OKaysez

 

Made A Decision

Don't let the life A.A. gave you take you away from your life in A.A..

          

             Taking Our Show on the Road

Acceptance does not mean submission to a degrading situation. It means accepting the fact of a situation, and then deciding what we will do about it.  (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon book)

A.A. has given me a full and satisfying life, and the Big Book makes it clear it would be wrong for me to limit all my interests and activities only to A.A. What we learn in A.A. is needed in the outer world and we are all charged with taking it out there. 

But, in doing so, we must also stay aware A.A. needs to remain our number one priority activity.

I have come to believe there's only one way for me to have a fully satisfying life, and that's by living the way God wants me to live. My HP and I meet up in that secret place of spirit on a daily basis. That's where I get my marching orders and special treats. 

That HP connection has given my life meaning and a task of work to do that matters. When I act under God's direction My life runs smoothly and, best of all, I am deeply content.  

(When I am not content I have misread my directions and must take a step back to see where I've gone off track - and then fix it). 

"And greater works than this shall ye do," it says in the Bible. Other religious texts say the same. 

We can do greater works when we have some experience of the new way of life we're given in A.A. Opportunities for a better world are all around us. But we do not work alone. Our Higher Power is there to guide us into all good works. 

The following two quotes say it all: 

Let A.A. never be a closed corporation; let us never deny our experience, for whatever it may be worth, to the world around us. Let our individual members heed the call to every field of human endeavor. Let them carry the experience and spirit of A.A. into all these affairs, for whatever good they may accomplish."  (GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958)

For not only has God saved us from alcoholism; the world has received us back into its citizenship. A.A. COMES OF AGE, pp. 232-233) 

The first thing we learn in A.A. is how to behave in a meeting. 

We quickly are taught not to interrupt others when they are speaking (cross talk), but when it's our turn we can reference their stated problems by offering program answers that have worked for us.

We learn in meetings and from our sponsors how to love one another, how to look out for one another, how to first care for our group members and then for A.A. members everywhere. 

It soon becomes very easy to look out for one another inside the rooms of A.A., but eventually we have to take some of that recovery into our homes and society.

 Many of us talk a good talk "around the tables" of A.A., but then go home and shout ugly things at our partners and children. That has to stop and it eventually will when we continue to work our program to the best of our ability.

When we smile at our A.A. group members, leave the meeting and within minutes are unkind to a fellow shopper or clerk, we still have some growing up to do.

Because no one is in our life by accident. 

Everyone we meet - from the postman delivering our mail, to the local butcher, baker and all those candlestick makers - are all here to teach us something about ourselves. 

The world doesn't need any more  of our anger. It needs love if there is going to be any kind of healing for our species and for our planet. And that love begins with each and every one of us as we take what we've learned in A.A. out into the world. 

We are all - every one of us - tasked with loving our world and everything and everyone in it. This is especially important in these times of escalating strife and political upheaval and it’s easy to forget under the constant barrage of “information” from the media and online.

We must - often - turn off the noise and practice "the discipline of kindness" to feel our best about ourselves. 

The first part of the word "civilization" is "civil."  Our fellowship, and even our civilization, can come to an end if we all think only of ourselves. 

We in recovery have a wonderful opportunity to contribute to the well-being of the world. We have found the answer to our own greatest problem and know it is not found in buying more stuff, shaming people on social media, or becoming more and more cynical through non-stop watching of the 24/7 news cycle. 

It can help if we start to see our world as our Father's house, and to think of all the people we meet as guests in that house, people we must treat with respect. 

The same is true of our world. It, too, is our Father's house. 

Just as we wouldn't throw garbage around our own Father's living room, we shouldn’t contribute to others having to walk knee deep in plastic wrappers (or dog crap) in our streets. 

When we want to be of service, both inside and beyond A.A., we contribute to making our program, and our world, a better place. 

The answer we have found in A.A. is all about love - self-love and love of others. And it's also about service.

In recovery we learn to love ourselves enough to stay sober.  We learn to love our fellow A.A. members and to want them to succeed in staying sober. We learn to pray for those we find it hard to like. We learn to love A.A. and to want to contribute to it through our service for its continuance. 

As our hearts expand in love we continue to send it outward, from A.A. to our families, our neighbors, our community, our world.  And "boy howdy”does the world ever need some of it right now!

Do we appreciate our unique opportunity to be of service? Or are we always focused on staying busy with our own concerns? Do any of the following sound familiar?"

"I'd do more service work in A.A., but I don't have the time."

"I'd take the kids to the beach (park/woods/movies) more, but I have to work."

"I wish I could join and contribute to Earth Extinction (World Wildlife Fund/my Political Party/Cancer Society/homeless relief project/local women's shelter, the Humane Society/the National Trust, etc. etc. etc.), but I'm too busy."

Here's the thing about making time:

If you heard your name announced on your local radio station as the winner of a fat cash prize as long as you showed up to collect it at the station by 5 p.m. on that day - you'd find the time to get there!

 Or if one of your family members were suddenly injured, you'd "find the time" to get them the medical attention they needed.

If you smelled smoke in the house you'd quickly find the time to tear yourself away from that computer solitaire game to find the cause.

We can always "make time" for things we feel are important. 

And, as part of that effort, there is always something we can do for others; and in that doing we increase the value of our own life. 

Helping others in any capacity also helps keep us sober and anything that keeps our cunning, baffing, powerful (and patient) disease at bay is well worth doing!