I know that there are more important events going on in the world, but are there? Hurricanes, war, politics, kidnappings, and on and on. However, you and I know better. The most important thing is our sobriety. Without that nothing would be of any value in our lives. It would just be a lot of noise in a haze of alcohol and everything else would be lost.
I was thinking about this, as I sit here writing. There’s a lot going on around me and I’m experiencing a lot of testing of patience and tolerance. It reminded me once again of “luxury problems”. The “problems” I have today, I probably wouldn’t have had, if not for sobriety. The life I have today is a result of getting and staying sober. Chances are that I would have been dead a long time ago, but for the saving grace of this program. It has given me back my life and extended it beyond all expectations. How great is that?
The realization that most of what I experience as problems is somewhere between my ears. It’s my reactions to what goes on around me that’s the “problem”. I know it’s possible to remain at peace within despite the storms around me. It’s dependent on my spiritual condition, which has been offered to me as a gift through the practice of the steps.
I heard a woman talking yesterday say that it’s easy to pass everything off as dependent on our “human condition”. My spiritual conditioning is no less important. Without it, the human condition might very well take me back to a drink.
Anyway, just thinking about all of this has calmed the disturbance within me.
It’s a reminder to me of what was told to me by my old sponsor. He always insisted that I was to remember to put the “I” over the “E”. Intellect over emotions. That might have ended up being just an intellectual exercise, if it weren’t for the resources available in this program.
For instance, while the disturbance was going on around me, my mind went back to a conversation I had with one of our members last night, who was having a difficult time. What was going on today paled in comparison. Thank God for so many good people, who are willing to share with us.
Anyway, just thinking and being grateful for being sober.