OKaysez

 

Made A Decision

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 of that year my HP brought me to rural Portugal and on New Year’s Day the following year I was in the middle of moving from my rented flat, with all its modern conveniences, into our purchased home (Rocksalot) that had virtually none.  

Change, change, change ... 

On that day - and for many, many days thereafter - I reminded myself  constantly that Change is always the invitation to a richer life!

Rocksalot had not 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. Our extensive renovation began the day of our moving in.

Because my teenage grandchildren also live there, along with their Mom, two mod-cons went in immediately. The first was electricity and the other was the Internet. 

Both are very important to me, too, as all my A.A. meetings today take place on Zoom.

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

One by one, one day at a time, those things deemed most important were added (the running water project being near the top of that list).  It was an exciting new year for us and by summer I expected to be living in my own comfortable "granny flat" in the downstairs portion of the house. 

As it happened I ended up moving into the shed across the courtyard - now my perfect little “Dollhouse” (Granny Flat) which a neighbor has described as "charming and magical." But more about that another time.

Now. What about you?

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

Most New Year's Resolutions just "go in one year and out the other." But when we reflect upon what A.A. 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 this new year  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 these 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. That's known in A.A. 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. Then there are the 101 art projects I plan to splash paint and glitter around in. 

And, as always, I'll give my service to A.A. the priority in my life it deserves, for without my sobriety none of the things I hope to bring to fruition this year ahead will happen.

Our A.A. 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. I’ve been around long enough to have seen many who didn’t fall by the wayside.

 A.A. is an organization of volunteers who keep it alive to fulfil its primary purpose of helping suffering alcoholics find what has been so generously given us. Add more service to the fellowship to your own list this year - your life will be far 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 follow up on that goal by taking actions that will allow us to blossom. 

And I'll close with the following lovely message sent to me from my dear A.A. friend Jeremy in Ireland: 

Good morning to all in our A.A. family:

 We have booked our flight and 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.