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bluidkiti · 09-11-2013, 10:15 AM

From the Book

If You Want What We Have:
Sponsorship Meditations
By Joan Larkin

©1998 Joan Larkin

---- 11 ----
May you live all the days of your life.
JONATHAN SWIFT

Newcomer
I’m confused about the wording of the second part of the First Step. When people say, “My life had become unmanageable,” they don’t all seem to mean the same thing. For some it’s a big deal if they have a messy house or unpaid bills; another person says he has lost everything, but seems totally calm about it. I don’t know if my life is unmanageable or not. Just what is “unmanageability”?

Sponsor
People who manage offices, theaters, restaurants, classrooms—you name it—are responsible for lots of planning and decision making. Periodically, they have to reevaluate. They may ask, “What results did we get from taking the actions we took? What can we do more effectively?” Managing our live is similar. Life used to just happen to me; I reacted to events, often feeling like a victim. When I acted on impulse, then looked for reason for what I’d done, I wasn’t managing anything. Today, I can see the range of choices available to me, now that my life isn’t dedicated to serving my addiction. In recovery, we’re responsible for finding out how we want to live, where, and with whom—what our true preferences are. Our disease made our lives unmanageable, but we are no longer victims when we take back the responsibility for our decisions in recovery.

Today, I am free to make decisions that help
bring about the life I want for myself.

09-11-2013, 10:15 AM	#11
bluidkiti Administrator Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 70,587	From the Book If You Want What We Have: Sponsorship Meditations By Joan Larkin ©1998 Joan Larkin ---- 11 ---- May you live all the days of your life. JONATHAN SWIFT Newcomer I’m confused about the wording of the second part of the First Step. When people say, “My life had become unmanageable,” they don’t all seem to mean the same thing. For some it’s a big deal if they have a messy house or unpaid bills; another person says he has lost everything, but seems totally calm about it. I don’t know if my life is unmanageable or not. Just what is “unmanageability”? Sponsor People who manage offices, theaters, restaurants, classrooms—you name it—are responsible for lots of planning and decision making. Periodically, they have to reevaluate. They may ask, “What results did we get from taking the actions we took? What can we do more effectively?” Managing our live is similar. Life used to just happen to me; I reacted to events, often feeling like a victim. When I acted on impulse, then looked for reason for what I’d done, I wasn’t managing anything. Today, I can see the range of choices available to me, now that my life isn’t dedicated to serving my addiction. In recovery, we’re responsible for finding out how we want to live, where, and with whom—what our true preferences are. Our disease made our lives unmanageable, but we are no longer victims when we take back the responsibility for our decisions in recovery. Today, I am free to make decisions that help bring about the life I want for myself. __________________ "No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving.