Being ...

Black is In!!!

The most powerful politician in the world is black.
The best golfer in the world is black.
The best female tennis players are black.
The fastest racing driver in the world is black.
The world's best sprinter is black.....

Michael Jackson must be kicking himself.


todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

to be a sober and productive person

that a friend from my small 6:30am meeting told her story yesterday at the much larger noon meeting. It was done with honesty and humility. Very intriguing.

for some interesting observations

that I have some secret information that you don't have - that's what makes it secret (and me sicker than you)


Enthusiasm is the greatest asset in the world. It beats money and power and influence.
-Henry Chester

Crabs

Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. It is known for its ability to crack coconuts with its strong pincers in order to eat the contents. It is sometimes called the robber crab because some coconut crabs are rumored to steal shiny items such as pots and silverware from houses and tents. The second photo gives you a good idea of how large these crabs are - a coconut crab is seeking food from a black trashcan.

The coconut crab is a large edible land crab related to the hermit crab, and are found in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans . They eat coconuts for a living! How would you like to be on an island and come across a crab that is more than 3 feet from head to tail and weighs up to 40 pounds, with a pair of large pincers strong enough to open coconuts! They can climb trees too, but they only eat coconuts that have already fallen to the ground.

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I've attended first step meetings 2 days in a row -- they are usually jam-packed with experience and knowledge

no more blackouts and the embarrassment that went with them

that I remind myself every morning to be more compassionate and patient than I was yesterday

for the years I spent working offshore (1981-1984) and the sights I had the opportunity to witness -- from the magnificence of the weather to the beauty of the many species of animals


Life is a roller-coaster. Try to eat a light lunch.
-David Schmaltz

Tuesday morning

My favorite television character of all time is Rob Petrie (Dick van Dyke Show).
Check out this blooper reel.




How 'bout you? Who's your favorite TV character?



todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I can give back in more ways than I can think of

for the importance of not having that first drink and that AA has taught me how to avoid it

that I haven't experienced an alcoholic blackout in years -- that's really nice!

to see some new faces on old people in the rooms of AA

Friendship is a promise of future loyalty, loyalty no matter what comes. Promises are the bricks of life and trust is the mortar.
-Stephen Carter

Thoughts on a Monday

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful


for the WE of the program and to be reminded that those who are not in the program cannot possibly understand how important it is

for a slowly increasing knowledge of my fears

for a nice talk with my sponsor

that I don't feel threatened by the act of 2 people practicing heterosexuality

that the bi-annual time change doesn't bother me at all -- I don't even notice it
(I also never get jet lag)


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

Is your dog this smart?

Many of us are quite confused about how we should present ourselves. We are unsure about the kind of image we are projecting and whether or not we are correct as we try to conform to current fashions. Despite what you may have seen on the streets, the following combinations DO NOT go together ...
And should be avoided:

1. A nose ring and bifocals
2. Spiked hair and bald spots
3. A pierced tongue and dentures
4. Miniskirts and support hose
5. Ankle bracelets and corn pads
6. Speedo's and cellulite
7. A belly button ring and a gall bladder surgery scar
8. Unbuttoned disco shirts and a heart monitor
9. Midriff shirts and a midriff bulge
10. Bikinis and liver spots
11. Short shorts and varicose veins
12. Inline skates and a walker

And last, but not least...

13. Thongs and Depends

Saturday morning

I've only just begun

video stolen from donated by Scott W

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for new behavior, backed by a better attitude

that I enjoy life as a sober person; I would NEVER have thought this possible

for patience that not only comes from serenity but enhances it

that I am now 5 years, 6 months and 1 day sober

that we've only just begun

for the PBS program last night entitled -- "Celtic Woman - The Greatest Journey" -- some beautiful music.


We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.
-Charles Kingsley

Can you do this?

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I didn't trip over the fork in the road

for some of the lessons from Step 10 ...
continuously looking at my actions and even my thinking
the spot-check inventory
doing the next right thing
pause when agitated
letting go of anger and resentments
live and let live
compassion towards others and myself
recognizing my motives

What have I missed?


We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
-Marianne Williamson

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

forrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre!!

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for people who care and take action

for the infinite number of ways to carry the message

that I can usually carry the message rather than the mess

that I don't try to practice recovery; I try to live it


Show me a guy who's afraid to look bad, and I'll show you a guy you can beat every time.
-Lou Brock

fishnet

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for a very enjoyable AA birthday night @ Lambda Center; 26 celebrants with 293 years of sobriety

that until I met forgiveness, I only knew resentments

for some occasional sanity

for a new link, drop by to visit Recovery 101

Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.
-The Hausa Of Nigeria

A great way to start the month ...

Just sit back and enjoy this!

One Word Answers

Try this on your own blog, if you wish. We can all get to know each other just a little bit better.

1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Your significant other? bed
3. Your hair? short
4. Your mother? dead
5. Your father? dead
6. Your favorite thing? sobriety
7. Your dream last night? huh?
8. Your favorite drink? coffee
9. Your dream/goal? serenity
10. The room you’re in? office
11. Your fear? people
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you’re not? drunk
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. One of your wish list items? security
17. Where you grew up? Houston
18. The last thing you did? uh-oh
19. What are you wearing? shorts
20. Your TV? Sony
21. Your pet? cats
22. Your computer? Sony
23. Your life? sober
24. Your mood? good
25. Missing someone? mom
26. Your car? Riviera
27. Something you’re not wearing? underwear
28. Favorite store? Lowe's
29. Summer? hot!
30. Favorite color? blue
31. Why did you laugh last? joke
32. Why did you cry last? death
33. Who will repost this? Dunno
34. A place I go over and over: Lambda
35. Someone who emails me: Zane
36. Place I would rather be right now: here

just loungin' round

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that when I got sober, I got sentenced to life

for the behavior adjustments that just sorta come naturally as a result of living in Step 10

that Step 10 causes me to adjust my attitude and behavior BEFORE I screw up (occasionally)

for proof (time and time again) that the smallest show of friendship can go a long, long way

that I am hosting our 10am backyard AA meeting this morning

that I seem to stay busy all day, every day. Sometimes, though, I 'd appreciate time to just do nothin'.

Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.
-The Hausa Of Nigeria

not Bunny

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I woke up sober again, able to remember everything I did last night

that I had my annual meeting with the family CPA to get the taxes processed

that I've been making some good progress in the back garden -- our temperatures here have been hitting the '70's just about every day, so it seems like spring. I know we'll have at least one more cold spell, but it is doubtful that the temp will get to freezing (famous last words).

that we got to hear Edgar M. tell about his alcoholism yesterday on his 6 month anniversary


Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting.
-Christopher Morley

It works if you work it

todAAy i AAM grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I have now gone 2000 days without drinking alcohol (well, it's a start!)

for Chapter 5 of Alcoholics Anonymous, which includes little statements like ...

• that we be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success


• each person is like an actor who wants to run the whole show


• our actor is self-centered


• Selfishness -- self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.


• We had to quit playing god. It didn't work.


• We had a new employer.


• Relieve me of the bondage of self.


• Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning.


• So we had to get down to causes and conditions.

There is, of course, much much more where this came from. These sentences are from pages 60-62 of The Big Book.


They who give have all things; they who withhold have nothing.
-Hindu Proverb

Small world

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

that I'm going to an AA meeting at 6:30am (as I do every weekday) where we will read a few pages of The Big Book and then discuss what we read

that I have daily interaction with people that I would not normally mix, but I need other recovering alkies in my life as often as possible

that I attended the funeral of a lifelong family friend yesterday. He was 83 and had been ill for over 10 years. I had not seen his children in 30+ years. We ran around together through our teen years, drinking and smoking the hooch. Yesterday, while talking to one of them at the chapel, she mused that her Mom had mentioned that I'm now a friend of Bill W. I assured her that I was and had partied until I was 49 years old and now had 5+ years in recovery.
That's when she told me that she had just celebrated her 32nd year of sobriety. LOL

that I don't feel the need to be in New Orleans for Mardi Gras; Rio de Janiero or Port of Spain for Carnival (too many people, too much drinking and petty crime)

If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.
-Mary Pickford

Monday morning

todAAy i AAm grAAteful & thAAnkful

for a really nice and peaceful (serene) weekend, filled with recovery stuff

that I got to hear Patrick S. tell what it was like, what happened and what it's like now

that I participated in the Lambda Mardi Gras Parade -- 100+ sober alcoholics having fun -- ie: dressing up in various outrageous costumes, throwing beads, screaming and laughing

for the tireless service work by people with long-term sobriety which is always a great example for me to follow (and others too, hopefully)

check THIS little bit of information about Facebook


There must be more to life than having everything.
-Maurice Sendak

George Carlin ... on aging

George Carlin's Views on Aging



Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids?

If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.
You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of your life! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony -- YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling.
What's wrong? What's changed?You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime.

And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'
Then a strange thing happens.
If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!' May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them.'
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever, even ham radio. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them , at every opportunity.

Women are smart

Dan was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business. When he found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his sickly father died, he decided he needed a wife with which to share his fortune.One evening at an investment meeting he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. "I may look like just an ordinary man," he said to her, "but in just a few years, my father will die, and I'll inherit $65 million."Impressed, the woman obtained his business card and three days later, she became his stepmother.
Women are so much better at financial planning than men.