A friend of mine reminded me today of something my old sponsor told me many years ago. He said he was insecure, immature, and oversensitive. And why was this important to me today? Well, it seems someone was living in the future so much that they were filled with fear, anxiety, worry and almost paralyzed.
This person has been spending time in isolation, thinking about a flight they have to take. Not in the present and certainly not thinking about putting this program into action. For all purposes, they have been spending their time on a flight they haven’t taken yet. I guess they have forgotten where their feet are. Not living in the day, a day at a time, but way down the pike in a time that hasn’t come yet.
Did we get into psychology and therapy? No way. Everyone talked about the Steps and the spiritual solution. In fact, the first three Steps. Faith and trust in a power greater than ourselves. Letting go and letting the God of our understanding do for us, what we could not do for ourselves. Going to meetings and listening to alcoholics just like ourselves. Being reminded to put this program into action on a daily basis. And by all means staying in the present. The here and now.
For some of us, it was also a reminder just how damaging our emotions can be to us. We talked about learning to put our emotions aside and using our heads and not our hearts. Takes practice, but I have found it worth it, as many others have. I know that’s what my sponsor kept emphasizing to me, as did many of those old timers.
Anyway it was a good reminder to many of us to remain faithful in going to meetings. Not to isolate and get removed from this program. Another reminder that we still have this disease and are not cured. I’ve had a spiritual awakening, which has placed me in a position of neutrality, as far as alcohol goes. The restoration to sanity. But there is an awful lot of my faults still present in me and which can come out at anytime. Talk about insanity.
It was fulfilling meeting for many of us. Lots of good thoughts about the value of this program in my life. Made me grateful to be a part of this program. I hope I never forget this and I won’t, if I keep coming back. And that word “hope” was a big part of the message today, along with “faith”. Good to hear, if I want to stay on this path to sobriety.