Whenever someone tells ya something you want to accomplish can't be done, think of this guy, a back flip in a wheelchair....:clapping: :thumbsup:
http://www.fwditon.com/fwd/view/10409
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Whenever someone tells ya something you want to accomplish can't be done, think of this guy, a back flip in a wheelchair....:clapping: :thumbsup:
http://www.fwditon.com/fwd/view/10409
Today's thought from Hazelden is:
Relaxing when things don't go as you planned.
So, the boyfriend calls, says he's going hiking with his buddies for a week, cancels his date with you and says he hopes you won't be mad.
Or the bank calls and says you're overdrawn, and you don't know how that can be. You've been trying to carefully watch your deposits and checks. You've gone out of your way not to mess up. This can't be right!
What do you do when life seems to force you to react? You can panic, become anxious, yell, and respond with a counterattack. But that probably won't solve the problem. And it may turn things into a brawl.
Or you can calm down. Breathe deeply. Tell yourself to relax. Say as little as possible, if that's possible, while you're upset and disturbed. If a problem or disturbance that's not fair interrupts your life, try responding by saying hmmm. Then calm down and decide what you need to do.
God, help me start sailing through life with more ease by learning to relax and let life be.
I still need to learn how to chill out, my type A personality doesn't work well with that concept at times. http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...ons/icon11.png
I have learned enough about life to have a Plan B, C, and D in place, so that helps. :cool:
dude, if your boyfriend calls, then you got more issues than just alcohol rofl
^^ Yeah Jon, I try to think of myself as progressive and modern-thinking, but that would creep me out a bit. :scared: I'm hoping the passage you're referring to was written by a woman....:cool: :HappyWave:
Still hot as Hades down there?
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Today's thought from Hazelden is:
The Enemy Within
Why do we self-destruct? The problem of evil has been with us ever since the serpent tempted Eve to eat the apple. We often feel at war internally, one self fighting another self.
There are forces that would have us abandon our program, and usually we find the temptation coming from within. We become careless, bored, lackadaisical in our efforts. Instead of disciplining ourselves to further spiritual growth, we rest on our oars and then wonder why we are drifting downstream!
Sane, healthy living requires that we acknowledge our spiritual needs. When our Higher Power is in control, we work for emotional and spiritual growth as well as physical satisfaction. Instead of being divided internally, we are integrated. The enemy within is subdued in the only way possible - by God's power.
Defeat the enemy within me, Lord
If you want to get better, the program requires you to work on yourself. Remember the phrase..."Half-measures availed us nothing" :learn:
yup, hot as hell. been around 96 all week long, and again today.
of course the AC in my truck is out.
i love working outside, i really do. luckily the humidity is only around 99%.
mom is coming up from wilmington today, my youngest son graduates from HS tonight.
later,
jc
Seven years sober today.
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2.../Tip-Hat-1.gif
We need to listen to one another.
--Chaim Potok
Listening is an important skill to cultivate. We need to sit in our healing circles and lovingly listen and learn from each other. We are each other's teachers. Our sponsors listen to our troubles, and we listen to their suggestions. We pray to our Higher Power and then meditate, a form of listening, from which we develop conscious contact with our Higher Power.
Listening is one of the gifts we give to each other. Listening is also one of the gifts we give to ourselves. As we listen to others and learn from them, we stop thinking we are the center of the universe. Listening to others - to truly hear what they say, to learn from them - helps keep our egos in check. We should frequently ask ourselves, "Am I practicing the skills of active listening?"
Prayer for the Day
Higher Power, today I pray that I may open myself up to hearing Your voice in the words of others. Allow me to see the people around me as teachers. Help me stay open to being taught.
Today's Action
Today I will listen. I will notice those times when I stop listening and start judging. I will bring myself back into listening mode. Today I will be a learner.
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When I ain't fishin, Lord knows I talk a lot. If I'm trying to relate a fishin technique or advice to someone, I tend to over-explain, ad nauseum. :upck: I know that. :) The reasoning is,,,.if I do help someone, I want to see them get into fish, not just stand around with their hands in their pockets waiting for something to happen. I try to teach people to be persistent and not give up.. That's usually worked for me, in many areas besides fishing. :thumbsup:
Long ago, I also learned to be a good listener. Although at times I'm impatient and may stray away from that, listening is a key tool that helps build lasting relationships. If you don't feel that way, you may not experience the richness of different relationships that are possible when you do. I hope I will continue to listen to people, and their issues, until the day I die. :cool:
got your call - thanks!
tried to call back today, but the wife walked up right as it started to ring... sorry, she's got priority :(
talk to ya latex,
jc
Fine friendship requires duration rather than fitful intensity.
--Aristotle
Once we have embarked upon this program, we find spiritual recovery through relationships more than any other single factor. We find it through relationships with other people, with ourselves, and with our Higher Power. But most of us in recovery need to learn how to be in a relationship. We have to give up ideas that a friendship is an intense connection or a conflict-free blending of like minds.
A meaningful friendship is a long-term dialogue. If there is conflict or if we make a mistake or fail to do what our friend wants of us, we don't end the friendship. We simply have the next exchange to resolve the differences. Our dialogue continues over time, and time - along with many amends - builds the bond. With it develops a deepening sense of reliability and trusting one another. When we have lived with our friend through many experiences - or with our Higher Power - we gain a feeling that we really know him or her in a way we could never have in a brief intense connection.
Today, I will do what I need to do to be reliable in my friendships.
True friendships stand the test of time, and usually require that people communicate when there are problems, or bumps in the road.
thanks
Today's thought from Hazelden is:
Life guarantees a chance - not a fair shake.
--Bernie Y.
Life is not fair. Most of us know that, but few of us accept it. Something in us often clings to the idea that ultimately, the gifts will all be evenly divided. Mostly we want to be paid back for the injustices of the past. Many of us expect - no, demand - redress from fate. We think life should "make it up" to us somehow. That's why it's so hard for us to go on discovering, again and again, what we already know: Life is not fair.
The good job that should have been ours, the accident that crippled a loved one, unwanted childlessness - these things are not fair. But life is like soil, not like seed. The chance of a harvest is there, but only if we plant the seed. And even then we may not get the harvest we expected or wished for - not on our own timetable. It is an act of faith, and of great courage, to keep on sowing seeds when we don't know what we're going to get. But it's the only chance we have. We need to stop expecting the soil to provide the seed.
Today, I will be grateful to be alive. This day offers a chance for a fuller life, and I will accept what comes of my efforts.
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You're welcome Jon. Like Jon says, ya can't saw sawdust.
Funny video :plastered:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjoh5...eature=related
Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.
--Soren Kierkegaard
Once, in a small village, there was a huge fire. The blaze spread and several homes and businesses were burned to the ground. After a long while, the fire was brought under control and put out. Villagers banded together to rebuild their town, but one quite persistent young man insisted on searching the rubble for the cause of the fire.
Impatient townspeople scolded him, saying, "Why waste time searching for causes? Knowing them won't put out the blaze or repair the damage."
"I know," replied the young man, "but knowing why might prevent other fires."
Sometimes we have to look at painful past experiences in order to prevent their recurrence. When we understand ourselves better, we can move beyond the past and walk toward the future with surer, safer steps.
How well can I use my past today?
The program talks about One day at a time, just for today. That's the prime focus. We also need to be aware of our past so we don't make the same mistakes again.. This self-awareness doesn't come easily. It's painful to look at mistakes, analyze what went wrong, and assess ways so this isn't likely to happen again. But it is necessary for long-term growth.
A book I started reading is "Failing Forward" by Maxwell.The genius of this book is that it teaches you to look on your past failures as mere stepping stones to future success. Of course, you have to be willing to learn from them and analyze the errors.
One of the examples he uses, RH Macy of the Macy retail empire, failed a half dozen times before he started to be successful, in his small store in NYC, eventually becoming the retail giant.
Failure is what is is, not something to be ashamed of. Learn from it. And apply it to the next level of your life. :learn:
yup
i hope that if i keep on plugging away i'll be successful. what i want is to have a business that does more than just pay the bills; i want it to provide some savings for the (now near) senior years. to me that defines success.
no luck yet but hey i just do what i do and maybe someday it'll catch on.
Overachieving may be symptomatic.
Suffering from low self-esteem is common. Some of it may be blamed on growing up in families affected by alcohol or other drugs. Perhaps the criticism heaped on us at school or in a bad marriage triggered it. We may have thousands of reasons for lacking a sense of our worth. The bottom line is, we were insecure and full of doubt - good breeding ground for the superstar achiever.
The program is spiritually based, and in it we are introduced to a Higher Power. Many of us didn't have one before, at least not one we relied on, to help us feel better about ourselves. We are learning to turn to our Higher Power every day for peaceful assurance that we are loved, that we are being taken care of. In time we'll grow to love ourselves, and then we'll be free of the need to overachieve.
I will accept my worthiness today and trust that my Higher Power has something wonderful in store for me.
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^^^Jon, I hear ya, in the same boat too. When this recession is finally over. I hope we'll be able to look back and say it was the worst part of our lives, financially. Meanwhile, we just keep on, keepin' on (barely). At least we have our health. :d :HappyWave:
Stopping, calming, and resting are preconditions for healing. When animals in the forest are wounded they find a place to lie down and rest completely for many days . . . They just rest and get the healing they need.
--Thich Nhat Hanh
We hurt. We suffer. We wrong our loved ones and they do wrong by us. Reaching desperately for an answer will not help us. Pretending we're not hurt doesn't help either. When we are wounded, the wound needs rest in order to heal. So it is with our souls. If we poke at our hurt, pick at the sore, rub it in the dirt of others' opinions, we do not allow it time to heal.
If you've been hurt, accept that. Feel the hurt. Be aware of it. Let it heal. Maybe it would be better if you didn't talk to that person for a while. Maybe you need to let go of the relationship. Maybe you just need some quiet time. Whatever the answer is, find a safe place and allow yourself to heal.
If you're feeling pain, be aware of it. Feel the pain, and then quit picking at the wound. Lie low. Quit fighting. Relax. Give your wounds time and enough rest to heal.
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Jon, wasn't aware that you had a hernia, is that from the ladder climbing or something else?
Eye problems suck too, hope it's not too bad, will say some prayers. :HappyWave:
Will give ya a call this week.
got your call
lol yeah unfortunately the hernia is from moving ladders and other heavy stuff around, not "something else." It's a re-repair, officially a recurrent inguinal hernia.
eye surgery is to remove a trigidium. that's a growth that is obscuring the vision in my left eye.
it's always somethin, isn't it/
One has to grow up with good talk in order to form the habit of it.
--Helen Hayes
Our habits, whatever they may be, were greatly influenced, if not wholly formed, during childhood. We learned our behavior through imitation - imitation of our parents, our siblings, and our peer group. But we need not be stuck in habits that are unhealthy. The choice to create new patterns of behavior is ours to make - every moment, every hour, every day. However, parting with the old pattern in order to make way for the new takes prayer, commitment, and determination.
All of us who share these Steps have broken away from old patterns. We have chosen to leave liquor and pills alone. We may have chosen to leave unhealthy relationships. And we are daily choosing to move beyond our shortcomings. But not every day is a successful one. Our shortcomings have become ingrained. Years of pouting, or lying, or feeling fearful, or overeating, or procrastinating beckon to us; the habit invites itself.
We can find strength from the program and one another to let go of the behavior that stands in the way of today's happiness. And we can find in one another a better, healthier behavior to imitate.
The program is helping me to know there is a better way, every day, to move ahead. I am growing up again amidst the good habits of others and myself.
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^^Sorry to hear that, Jon. As we get older, hard work takes a toll. I still haven't finished splitting all that wood at Pebbles' house. Someone reminded me that "free isn't always free". Thanks for all the advice re: stoves and wood. I'll never let a tree guy drop off 36" diameter pieces again. :scared:
Hope the surgery turns out ok. Hernias have a way of coming back to haunt you, especially when ya work as hard as you do. Hang in there, bud. I'll call again when you're around. :thumbsup: