Alcoholics Anonymous | Feb 12 2014 | DonInLondon | Step 2 "Sanity"

Don DonInLondon says

February 12, 2014 at 5:58 am

Alcoholics Anonymous Blog & Video | Feb 12 2004 – 2014 | DonInLondon | Step
2 “Sanity”

February 12 Video
Alcoholics Anonymous | February 14 | DonInLondon | Step 2 “Sanity” |
DonInLondon February 12, 2014: step two month: “came to believe that a
power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” Unconditional
love is a constant, the trouble is the current conditions of the day, will
cause us trouble because people, places and things will not conform to our
pattern and our understanding of what we want today.

Unconditional love: I love you. No ifs or buts. The next bit of
unconditional love is telling the truth in the moment of now. And I do
believe most often that the truth shared in the moment of now, face-to-face
will always work better than a telephone call, an email, a text message or
something said on a social network. If we cannot tell the truth in the
moment of now, we are probably hiding our feelings or something we don’t
like. And if we don’t like a situation, it is usually the current
conditions in that situation which we don’t know what to do with because
our feelings are not being expressed.

If we cannot express our feelings in the moment of now, we are not sharing
the truth about how we feel about what is going on. I can love people and
not like their behaviour. If I say to a person: “I love you, but I don’t
like what is happening right now.” “I don’t feel right about it,” is a good
way to start a two way conversation. It really depends upon whether or not
we honour the other person and don’t knock their self-esteem before we put
the boot in. Love people: hate their behaviour and share about it with them
face-to-face and don’t save it up for later.

I don’t know about you in recovery, but the first thing I had to learn, was
how to forgive myself for being unwell. I did not like the way I behaved,
and I did not like me as a human being. Hating myself to hating my
behaviour, meant there was no forgiveness. I had to learn how to forgive
myself for being ill, and the only way to get well was to stop drinking.
Stopping drinking took an awfully long time, and at the end of it, I had
gone beyond hating anything, and was a burnt out case. Stopping drinking,
starting to emerge from that horror, and to find forgiveness for myself has
been a daily part of my recovery. If I can forgive myself, if I can like
myself enough, I can do exactly the same with anyone anywhere on any given
day. I can love people and hate their behaviour and separate the two. I can
express my doubts and my feelings and my misgivings in the moment of now.

Saving up our feelings for later is actually denying the truth, denying the
feelings or suppressing them. And causing pressure within ourselves. And in
an age where we can communicate in so many different ways, without being
face-to-face, saving up feelings to express in a letter, in an email, in a
text or simply over the phone means you are not dealing with the truth
face-to-face in the moment. Of course of other people utilise other tactics
to express their feelings towards us, they probably have saved up the
feelings and we feel battered, reading the truth, or partial truth, or
defence, or ridicule, or whatever it is, probably not good to receive
feelings that way, even good feelings can strike horror in other people if
we are not careful.

My own fear, pride and ego can stop me expressing my feelings in the moment
of now. And this means I am not being truthful in that moment under the
current conditions today. So I have to ask myself why can’t I express my
feelings right now. Often, I might not have the words in the moment and I
need to pause a few seconds, or just say “I can’t express my feelings
because something feels wrong,” or “right now feel wrong footed and need a
bit of help.” It takes courage to change and try out, expressing feelings
in the moment, it takes faith and practice to express feelings in the
moment. If we continue to practice this principle of expression of truth in
the moment, we get better at it, we find out what other people are feeling
most importantly, because what we feel is often felt by the other people
around us who may be cannot share them because they too have fear, pride
and ego getting in the way.

A brilliant meeting this morning, in the very best of company. And
experience, strength and hope was shared about how people can really upset
us as humans because they are ill and have similar problems trying to find
recovery from difficult ailments. Overall, the anguish caused to us as
humans by people we love hurting themselves, and we wanting them to be
better, causes an eruption of upset and unfairness about the situation. It
is horrible to see another person languish in the pain of addictions and
long-term illnesses, having been there ourselves, we just wished our
nearest and dearest could get the message. Much heartache and understanding
about the limits of what one single person can do to help on their own. And
we learn it is the Fellowship, the many voices in recovery which impacts on
one person and helps them keep sober just for one day. We are forgetful
about our own journey and sometimes wish we could speed up the recovery,
the reactions that we get every single day. Dealing with people in denial
and living partial truth in the moment is really difficult one day at a
time. And so if I can have the courage, faith and confidence to try express
my feelings truthfully as they happen, I can hope for a better outcome in
the moment. The outcome may not be what I expect, and yet the truth will
always guide me.

DonInLondon 2004 – 2013

Alcoholics Anonymous | February 14 2013 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 2
“Sanity” | “all the steps today…” One: I am powerless over alcohol and a
drink won’t help. Two: restored to sanity just for a day with powers
greater than me. Three: work hard and do my part, and let go and ask for
help and perspective. Four: my personal inventory of strengths and
weaknesses. Five: open up and share with another human being. Everything!
Six: Vices, knowing my extremes of behaviour can be there every day. Seven:
working to the good of life, virtues are good. Eight: made a list of amends
and willing to make them. Nine: making the amends without doing any harm to
others. Ten: daily personal appraisal or in the moment, checking what I’m
up to, my behaviour. Eleven: prayer and meditation, and how we do this is
personal choice. Twelve: emotional and spiritual living in the moment of
now and helping others… All about keeping my side of the Street clean,
open with honesty and willingness to change…

All the steps in one: The first six steps are recognising the old life,
what happened and where we are today. Sweeping our side of the Street
clean. The next six steps, all about the new life, making sure we know our
personal values are to be open, honest and willing to change. That we can
live life one day at a time, we can still have aspirations and live happily
without alcohol, and most importantly, absolutely we find freedom to live
life with the ability and experience of how to love people, how to be loved
back by people, which is very difficult sometimes, and find useful
endeavours which are appropriate and right for us and possible as we
explore opportunities one day at a time. We become free to choose life
sober, and then we have adventures today. We are not immune to the good,
bad and ugly of life, we live it and feel it in the moment of now. At least
that is my choice today…

And today as I remind myself all about the steps and what they do for me.
My morning reflections as I woke up early, I have had enough sleep in one
go. Which is great for me, sleeping for six hours in a row! And when I ask
myself as part of my morning routine, how am I feeling? I feel okay, and I
can be me today. I do not have to pretend anything or worry about what
people think of me. How am I feeling? Why? And what to do. As life feels
good, and I feel rested and not exhausted, I am open honest and willing
this morning… This morning, a gentle reminder of step one is good,
powerless over alcohol: and I don’t wish to be powerful over anything,
especially people, places and things. Experiencing life as it is and not
trying to control it, or others, simply the journey of now. And step two, I
don’t feel the old insanities of addiction, trying to hang on to the
remnants of the past. And letting go the notion that I must do everything
and show the world, my capacity to be me without help. Step three, the
higher power of your understanding, your personal beliefs are imperative,
and I understand God in my life to be: truth, love and wisdom in the moment
of now, and every experience that got me to where I am with the help of the
universe. The power of God works through people, the right people, and
there are plenty like me, still learning the wisdom of now, with help and
asking for help, openly and truthfully today… I can ask for help and I am
happy to do so, the more I learn and experience, I realise there is so much
more I will never know, emotional and spiritual, able to cope in the moment
of now. And when I cannot, I ask for help… It only takes a few moments to
remind myself I am simply part of the big picture and the big picture is
always bigger than me…

I know that I can keep on an even keel most of the time, even when life is
difficult. Things happen and we wonder why is it always happening to me?
The bad and the ugly bits! Simply the answer is we all get, the bad and
ugly bits. And we learn and keep on learning as life goes on, and knowing
that we can ask for help, it changes everything as we come to understand
how step six is the old life of peril, where our behaviour becomes extreme
and unhelpful, and step seven helps us to approach life differently, with
courage, faith in the next right thing and confidence that the outcomes
will be as good as they can be in the moment of now. Once we understand
reality, everything is much easier because we realise what we can do and
what we cannot do and the wisdom to know the difference. Every day we will
find things difficult some of the time and absolutely wonderful some of the
time… Reality, it really is the best place to be when our feelings or
emotional connection is right and we are able to see the truth of our
situation with people, places and things…

If these twelve steps did not work, developing me as a human being, to be
able to experience the reality of now, feelings working in the moment and
reality to be lived, I would not write, or share the experience, strength
and hope that fellowship gives me today. Simply, human beings being human
together, sharing the truth as best we can, and knowing even when people
are at their very worst, they are the best they can be right now. I see
newcomers coming into fellowship, confused beyond belief. And I do feel the
pain when I was a newcomer, but it is not the same pain felt by new person
shocked into reality one day at a time…

Telephones! Having been excited to upgrade my mobile phone into the
enlightened age of connected to everything, it does not work very well. The
reason being me, I need to read the instructions, set it up correctly and
really study how to make it work. It is an endeavour which will take me
more than one day, because I have other interests and other things to do.
And as long as it works as a telephone which it does not yet seem to do,
life will be restored to ordinary. In olden days, I would have been tearing
out the little hair that I have! These days. Nothing is that urgent, unless
it is about people and how to help. And that comes first always in my
recovery today…

Alcoholics Anonymous | February 14 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 2
“Sanity” | Today’s AA daily reflection: “expectations versus demands” and
as is often said in Fellowship, “expectations are resentments under
construction.” This does not mean that we lose sight of aspirations and
ambition, it simply means we are more realistic about what we can and
cannot do. And we concentrate and live in the present moment, striving and
trudging the happy or sad, loving and sometimes painful road of destiny…

I met a friend yesterday as I was leaving hospital after some tests which
needed to be done, routine tests and not worrying tests. An impromptu
meeting of minds as we were both concerned about newcomers we have been
supporting over the last few days. Both of us wanted to be the best we
could be for the newcomer and both newcomers had somehow managed to escape
us and our good deeds… We accepted the situation and left the door open to
support and help if the newcomers chose and that was what they wanted…

A Fellowship meeting mid-morning, a newcomers meeting. A wonderful chair by
someone I know sharing just how it was in the malady of drink and what it
was like now in recovery some years on. The chair all about realistic
living today and not about what they thought life ought to be and what they
deserved. The expectation was life would be difficult sober and the
experience of living reality must be cherished as people are to be
cherished and not treated with superficiality and indifference…

I had a couple of “AA chips” in my pocket, just for today chips and gave
them to two newcomers in the meeting. On one side of the chip it says “one
day at a time” and on the other side, the serenity prayer. I can often
forget just how valuable it was to receive a token and reminder in the form
of an “AA chip” and what it meant to me. It meant I need simply be sober
today and I would learn what I can do and what I cannot do just for this
one day…

“Trust God and clean house” often made me feel that I was a second-class
citizen, because I had no concept of God or higher power. It seemed like I
could stumble on the first two steps of the twelve step program. When I
looked at it in a slightly different way, “trust in the good and support I
get from other people and learn what it means to clean house on a daily
basis” I began a journey of progress and not perfection…

DonInLondon 2005-2011

Powerless over people places and things can drive us mad! Sigmund Freud
Every normal person, in fact, is only normal on the average. His ego
approximates to that of the psychotic in some part or other and to a
greater or lesser extent. -/- Resentments and anger are dubious luxuries
for everyone

Desiderata ~ “Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to
be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of
life, keep peace in your soul.” “Burn the idea into the consciousness of
every man that he can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is
that he trust in God and clean house.” ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 98 ~
Dealing with expectations is a frequent topic at meetings! Expectations are
resentments under construction. I have heard and said this many times.
Every morning I set my expectations to zero, so I may feel okay by the
progress I make today in any or every endeavour…

“Lest we forget” at Flood St. The reading was the “spiritual experience”
followed by a great chair. What is spiritual? “A dose of reality,” or “the
ability to cope with today.” It may involve faith, God, or as simple as
seeing the truth right now. Spiritual is unique and authentic as life is,
living the truth, coping with reality and finding serenity in the moment.
We work with what works today…

AA Daily Reflection: AA Daily Reflection: EXPECTATIONS vs. DEMANDS FEBRUARY
14, Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well
regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean
house. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 98

Dealing with expectations is a frequent topic at meetings. It isn’t wrong
to expect progress of myself, good things from life, or decent treatment
from others. Where I get into trouble is when my expectations become
demands. I will fall short of what I wish to be and situations will go in
ways I do not like, because people will let me down sometimes. The only
question is: “What am I going to about it?” Wallow in self-pity or anger;
retaliate and make a bad situation worse; or will I trust in God’s power to
bring blessings on the messes in which I find myself? Will I ask Him what I
should be learning; do I keep on doing the right things I know how to do,
no matter what; do I take the time to share my faith and blessings with
others?

“Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to
sanity”

Step Two Video 12 And 12
Alcoholics Anonymous | Step 2 Reading 12 & 12 | DonInLondon |

Step One Video 12 And 12
Alcoholics Anonymous | Step 1 Reading 12 & 12 | DonInLondon

Alcoholics Anonymous Videos, AA is for Alcoholics, AA 12 Steps, Addiction
And Recovery, DonInLondon, Don Oddy,

Comments

Don DonInLondon says

February 12, 2014 at 5:58 am

Alcoholics Anonymous Blog & Video | Feb 12 2004 – 2014 | DonInLondon | Step
2 “Sanity”

February 12 Video
Alcoholics Anonymous | February 14 | DonInLondon | Step 2 “Sanity” |
DonInLondon February 12, 2014: step two month: “came to believe that a
power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” Unconditional
love is a constant, the trouble is the current conditions of the day, will
cause us trouble because people, places and things will not conform to our
pattern and our understanding of what we want today.

Unconditional love: I love you. No ifs or buts. The next bit of
unconditional love is telling the truth in the moment of now. And I do
believe most often that the truth shared in the moment of now, face-to-face
will always work better than a telephone call, an email, a text message or
something said on a social network. If we cannot tell the truth in the
moment of now, we are probably hiding our feelings or something we don’t
like. And if we don’t like a situation, it is usually the current
conditions in that situation which we don’t know what to do with because
our feelings are not being expressed.

If we cannot express our feelings in the moment of now, we are not sharing
the truth about how we feel about what is going on. I can love people and
not like their behaviour. If I say to a person: “I love you, but I don’t
like what is happening right now.” “I don’t feel right about it,” is a good
way to start a two way conversation. It really depends upon whether or not
we honour the other person and don’t knock their self-esteem before we put
the boot in. Love people: hate their behaviour and share about it with them
face-to-face and don’t save it up for later.

I don’t know about you in recovery, but the first thing I had to learn, was
how to forgive myself for being unwell. I did not like the way I behaved,
and I did not like me as a human being. Hating myself to hating my
behaviour, meant there was no forgiveness. I had to learn how to forgive
myself for being ill, and the only way to get well was to stop drinking.
Stopping drinking took an awfully long time, and at the end of it, I had
gone beyond hating anything, and was a burnt out case. Stopping drinking,
starting to emerge from that horror, and to find forgiveness for myself has
been a daily part of my recovery. If I can forgive myself, if I can like
myself enough, I can do exactly the same with anyone anywhere on any given
day. I can love people and hate their behaviour and separate the two. I can
express my doubts and my feelings and my misgivings in the moment of now.

Saving up our feelings for later is actually denying the truth, denying the
feelings or suppressing them. And causing pressure within ourselves. And in
an age where we can communicate in so many different ways, without being
face-to-face, saving up feelings to express in a letter, in an email, in a
text or simply over the phone means you are not dealing with the truth
face-to-face in the moment. Of course of other people utilise other tactics
to express their feelings towards us, they probably have saved up the
feelings and we feel battered, reading the truth, or partial truth, or
defence, or ridicule, or whatever it is, probably not good to receive
feelings that way, even good feelings can strike horror in other people if
we are not careful.

My own fear, pride and ego can stop me expressing my feelings in the moment
of now. And this means I am not being truthful in that moment under the
current conditions today. So I have to ask myself why can’t I express my
feelings right now. Often, I might not have the words in the moment and I
need to pause a few seconds, or just say “I can’t express my feelings
because something feels wrong,” or “right now feel wrong footed and need a
bit of help.” It takes courage to change and try out, expressing feelings
in the moment, it takes faith and practice to express feelings in the
moment. If we continue to practice this principle of expression of truth in
the moment, we get better at it, we find out what other people are feeling
most importantly, because what we feel is often felt by the other people
around us who may be cannot share them because they too have fear, pride
and ego getting in the way.

A brilliant meeting this morning, in the very best of company. And
experience, strength and hope was shared about how people can really upset
us as humans because they are ill and have similar problems trying to find
recovery from difficult ailments. Overall, the anguish caused to us as
humans by people we love hurting themselves, and we wanting them to be
better, causes an eruption of upset and unfairness about the situation. It
is horrible to see another person languish in the pain of addictions and
long-term illnesses, having been there ourselves, we just wished our
nearest and dearest could get the message. Much heartache and understanding
about the limits of what one single person can do to help on their own. And
we learn it is the Fellowship, the many voices in recovery which impacts on
one person and helps them keep sober just for one day. We are forgetful
about our own journey and sometimes wish we could speed up the recovery,
the reactions that we get every single day. Dealing with people in denial
and living partial truth in the moment is really difficult one day at a
time. And so if I can have the courage, faith and confidence to try express
my feelings truthfully as they happen, I can hope for a better outcome in
the moment. The outcome may not be what I expect, and yet the truth will
always guide me.

DonInLondon 2004 – 2013

Alcoholics Anonymous | February 14 2013 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 2
“Sanity” | “all the steps today…” One: I am powerless over alcohol and a
drink won’t help. Two: restored to sanity just for a day with powers
greater than me. Three: work hard and do my part, and let go and ask for
help and perspective. Four: my personal inventory of strengths and
weaknesses. Five: open up and share with another human being. Everything!
Six: Vices, knowing my extremes of behaviour can be there every day. Seven:
working to the good of life, virtues are good. Eight: made a list of amends
and willing to make them. Nine: making the amends without doing any harm to
others. Ten: daily personal appraisal or in the moment, checking what I’m
up to, my behaviour. Eleven: prayer and meditation, and how we do this is
personal choice. Twelve: emotional and spiritual living in the moment of
now and helping others… All about keeping my side of the Street clean,
open with honesty and willingness to change…

All the steps in one: The first six steps are recognising the old life,
what happened and where we are today. Sweeping our side of the Street
clean. The next six steps, all about the new life, making sure we know our
personal values are to be open, honest and willing to change. That we can
live life one day at a time, we can still have aspirations and live happily
without alcohol, and most importantly, absolutely we find freedom to live
life with the ability and experience of how to love people, how to be loved
back by people, which is very difficult sometimes, and find useful
endeavours which are appropriate and right for us and possible as we
explore opportunities one day at a time. We become free to choose life
sober, and then we have adventures today. We are not immune to the good,
bad and ugly of life, we live it and feel it in the moment of now. At least
that is my choice today…

And today as I remind myself all about the steps and what they do for me.
My morning reflections as I woke up early, I have had enough sleep in one
go. Which is great for me, sleeping for six hours in a row! And when I ask
myself as part of my morning routine, how am I feeling? I feel okay, and I
can be me today. I do not have to pretend anything or worry about what
people think of me. How am I feeling? Why? And what to do. As life feels
good, and I feel rested and not exhausted, I am open honest and willing
this morning… This morning, a gentle reminder of step one is good,
powerless over alcohol: and I don’t wish to be powerful over anything,
especially people, places and things. Experiencing life as it is and not
trying to control it, or others, simply the journey of now. And step two, I
don’t feel the old insanities of addiction, trying to hang on to the
remnants of the past. And letting go the notion that I must do everything
and show the world, my capacity to be me without help. Step three, the
higher power of your understanding, your personal beliefs are imperative,
and I understand God in my life to be: truth, love and wisdom in the moment
of now, and every experience that got me to where I am with the help of the
universe. The power of God works through people, the right people, and
there are plenty like me, still learning the wisdom of now, with help and
asking for help, openly and truthfully today… I can ask for help and I am
happy to do so, the more I learn and experience, I realise there is so much
more I will never know, emotional and spiritual, able to cope in the moment
of now. And when I cannot, I ask for help… It only takes a few moments to
remind myself I am simply part of the big picture and the big picture is
always bigger than me…

I know that I can keep on an even keel most of the time, even when life is
difficult. Things happen and we wonder why is it always happening to me?
The bad and the ugly bits! Simply the answer is we all get, the bad and
ugly bits. And we learn and keep on learning as life goes on, and knowing
that we can ask for help, it changes everything as we come to understand
how step six is the old life of peril, where our behaviour becomes extreme
and unhelpful, and step seven helps us to approach life differently, with
courage, faith in the next right thing and confidence that the outcomes
will be as good as they can be in the moment of now. Once we understand
reality, everything is much easier because we realise what we can do and
what we cannot do and the wisdom to know the difference. Every day we will
find things difficult some of the time and absolutely wonderful some of the
time… Reality, it really is the best place to be when our feelings or
emotional connection is right and we are able to see the truth of our
situation with people, places and things…

If these twelve steps did not work, developing me as a human being, to be
able to experience the reality of now, feelings working in the moment and
reality to be lived, I would not write, or share the experience, strength
and hope that fellowship gives me today. Simply, human beings being human
together, sharing the truth as best we can, and knowing even when people
are at their very worst, they are the best they can be right now. I see
newcomers coming into fellowship, confused beyond belief. And I do feel the
pain when I was a newcomer, but it is not the same pain felt by new person
shocked into reality one day at a time…

Telephones! Having been excited to upgrade my mobile phone into the
enlightened age of connected to everything, it does not work very well. The
reason being me, I need to read the instructions, set it up correctly and
really study how to make it work. It is an endeavour which will take me
more than one day, because I have other interests and other things to do.
And as long as it works as a telephone which it does not yet seem to do,
life will be restored to ordinary. In olden days, I would have been tearing
out the little hair that I have! These days. Nothing is that urgent, unless
it is about people and how to help. And that comes first always in my
recovery today…

Alcoholics Anonymous | February 14 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 2
“Sanity” | Today’s AA daily reflection: “expectations versus demands” and
as is often said in Fellowship, “expectations are resentments under
construction.” This does not mean that we lose sight of aspirations and
ambition, it simply means we are more realistic about what we can and
cannot do. And we concentrate and live in the present moment, striving and
trudging the happy or sad, loving and sometimes painful road of destiny…

I met a friend yesterday as I was leaving hospital after some tests which
needed to be done, routine tests and not worrying tests. An impromptu
meeting of minds as we were both concerned about newcomers we have been
supporting over the last few days. Both of us wanted to be the best we
could be for the newcomer and both newcomers had somehow managed to escape
us and our good deeds… We accepted the situation and left the door open to
support and help if the newcomers chose and that was what they wanted…

A Fellowship meeting mid-morning, a newcomers meeting. A wonderful chair by
someone I know sharing just how it was in the malady of drink and what it
was like now in recovery some years on. The chair all about realistic
living today and not about what they thought life ought to be and what they
deserved. The expectation was life would be difficult sober and the
experience of living reality must be cherished as people are to be
cherished and not treated with superficiality and indifference…

I had a couple of “AA chips” in my pocket, just for today chips and gave
them to two newcomers in the meeting. On one side of the chip it says “one
day at a time” and on the other side, the serenity prayer. I can often
forget just how valuable it was to receive a token and reminder in the form
of an “AA chip” and what it meant to me. It meant I need simply be sober
today and I would learn what I can do and what I cannot do just for this
one day…

“Trust God and clean house” often made me feel that I was a second-class
citizen, because I had no concept of God or higher power. It seemed like I
could stumble on the first two steps of the twelve step program. When I
looked at it in a slightly different way, “trust in the good and support I
get from other people and learn what it means to clean house on a daily
basis” I began a journey of progress and not perfection…

DonInLondon 2005-2011

Powerless over people places and things can drive us mad! Sigmund Freud
Every normal person, in fact, is only normal on the average. His ego
approximates to that of the psychotic in some part or other and to a
greater or lesser extent. -/- Resentments and anger are dubious luxuries
for everyone

Desiderata ~ “Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to
be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of
life, keep peace in your soul.” “Burn the idea into the consciousness of
every man that he can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is
that he trust in God and clean house.” ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 98 ~
Dealing with expectations is a frequent topic at meetings! Expectations are
resentments under construction. I have heard and said this many times.
Every morning I set my expectations to zero, so I may feel okay by the
progress I make today in any or every endeavour…

“Lest we forget” at Flood St. The reading was the “spiritual experience”
followed by a great chair. What is spiritual? “A dose of reality,” or “the
ability to cope with today.” It may involve faith, God, or as simple as
seeing the truth right now. Spiritual is unique and authentic as life is,
living the truth, coping with reality and finding serenity in the moment.
We work with what works today…

AA Daily Reflection: AA Daily Reflection: EXPECTATIONS vs. DEMANDS FEBRUARY
14, Burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well
regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean
house. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 98

Dealing with expectations is a frequent topic at meetings. It isn’t wrong
to expect progress of myself, good things from life, or decent treatment
from others. Where I get into trouble is when my expectations become
demands. I will fall short of what I wish to be and situations will go in
ways I do not like, because people will let me down sometimes. The only
question is: “What am I going to about it?” Wallow in self-pity or anger;
retaliate and make a bad situation worse; or will I trust in God’s power to
bring blessings on the messes in which I find myself? Will I ask Him what I
should be learning; do I keep on doing the right things I know how to do,
no matter what; do I take the time to share my faith and blessings with
others?

“Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to
sanity”

Step Two Video 12 And 12
Alcoholics Anonymous | Step 2 Reading 12 & 12 | DonInLondon |

Step One Video 12 And 12
Alcoholics Anonymous | Step 1 Reading 12 & 12 | DonInLondon

AA Big Book Video | Chapter 1 | Bill’s Story |
AA Big Book Video | Chapter 1 Bill’s Story |

AA Big Book Video | Chapter 2 | There Is A Solution |
AA Big Book Video | Chapter 2 There Is A Solution |

AA Big Book Video | Chapter 3 | More About Alcoholism |
AA Big Book Video | Chapter 3 More About Alcoholism |

AA Big Book Video | Chapter 4 | We Agnostics |
AA Big Book Video | Chapter 4 We Agnostics |

AA Big Book Video | Chapter 5 | How It Works |
AA Big Book Video | Chapter 5 How It Works |

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