Today, as I sat reflecting on the phrase to practice these principles in all our affairs, I took an inventory on how I do that on a daily basis. Then it hit me. The numbers 3, 6, and 3 jumped out. The first three Steps, the next six, and the final three.
Most of the time my day begins with those first three. Then I found that the Tenth, Eleventh, and the Twelfth come up along the way. Especially that Tenth, leading to the other two. But what about the Steps in between?
I have found over time that the Fourth and Fifth will come back. Either something I forgot or in my sharing with a relatively new person. Or even an old timer. And there really isn’t a time along the way that I can’t go back and find the Sixth and Seventh of use. My self centered thinking often brings my character defects back into play. And then, on rare occasions I have had the opportunity to practice Eight and Nine. I’ve had on occasions run across an individual, I either missed in the Eighth, or that I forgot, who has popped up and I went ahead with the amends.
But, for the most part my day is focused at points on those first three and the last.
It’s not that I don’t reflect on all the Twelve Steps and how they have worked in my life. Just going to meetings and listening and sharing bring most of them back into my consciousness. Their value to me in how they brought about so many changes in my life I cannot forget. Or to put it another way, I never should. And that’s why meetings are so important, as is the literature.
Often talking to others, sharing with alcoholics like myself, I find that from time to time we go over almost all of the Steps. That’s when I sometimes find things I forgot and am able to work my way through them with another member. And the same is true for them.
Of course there are memories, which come back to me, particularly my old sponsor and those old timers I knew back then. Their thoughts on this subject. How to practice these principles in all of my affairs. How practical they were. Not really teaching me things, but just in the way they related their thoughts to me. Often I find that things they told me come back and are of great use to me. Either in applying them to my own life or sharing them with others, who seem to have a need for them.
Anyway I was thinking about this spiritual journey today and what I have done or need to do, in order to continue down this road I’m on. This pathway to living the sober life I have found in here.
All this started, when an old friend of mine reminded me of something one of the old timers would say to us about our inability to take his inventory, which he said was up to him and his Higher Power. Made me laugh, because I can still see him in my mind’s eye and hear him. He was a big part of my learning how to live this way of life.
Just thinking about sobriety and how important it is to me.