Experience(s)

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I rarely need to make life-changing decisions, but it's more common to have life-changing experiences

that I find it easy to acknowledge that I have a disease; a disease of addiction and addictive behavior

that we re-read Dr Bob's Nightmare in the Big Book yesterday. It provides me with a subtle reminder of the reasons I go to meetings and why I stay sober

that I want to experience recovery in all its glory


Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
It's about learning how to dance in the rain.
- Vivian Greene

Houston at Night

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I have a Higher Power that knows me so well; a Higher Power from which I cannot hide nor be dishonest, a Higher Power that gave me the opportunity to stop drinking
(something I could not do by myself)

that I live in such a wonderful city (Houston) that has so many opportunities to offer to so many people. We are leading the country in growth and there's a reason for this

to be able to be aware and recognize when my experience is of help to someone else although most of the time, I am surely NOT aware of these times


Resistance creates suffering.
Stress happens when your mind resists what is.
The only problem in your life
is your mind's resistance to life as it unfolds.
- Dan Millman

no title today

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that my experience tells me that I can stay sober through anything, so far

for AA meetings when we talk about the first 3 steps, fear, and gratitude

to recognize that I'm going into another phase of my sober development; I don't know where it will take me, but I'm ready to go

that my friend, Scott W., had a successful gallery opening on Saturday; he says there were over 700 attendees viewing his wonderful art. Many of you know Scott through his former blog, Attitude of Gratitude.


Gratitude is an attitude that hooks us up to our source of supply.
And the more grateful you are, the closer you become to your maker, to the architect of the universe, to the spiritual core of your being.
- Bob Proctor

Dancing Queens

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I'm old enough to have experienced a lot, but young enough to try it again anyway

for A.A.'s first step and its importance -- "We were powerless over alcohol and our lives had become unmanageable."

for those who've tried to get sober outside/without AA and come to share their experiences

that I feel much better than yesterday, thank you


Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying,
"I will try again tomorrow.”
- Mary Anne Radmacher

experience should not be discounted

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for a very inspiring AA discussion meeting about (of all things) -- failure. A concept many of us (certainly me) know about. We talked about a different attitude concerning failure. That there is no failure and no success -- only our experience. I've heard numerous times that all of my experiences (the good and the bad) make me who I am today. In that sense, failure becomes an asset. So what could have been a whiny meeting became very uplifting. Wow, I love my fellow alkies!

for an overall better attitude toward life than I had before I stopped drinking

for American Pickers, a show on The History Channel this year. It's about 2 guys who travel the countryside in their truck, stopping at old barns and farms to see what junk they might be able to buy and then resell for a profit. I love this kind of thing and would love to do something like that. I would not enjoy the process of having to sell all that stuff though. Maybe I'll just stick with watching them on the telly. LOL



Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
- Marianne Williamson

this is a test

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful


that there's always a next right thing and a next wrong thing for me to do. It's my choice.

for the ability of Mr SponsorPants to put his experience, strength and hope into words that I can understand and identify with

for change -- in all its forms

for the truth


Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Consistency

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I am able to be consistent with the recovery meetings I attend

for the wisdom and experience of the people with whom I choose to surround myself

that I can give back to others so easily, but I have to show up in order to do that

that I am able to be consistent with this blog



If we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.
- Anthony Robbins

Humility is the key

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that sobriety and recovery are so popular amongst the crowd of people with whom I choose to associate

for all the jobs I had in my younger days, which provided me with a solid foundation to live a full life and experience things I never expected to experience

yesterday, our 6:30am group read Gutter Bravado from the 4th edition of Alcoholics Anonymous. I love these quotes ... "planned abstinence was extrememly stressful." ..... "the downward spiral of my life began making smaller circles." ... " I began to feel like a clown juggling too many balls." I really identify with these.

that I keep trying to do and be my best; when I fail, I learn a lesson


Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.
- Helen Keller

Post #2800

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I got to listen to my friend Juan O. tell his story of experience, strength and hope. He's 19 months sober and has come a long, long way in that short time period.

for restraint of tongue AND pen AND keyboard

for a newly-developing ability of not taking the bait because usually I'd rather be happy than right

that I don't believe everything I read on the internet or hear on the news


In the midst of difficulty lies opportunity.
- Albert Einstein

I see you!

todAAy i AAM grAAteful & thAAnkful

for familiarity

to know that I have so much more to learn and most of that will come from experience

that solutions to problems (large and small) often come disguised which means I have to remain observant

for those who came before me


You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
- C. S. Lewis

6 years of blogging

Today marks the 6th anniversary of this blog. I have posted consistently since then and this is the 2,764th post. . I have also stayed sober consistently since September 2003.

Below is my first post from December 6, 2004.

Still trying to get this blog stuff down. Scott did his and he ain't no more computer literate than me so I know I have a chance. LOL Maybe I will even figger out how to get some pictures on here.

I am waiting for word about a potential job in Nigeria. May come today or this week. I just don't know, but am trying to let it go.

Feeling quite spiritual today after 3 str8 AA meetings of spirituality. This is all so new to me and is an interesting thing to go through. I never liked the term "reborn" but now understand it completely. The only spirit I knew before September 5, 2003 came in a bottle of rum.


todAAy i AAM grAAteful & thAAnkful

that Robin C. got to share her experience with us on Saturday

that I saw my goodest friend Rodney star in a play last night; he was superb, of course

that I sometimes have a stiff, upper lip

that I'm so lucky


Just smiling goes a long way toward making you feel better about life. And when you feel better about life, your life is better. With an optimistic, positive attitude toward life, the possibilities for your second prime are tremendous.
- Art Linkletter, who died May 26, 2010 at the age of 97, expressed these thoughts on smiling, positive attitude and a second prime when he was 94.

World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. It is common to hold memorials to honor persons who have died from HIV/AIDS on this day. Government and health officials also observe the event, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an official proclamation on World AIDS Day. Governments of other nations have followed suit and issued similar announcements.

AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007, and an estimated 33.2 million people worldwide live with HIV as of 2007, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 2 million lives in 2007, of which about 270,000 were children.





todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful


that I'm still HIV negative after all these years and intend to remain that way

that I'm not responsible for my first thought, but I am responsible for my second thought and the action after that thought

that my home life/relationship still sucks but I still think I'm just about the luckiest person I know

that my experience tells me that life goes on (so far, that's been the case)

for a really good noon meeting yesterday about self-care


Most of us love, to be sure. Yet far too often our love is passive.
We must be proactive in our love in order for it to change our lives.
- Marianne Williamson

Ten-Four, good buddy

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful


that our friend, Zane, told us his story of experience (lots of it), strength (it's obvious) and hope (everlasting) at the Saturday Night Live speaker meeting at Lambda Center

for a relatively quiet weekend

for naturally funny people; I am around many of them every day

that I came across The Recovering Alcoholic. He's the "best drinker ever". Drop by and help make him welcome to this unique world of recovery.

for beautiful weather to be one of many who showed off our cars this weekend; I took a lot of pictures and will psot some of them this week


Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits.
- Mark Twain (humorist)

on being responsible ...

1953 Buick Wildcat





todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for the larger-than-normal attendance at the early morning meeting over the past coupla months

that my friend Norris L. told his A.A. story of experience, strength and hope

that I am still waiting for the day that I don't have a part in everything that happens in my life

that I took the blame for the major problems in my life


A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.
- John Burroughs

Back to Gratitude!

great doormat!

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that nothing is more important to me than my sobriety

for the wisdom and experience I hear in the rooms of A.A.

that I have the rest of my life to practice recovery and the knowledge that I'll get a little better at it as the days pass by

for a peaceful weekend in which I got almost enough rest


Forgiveness ... is the finishing of old business that allows us to experience the present, free of contamination from the past.
~~ unknown

The Promises

This is YOUR lucky day!! click here



todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful for The Promises ...

... If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through (step 9).
... We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
... We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
... We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know a new peace.
... No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
... That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
... We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
... Self-seeking will slip away.
... Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
... Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
... 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.

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.
- Brian Tracy

Today, I won't drink any alcohol.

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful


for so many recovery tools. Too bad I don't always wanna use them.

that Kevin C. gave us a little more of his experience, strength and hope yesterday. He is one-of-a-kind.

that when a relapser walked into our noon meeting yesterday drunk or really high (or both) no one over-reacted. She made a complete fool of herself and had to be removed and taken to the hospital by paramedics. Damn, I'm glad I'm sober.

to be the recipient of so many blessings

Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Belling the Cat

The Mice once called a meeting to decide on a plan to free themselves of their enemy, the Cat. At least they wished to find some way of knowing when she was coming, so they might have time to run away. Indeed, something had to be done, for they lived in such constant fear of her claws that they hardly dared stir from their dens by night or day.

Many plans were discussed, but none of them was thought good enough. At last a very young Mouse got up and said:

"I have a plan that seems very simple, but I know it will be successful. All we have to do is to hang a bell about the Cat's neck. When we hear the bell ringing we will know immediately that our enemy is coming."

All the Mice were much surprised that they had not thought of such a plan before. But in the midst of the rejoicing over their good fortune, an old Mouse arose and said:

"I will say that the plan of the young Mouse is very good. But let me ask one question: Who will bell the Cat?"

Moral: It is one thing to say that something should be done, but quite a different matter to do it.

a fable by Aesop



todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for the things I get that I didn't know I needed

for the things I don't get that I think I wanted

that I love to share my experience of recovery with anyone who's willing to listen

that I love to hear about the recovery experience of others

One can not reflect in streaming water. Only those who know internal peace can give it to others.
- Lao Tzu

just visiting

men can fix anything!

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for those who suit up and show up; especially when they announce it beforehand and then follow through

that my friend Todd celebrates 365 days of sobriety today. I got to meet Todd twice when visitng NYC. He's a sweet as they come.

for a nice visit with my sister and her significant other yesterday in rural Texas

for the 5 years that Mary Christine wrote about her experience, strength and hope

that I met 5 old high school friends last night at a small bar near our old school. We found each other on Facebook and decided to get together. I had not seen any of them in 38 years. I'm so glad I have not aged as much as they have.

Never miss a chance to keep your mouth shut.
- Robert Newton Peck

Workin' it ...

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for some emphasis on Step 6 -- "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."

that I can read Step 6 in the Twelve & Twelve and disregard the religous tone in which much of it is written

that I have (hopefully) learned to not say never

that I've learned to be content with patient improvement of my progress

that I sometimes find the willingness required of me to practive Step 6

that someone actually asked me to meet them at Starbucks for some of my Experience, Strength and Hope


To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.
- Henri Bergson