Peaceful Easy Feeling

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for good things that happen when I get out of the way

for Step One meetings because they are the basic reminders that I can never hear enough about

for clearer perceptions than I used to have

that I do my very best to follow through on committments -- I get pretty tired of so many people who agree to do something and then don't do it.


You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.
- John Wooden

Shakespeare said it best

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that my vision has widened since I got sober

for the subtle changes that Al Anon is making in my relationships perceptions

that my friend Don B. shared his experience yesterday at the noon meeting

for patience; without it, I would not be sober


Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.
- Paul Boese

back to .........

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I don't have to explain myself to anybody unless I want to. That's not to be confused with defending myself.

that my domestic problems with my partner are largely behind me/us

for altered perceptions, largely because of fewer expectations

that Christmas season is drawing to an end; it's a shame that I feel this way, but it's the truth

for the small-ish parties I attended this season and that I didn't stay at any of them for more than about an hour


I get by with a little help from my friends.
- John Lennon

Powerless tools

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for the recovery and spiritual tools I've been so freely given, including (but not limited to) restraint of tongue and pen

to know for a fact that my perceptions so often have little or nothing to do with reality

that I can sometimes say the right thing without even thinking about it; it's my recovery at work


The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.
- Abraham Lincoln

for this Friday morning ...

It is near the Christmas break of the school year. The students have turned in all their work and there is really nothing more to do. All the children are restless and the teacher decides to have an early dismissal.

Teacher: "Whoever answers the questions I ask, first and correctly can leave early today."
Little Johnny says to himself "Good, I want to get outta here. I'm smart and will answer the question."


Teacher: "Who said 'Four Score and Seven Years Ago'?"

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Susie says, "Abraham Lincoln."

Teacher: "That's right Susie, you can go home."

Johnny is mad that Susie answered the question first.


Teacher: "Who said 'I Have a Dream'?"

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Mary says, "Martin Luther King."

Teacher: "That's right Mary, you can go."

Johnny is even madder than before.


Teacher: "Who said 'Ask not, what your country can do for you'?"

Before Johnny can open his mouth, Nancy says, "John F. Kennedy."

Teacher: "That's right Nancy , you may also leave."

Johnny is boiling mad that he has not been able to answer to any of the questions.

When the teacher turns her back Johnny says, "I wish these bitches would keep their mouths shut!"

The teacher turns around: "NOW WHO SAID THAT?"

Johnny: "TIGER WOODS. CAN I GO NOW?"



todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

from page 31 of the Big Book, "Physicians who are familiar with alcoholism agree there is no such thing as making a normal drinker out of an alcoholic."
I would never want to be a normal drinker. That would take all the fun out of it.

to remember how sensitive I am and not to over-react to most of my perceptions

for the oh, so many times that my recovery program seems to work me

that my magnifying mind has settled down a bit from "the good old days"

Ingenuity plus courage plus work equals miracles.
- Bob Richards

as my brain bounces around ...

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that my perceptions seem a tad better than they were a year or two ago, but I'm still way off the mark sometimes

that I shared in the Al-Anon Double-Winner meeting last night

that someone spoke last night in that meeting (see above) that to be a Double-Winner, one must first be a Double-Loser. LOL

that I'm not a false echo on someone's radar

that we're only 8 inches short of our averge rainfall total after this weeks' rainfall

Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.
- Lou Holtz

off in the distance ...

During their walk on the lunar surface one of the astronauts (probably Buzz Aldrin) snapped this photo of the Lunar Module with Earth almost directly above.

todAay i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that sobriety brings me more perspective

for a fulfilling and exhilarating experience as guest speaker at an AA meeting in Austin, Texas. The last 2 times I "told my story", I was 15-20 minutes short of the alloted time period. Saturday night, however, the words seemed to just flow and I could have easily spoken for another hour I think. Instead of telling about my drunken days and nights, I focused on the unmanageable feelings of obsession and behavior behind my alcoholism.
It felt really good to get some of that stuff out in front of a group of recovering alkies.

that Steps 1, 2 and 3 got me sober

for lunch @ Luby's with the guys & girls


Nothing lowers the level on conversation more than raising the voice.
- Stanley Horowitz

Say nope to dope

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that my sobriety is my priority, which is why it leads my gratitude list

that I don't even miss smoking that ounce of marijuana each week

that Step 4 has kinda been in my face the past week (2 sponsees have just begun Step 4 and yesterday we read about it in the Big Book)

that Hayden very innocently reminded me how screwed up my thinking can be


Life is like a ten-speed bike. Most of us have gears we never use.
-Charles M. Schultz

Dancing animals

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

to see that when I'm spiritually fit (by my definition) it's so much easier to practice these principles in all my affairs


that patience with others and myself is a daily goal


to be able to recognize when my perceptions are skewed (yes! it happens!)



"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end"
R.J.Wiedemann.LtCol.USMC Ret.

Perception

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that Laurel K. is chairing the 12:15p Monday meeting this month -- it's a step study and she is the best I've seen (yet) to lead such a format

that I am not as sub-standard as my mind would sometimes have me believe

that I am rarely as busy as it seems like I am

for my health

Do or do not. There is no try.
-Yoda The Empire Strikes Back

Guides along the way

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for the Principles behind the Steps;

• honesty


• hope


• faith


• courage


• integrity


• willingness


• humility


• compassion


• discipline


• perseverance


• spirituality


• service

the my perceptions oftentimes have nothing to do with reality

that we'll read another of the stories in the back half of The Big Book this morning at the 6:30am meeting

for the financial ability to pay my bills

Elbow grease is the best polish.
-English Proverb

ongoing sobriety

post-Hurricane Ike beach houses in Galveston (in this picture, there's about 7 or 8 missing homes)


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that Boston is leading the 6:30am meeting today

that I have been asked (and of course I accepted) to tell my AA story at a treatment center next week (I've never even been there before)

for some awareness of my false perceptions (occasionally)

Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is.
-Will Rogers

Slogan week

117,764 People


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that sometimes I Think, Think, Think

that I heard a good AA story on Saturday, although it was a little difficult for me to follow

to know that my perceptions are usually the cause of my lack of serenity

for the nurses and their assistants who take care of my Mom. They don't get much recognition, it seems to me. She continues to live, although I think she is about to die at any time. She can barely acknowledge my presence but seems to be in little or no pain.

for a very short Lambda Board meeting

that I don't automatically just believe anything the news media tries to make me think; I am constantly amazed at the gullibility of people I consider friends, who just believe everything they hear, read, watch. Most of the "news" we see these days should be reclassified as "opinions."

It is not the cards you are dealt but what you do with them that counts.
-Anonymous

a long way to go

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I woke up sober and with no hangover this morning

that my martyrdom and isolationism may soon pass (feelings and behaviors I seem to experience occasionally)

that I am not long-winded when I talk in public

that I'm still able to make new memories each day

that I've learned to keep many of my "observations" to myself; especially when they are less-than flattering

Electile Dysfunction:
The inability to become aroused over any of the choices for president put forth by either party in the 2008 election year.

reality

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for progress in my "taking care of me" program

that a friend who relapsed this week is OK; he is in the hospital after getting mugged coming from a bar Wednesday night

that relapse is not part of my program -- as I watch others who go back out, I see how difficult it is to get back into recovery

for a Higher Power that is so understanding

that my feelings often have little to do with the facts

"They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel."
-- Carl. W. Buechner

Hump Day

HUMILITY

"We grow small trying to be great." -- E. Stanley Jones

"I claim to be a simple individual liable to err like any other fellow mortal. I own, however, that I have humility enough to confess my errors and to retrace my steps." -- Mahatma Gandhi

"If we become increasingly humble about how little we know, we may be more eager to search." -- Sir John Templeton

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that when I type my gratitude list, I have the keys to happiness at my fingertips

that one of the best methods for me to get out of my head is to speak with a newcomer or someone who has recently relapsed

for a reminder that if I am to have any chance of becoming anything close to a useful human being, I must maintain a conscious contact with my Higher Power

that my only real problems today are the ones I create in my head, which in turn, means they aren't real problems anyway

for a new topic on SOBRIETY SOCIETY -- drop in and leave a comment

that tomorrow is hAAlf nAAked thursdAAy, cameras out please

"You can accomplish anything in life, provided that you do not mind who gets the credit."
-- Harry S. Truman

Nothing Negative

This is the only concrete Ping Pong Table I have ever seen.
It is on the grounds of the Tobago Hilton Hotel, about 50 yards from the surf of the Caribbean Sea.
Even the net is concrete. Personally, I thought it was a bit windy to be playing, but I'm kinda particular that way.


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I get to witness the new-found sobriety of so many people and then watch as they grow in recovery

that I am pretty damn content when I am not thinking of the things I want to have

that I got to speak to Mary Christine yesterday

for a quick and peaceful Board meeting Sunday at Lambda Center

that I am so blessed - there's really nothing negative in my life except those things that my perceptions tell me are negative; or put another way, those things that I make up

that The Astros begin their 46th annual campaign to win a World Series - today!

Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth, or the only truth.
-Charles A. Dana

Hanging in there

"Thirsty"

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I have everything I need and more, although I usually don't think about this when it's all about dAAve

for tangible proof that my perception is often that I never have enough

for my extracurricular AA committments - this weekend, I had a District/GSR meeting at which I made a short presentation, a Lambda Center fundraising organization meeting and a Lambda Center Board of Directors meeting. I not only enjoy doing these things, but need them to help fill out my life.

for the current topic on SOBRIETY SOCIETY; please drop by and read/leave a comment

that Hayden loves me in spite of my thinking and sticks with me in spite of my behavior

that we're not joined at the hip (or any other body part)

that I am going to see a doctor about some apparent nerve damage in my neck/shoulder/arm

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart."
-- Elisabeth Foley

Perceptions & Realities

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that tomorrow is my Mom's 84th birthday - unfortunately she must spend it in bed as the result of a stroke - unable to speak or eat. Yet she occasionally shows a spark of life and awareness which reminds me that her HP is not yet ready for her. I'll spend a little time with her and hold her hand. When I ask, she will squeeze my hand as tightly as she can and we look at each other and smile.

for a nice breakfast with my sponsor; in our 3 1/2 years together, we have really become good friends and seem to be able to talk about anything going on in our lives, with no fear of any negative consequences. He does, however, caution me from time to time about my behavior and thinking and I can take it without any resentment. This is new stuff for this old alkie.

for an AHA!! moment while watching an old movie - "Cactus Flower" -- I realized how grateful I am that the man I love is not the nymphomaniac that my brain sometimes imagines; in fact, he is the opposite

for more insight from my therapist who has given me some things to work on over the next few days and weeks (Who am I kidding? They are things I need to work on for the rest of my life!)

that the pitchers and catchers report to spring training today for the 46th season of The Hosuton Astros

I am out of town and will be back before you know it - maybe tomorrow, maybe not. I may be able to post on here, maybe not. If you can't handle that, call your sponsor.

"I was told once... in all your awful relationships you must remember the common denominator

----------->YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

~ unknown