Humility

I don’t normally duplicate work I produce elsewhere, but there are only so many ways you can say the same thing.  In this case, it’s something I need to say in every channel I write in. Just like with drugs and alcohol, it seems to be a natural part of my character that until I have [...]

#1. “This would make a great reality show.” What’s weird is that “Baby Borrowers” is actually pretty cool. Some of these teenagers are horrible people. Horrible. The good news is that their boy or girlfriends get to find out. The absence of cash and prizes certainly brings out a different quality in people. I honestly only [...]

First of all, thank God for the steps! I wouldn’t be able to tell this story without them. I wouldn’t because I would be trapped in the story; sucked in to the familiar familial drama of the tree from which this nut fell. Last Friday night I had dinner with my sister and her two [...]

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. The light is not an illusion. The tunnel is. -unknown I noticed this sign above the door of a meeting I occasionally go to and it just struck me. It seemed profound enough, but it wasn’t till I woke up this morning and read Sweet Pea’s post where [...]

embrace c.1300, from O.Fr. embracer “clasp in the arms, enclose,” from en- “in” + brace “the arms,” from L. bracchium (neut. pl. brachia). Replaced O.E. clyppan, also fæðm. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper Last night, late, I stepped out on my front porch to smoke a cigarette. I still smoke cigarettes. For some reason [...]

Yield and overcome; bend and be straight; empty and be full; wear out and be new; have little and gain; have much and be confused. Therefore wise men embrace the one and set an example to all. Not putting on a display, they shine forth. Not justifying themselves, they are distinguished. Not boasting, they receive [...]

I don’t care what the book says. If it’s not on the first 164 it’s hearsay. Acceptance is absolutely not the key to all my problems today. Honesty, open-mindedness and willingness play a much bigger role. So do humility, courage and perseverance. All of those played a critical role in [...]

I am a head injury patient. I am. There is hardly another explanation. I sat in a meeting and shared about it and of course I was told to work the steps. Of course there is some truth in that, truth I sometimes ignore out of an objective bias against people [...]

  “Easy doesn’t do it. Easy never did it. Nothing worth doing has ever been easy.” - Unknown That’s one of the mottoes I (pretend to) live by. There are others, of course, important ones. The more important they are the harder they are to live up to. For example, “Remember who you [...]

I had an interesting and clarifing conversation with my sponsor regarding humility and humiliation. According to him, and I like this definition, I can work with this definition, humility is thinking of others more than I think of myself. Humiliation is doing something that is beneath me, for whatever reason. He said [...]

There is a solution. Mr. Tall-Smart vanished as quickly and mysteriously as he appeared.  Case closed. I’m going to work at McDonald’s.  Income partially replaced and dangerous hours filled.  Case closed. My sponsor calls it humiliating.  I call it humbling.  Never underestimate the power of denial.

is to stay sober and to help other alcoholics (and addicts) achieve sobriety. When you’re first coming in, when you’re on the morning side of the mountain, tradition 5 seems like the dumbest or most obvious thing in the world. Duh. There is a song by Patty Griffin, I’ve talked about this before, called [...]