only power we have is in the "now" moment.
babs<
Sometimes those weekend retreats can provide superb opportunities to get us "out of ourselves." Sounds like you had a rewarding time.
HOWEVER....(sigh)...It 's not that easy. We must have balance. I'm on disability retirement, and could easily decide to forego structure. Lately I've been doing that. I say, what the hell, I don't have to punch a time clock, no one expects anything of me. And then, my stinkin' thinkin', takes over. I have an argument with my wife, and get a case of the f*ckits. I know you all are familiar with this. ("F*ck it I might as well....) and you know the rest. I'm just saying, even though I have all the excuse in the world to give up on order, and structure, I can't do this , or it will lead to disaster through addictive behavior. We're all just a crisis away, from picking up. Thanks, for letting me get that out.
Booman<
I agree with you that we all must find balance in our lives. That fact is one thing recovery is all about.
We must try not to achieve too many emotional "highs"
or "lows." Right in the middle of the spectrum, in the continuity of serenity, is where we all work to be.
If we occasionally disappoint ourselves, so be it. We claim progress, not perfection. As long as we're trying to progress, maybe we'll stay sober for another day.
Amen, williamhenry. And all we have is that one day. Any time I feel like picking up because something has upset me, because I'm experiencing a low, all I need to do is remind myself that I know from experience that picking up a drink is not going to change the situation. It will not make things better. And I know this from experience, not because I read it in the Big Book or heard somebody say it at a meeting. I need the meetings to remind me of these things, yes, but my experience, my past actions, actually point my way to sobriety.
