Weekly AA Thread - Oct.8 - 14

[lifechange]

Weekly AA Thread - Oct.8 - 14

good morning!!

it was really great to read what you all wrote the past couple of days.
really hit home with me, too, DG--about giving everyone the respect to listen to their stories, concerns, etc. who am i to judge what others are experiencing? and also the bit from the aa book about keeping our inventories in check. that is something i still haven't done--making an inventory--but i do have it in mind a lot. and the being honest part. that has been and still is quite a struggle. being brutally honest, especially with myself. of course if i'm not even doing that, i can't possibly be honest with others. i catch myself all the time in "little" lies and am trying very hard to get that in order. part of the work is not expecting so much from myself. not setting myself up for disaster by arranging a life i can't manage.
Gina and Mary, i get a lot from what you post.

thank you all,
life

[Doggygirl]

Weekly AA Thread - Oct.8 - 14

Good morning LC, Molly and all to come!

Molly - something about your post triggered a thought in my head about the slogan "wear the world like a loose garment." I am trying very hard to let go of rigid expectations of myself and of others. (it's not easy for me!!!) So many times this slogan comes to mind so I decided to google it just to see what came up. I really liked this short right up: Wear the World Like a Loose Garment ? doug toft

I can become too attached to ideas like...I MUST go to X many meetings or I MUST to this or that. Rather than just going to have the experience of being there and nothing more. My "MUST DO" thinking often leads me to....other peoples inventories where I start deciding what I think somebody else should be doing, and compare the ways I am doing *whatever* better. Not a good spiritual path for me to go down. Wow - some of these thoughts are like pulling a loose string on a sweather for me. Sanity begins to unravel!

I typed a "draft" letter to my friend yesterday, but still didn't think it was quite what I wanted to say. Sometimes its hard for me to express *feelings* in words. Especially words on paper with no two way dialog allowing adjustments in the conversation. But this morning I woke up and hadn't *planned* on writing that letter this morning, but just felt compelled to grab the box of stationary and do it. I think it came out OK as far as reflecting what I really wanted to say. I don't know if its in the cards that we resume any sort of relationship away from the tables down the road. But I'm not worried about it. (finally - this has been preying on my mind now for weeks) Whatever will be will be.

DG

[GinaCA]

Weekly AA Thread - Oct.8 - 14

Good Morning to all!

Molly~ I'm glad those long timers gave you that advice regarding meetings! I put so much pressure on myself during my prior AA stints and carried sooo much AA guilt around that it drove me out of the rooms. I thought that if I'm not doing what they say to do, I may as well leave, even though I was still benefiting and learning from some of the things I heard. I was still able to stay sober and had much curiousity, which was the most important thing, but I didn't see it as "enough", I guess!

DG~ I really like the link and the saying you posted, "wear the world like a loose garment". I will try to keep that in mind and just relax! I get dizzy sometimes thinking about all the things I "think" I should be doing. I am happy for you that you were able to write the letter to your friend. I will have a mental block sometimes for weeks when I just cannot put a pen to paper, when suddenly, that's all I want to do....my thoughts come pouring out. I love those moments! I'm sure you benefited internally from the experience. I'm waiting for those moments to hit me for a few of my upcoming amends....amends to myself, my deceased step father, and a couple others.

LC~ I like what you said about honesty and "lying by omission". The amt of space it takes up in my head, after a lie or lie by omission, is not worth the internal distress/agony. It feels much better to live an honest life.

Mary, Phil, and everyone else who swings by~ Always great to hear and learn from you, too!

Off to go spend a few hours with the Carnival Committee I got roped into (again!), then an afternoon with my mom and siblings for a small bday celebration. It's supposed to get up to 90 degrees here....ugh!

Enjoy your Sunday!