Monday Thoughts 7.31.23 - Women for Sobriety

“Life is not measured by time. It is measured by moments.”
Armin Houman

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.”
L.R. Knost

“There are millions of incredible moments in a day. Even if you lose 1000’s, there are 100’s of them still left. Make them yours.”
Hiral Nagda

#6 Life can be ordinary or it can be great.

Greatness is mine by a conscious effort.

One of the latest challenges I am encountering is learning how to experience life with diminished vision. An aggressive form of macular degeneration has been changing the way I see life and this has brought a vibrancy to Statement #6. It is vital to experience the moments of life with a conscious effort to keep negativity at bay while staying engaged in life.

Embracing each day is much easier and means so much in sobriety and recovery. In the past I just did not care, I could not care about anything else than what drove my addiction. I continually sought to rush through everything, completely missing the beautiful moments that life brings. More often than not I created drama to feel a sense of aliveness, or just to feel. It was a painful way to live. Not anymore!

Sobriety and Statement #6 in action generate feelings of connectedness and feeling fully alive. No longer drawn to drama, ordinary life feels simple and quite content. Just catching sight of a hummingbird zipping on by makes my heart smile inside. As I navigate these new waters, this Statement feels fitting and appropriate for everyday moments. I am able to cherish the little things like being able to adjust type size and being able to connect daily. In our WFS Program booklet, it states, “Sobriety is a rewarding experience for those who invest in the moments of each day.” What can you do this week to invest in each day?

Hugzzz
Karen

Dear 4C Women,

This Statement has always been slightly challenging for me. It was at a meeting when one of the women shared how ordinary felt great after all the chaos of drinking. She looked forward to the ordinary and recognized how calm it made her feel. Karen expressed those similar feelings in practicing this Statement. It took me a bit longer to get it. So glad I persevered.

I was looking through some of my messages from a few years ago and I realized how many lasting memories were created in moments. I always thought greatness had to be some extraordinary event. I wrote about my yearly trips up north after I moved here to Alabama. Due to my daughter’s medical issues, some of those trips left me so concerned that I wasn’t sure I would go. I made arrangements for her to be taken care of and was blessed to have that comfort. The trips created such wonderful moments and because of Statement #6, I was able to truly be aware of them by a conscious effort. I still have moments when I am touched by nature, someone’s kindness and generosity, and especially much-needed support. I keep those moments tucked in my memory bank of gratefulness.

I found some questions that I hope will get you in touch with those “moments” of ordinary greatness created by your conscious effort.

Think about the last great moment you experienced:

What was so great about it?
Was it the people you were with? If so, who were they?
A special celebration or a special time in your life? Share the celebration or the special time.
A sight that awed you? Describe it.
What did you learn about yourself from that moment? Did you discover that you had more patience in being aware, felt deeper compassion, felt calmness, grateful for the memory, hope, and extraordinary joy? The feelings are there for you to discover.

My two favorite questions over the years have been:

What would you do for free? This is a clue as to what makes you feel enthusiastic, that you are passionate about, and look forward to doing. Once you discover what it is, consider how much time you are devoting to it.

What do you like to talk about? This answer will tell you what you enjoy most in life. You’ll feel it physically and emotionally. You might have this big smile on your face as you talk about it, feel excited. This is a great question to ask others and see how they respond. Who knows, you might have the same likes and create a strong bond and friendship.

Bonded in recalling your great moments, big and small, from long ago or perhaps just yesterday, Dee