Serenity

Reflection for the Day

When I first read the Serenity Prayer, the word serenity itself seemed like an impossibility. At the time, the word conjured up images of lethargy, apathy, resignation, or grim-faced endurance; it hardly seemed a desirable goal. But I’ve since found that serenity means none of those things. Serenity for me today is simply a clear-eyed and realistic way of seeing the world, accompanied by inner peace and strength.

My favorite definition is “Serenity is like a gyroscope that lets us keep our balance no matter what turbulence swirls around us.” Is that a state of mind worth aiming for?

Today I Pray

May I notice that serenity comes first, ahead of courage and wisdom, in the sequence of the Serenity Prayer. May I believe that serenity must also come first in my life. I must have the balance, realistic outlook, and acceptance that is part of this blessing of serenity before I can go on to the kind of action and decision-making that will bring order to my existence.

Today I Will Remember

Serenity comes first.

From the book A Day at a Time

Make Good Choices

To enjoy freedom we have to control ourselves.

~Virginia Woolf

Freedom is a funny thing. In a way, it makes life harder. We are free to do what we want, but every choice makes a difference in our lives. Some choices make us happy, and some bring trouble.

We can make good choices. We can control our actions. We can start by having control in little ways: follow the law, pay the rent, make the bed every day. These choices put order in our lives. Eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep. These choices make us strong enough to live each day to the fullest. These kinds of choices set us free.

Prayer for the Day

Higher Power, when I was drinking and drugging, I couldn’t enjoy my freedom. I had no control over the little things in my life. Help me stay sober today.

God's Guidance

"We discover that we receive guidance for our lives to just about the extent that we stop making demands upon God to give it to us on order and on our terms."

"In praying, we ask simply that throughout the day God place in us the best understanding of His will that we can have for that day, and that we be given the grace by which we may carry it out."

"There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer. Taken separately, these practices can bring much relief and benefit. But when they are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakable foundation for life."

from the book; AS BILL SEES IT
TWELVE AND TWELVE - 1. p. 104 - 2. p. 102 - 3. p. 98

OUR PATHS ARE OUR OWN

My first attempt at the Steps was one of obligation and necessity, which resulted in a deep feeling of discouragement in the face of all those adverbs: courageously; completely; humbly; directly; and only. I considered Bill W. fortunate to have gone through such a major, even sensational, spiritual experience. I had to discover, as time went on, that my path was my own. After a few twenty-four hours in the A.A. Fellowship, thanks especially to the sharing of members in the meetings, I understood that everyone gradually finds his or her own pace in moving through the Steps. Through progressive means, I try to live according to these suggested principles. As a result of these Steps, I can say today that my attitude towards life, people, and towards anything having to do with God, has been transformed and improved.

Discipline

The word discipline has its origins in two Latin terms, whose literal translation means to learn and comprehend what is good for one by taking it apart. Self-discipline has as its foundation the concept of teaching. It is not built upon a flimsy platform of have to, ought to, or should.

Rather, it evolves from consistently doing what we have come to know is good for us, on every level, including the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It is an incredibly powerful ally on our path to discovering and manifesting our best self. Many conceive of it as some form of self-deprivation, as in eating less ice cream, spending less time on enjoyable video gaming, or even in not succumbing to the allure of a pleasurable drug.

Our purpose is not to get people sober

Twelve Step recovery initially appealed to us because we wanted someone close to get sober. We thought that if we could do our part right, the other person would get sober. And we are learning our part: We have made concrete changes in how we think and what we do. However, the drinker may still be drinking. Recovery can change only us, not them.

Living according to Twelve Step principles gives us a fresh perspective on life. Very few situations baffle us now. We have learned how to get quiet so we can hear our inner guide.

Problem

Many of us have a mind-set that keeps us on a treadmill. It’s not for lack of effort that our lives reel out of control. We struggle to move forward. We work hard to manage the unmanageable. But with all our busy efforts, we can’t see that we are continuously recycling the same problem over and over.

The solution we need may be right before our eyes. Our denial is confusing us; we don’t even know we are denying anything. We cannot solve our problems alone—or even see the problems clearly from the inside. That’s what friends do for us. They reflect back to us what we are missing.

A GLORIOUS RELEASE

"The minute I stopped arguing, I could begin to see and feel. Right there, Step Two gently and very gradually began to infiltrate my life. I can't say upon what occasion or upon what day I came to believe in a Power greater than myself, but I certainly have that belief now. To acquire it, I had only to stop fighting and practice the rest of A.A.'s program as enthusiastically as I could."

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 27


After years of indulging in a "self-will run riot," Step Two became for me a glorious release from being all alone. Nothing is so painful or insurmountable in my journey now.