OKaysez

 

Made a Decision

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(Please forgive any typos you may find. I am in the middle of moving house and have had  to clear out sooner than planned when the house I'm moving from flooded very badly today. So the first day of 2023 has been a bit chaotic, but as they say where I come from - "Bad start, good finish - meaning in the bigger picture it's going to be a great year).

                                     Wishing You All A Happy Sober New Year!!!

 I asked my Higher Power throughout 2022 for ways in which I could have a lighter footprint on our planet. So in May my Higher Power brought me to rural Portugal and I am right now in the middle of moving from my flat, with all its mod-cons, into our purchased house (Rocksalot) with virtually none.  

Change, change, change ... I am reminding myself today that "change is always the invitation to a richer life!"

Rocksalot hasn't had an upgrade since roughly World War II, and it was built long before The Great War (WWI) was even underway. It is an old, old pile of rocks with lots of potential hidden inside its bones. So our extensive renovation is on right now.

Because my teenage grandchildren live there along with their Mom, two mod-cons went in immediately. The first was electricity and the other is the Internet. Both are very important to me, too, as all my meetings today take place on Zoom.

Are any of you old enough to remember "the nettie?" How about "the out house?" Rocksalot does not yet have indoor plumbing or running water, and the heat is from an open fire in the kitchen, which is also used for cooking. 

One by one, one day at a time, those things deemed most important will be added (the running water project is already well underway). It's an exciting new year for all of us here and by this summer I expect to be living in my own comfortable "granny flat" in the downstairs portion of the house. 

Now. What about you?

 What have you and your own Higher Power got cooking up together for the New Year? Over the holiday season have you reflected on all the changes that have taken place in your sober life in 2022? Are you looking for expanding on those in the New Year, 2023?

Most New Year's Resolutions just "go in one year and out the other." But when we reflect upon what AA has given us, and think on how we can open up new vistas in the year ahead through our program of recovery, that's when we start to design the kind of life we want for ourselves. And we get to do it all with HP's help.

In 2023 we may decide to go back to school; pursue a new career; commit to a relationship; adopt a pet; learn to garden or add to the one we have; write a book; take an art class; tackle learning a new language; take up hiking; become a hill climber; learn to sail a boat; get and furnish a dollhouse; become politically active; go camping; read more; learn to cook, bake or expand on what we already know of the culinary arts.

We might adopt a different lifestyle; deepen our spirituality through daily meditation; start a program of Tai Chi, or aerobics, or QIgong and Louhan Patting; devote more time to self-care; spend more time with our children, our grandchildren, or any other child we're fortunate enough to have in our lives .... the list of choices is, truly, unlimited. 

When we drank we may have thought about doing many of those things, but we seldom put thought into action. Early in our addiction it was just easier to escape from our life than to try and improve it. At the end time of our drinking it was impossible to even try. 

In recovery the sky's the limit. Our Higher Power will make sure we have everything we need so we can focus on pursuits we find interesting. In AA that's known as being joyous, happy and free.

In addition to my house project I also plan to finish writing the book I'm well into at the moment and then get cracking on a second one. I'll have a brand new garden space to get stuck into, too. And, as always, I'll give my service to AA the priority in my life it deserves, for without my sobriety none of the things I hope to bring to fruition this year will happen.

Our AA literature tells us we MUST give it away to keep it. We must share our experience, strength and hope with others to keep our own sobriety.  AA is an organization of volunteers who step up to keep it alive for its primary purpose of helping the still suffering alcoholic find what has been so generously given to us. Add more service to the fellowship to your own list this year - your life will be all the richer for it.

In this nice fresh new year we can genuinely try to live one day at a time, making every effort in that one day to focus on becoming the person we know our Higher Power wants us to be. We then follow up on that goal by taking those actions that will allow us to blossom. 

And I'll close with the following lovely message sent to me this morning from my dear AA friend, Jeremy, In Ireland: 

"Good morning family. We are booked on flight 2023. 

 We are prepared to take off into the New Year. Please make sure your Positive Attitude & Gratitude are secure & locked in the upright position. 

All self-destructive devices; pity, anger, selfishness & resentment should be turned off at this time. All negativity, hurt & discouragement should be put away. Should  you lose your Positive Attitude under pressure during this flight, reach up & pull down a prayer. 

Prayers will automatically be activated by faith. Once your faith is activated, you can assist other passengers who are of little faith. 

There will Be No Baggage allowed on this flight.  God, our Captain, has cleared us for takeoff.... Destination -- GREATNESS!! 

 Wishing you & your families a New Year filled with new Hope, new Joy, & new BEGINNINGS!!  

  Stay blessed & welcome in 2023."