Courage to Change:
Some Al-Anon suggestions, such as getting a Sponsor, were easy for me because I’m good at following specific instructions. But I didn’t know what to do with the slogan, “Live and Let Live.” Al-Anon helped me to let live by teaching me about detachment and helping me to see that many of my problems stemmed from minding everyone’s business but my own. But how do you turn your eyes on yourself and “live” for the first time in your life?
When I put this question to my Sponsor, she asked me one in turn — what had I done earlier that day? Although I’d had a very busy day, I could barely remember what I had been doing. My Sponsor suggested that I begin learning how to live by becoming more aware of my life as I was already living it. Then I would be better able to make choices about how I would like to live.
Searching for the real me, living according to my needs, and loving myself as a new-found friend have been the most rewarding benefits of the Al-Anon program. Strangely, they’re the last ones I would have imagined receiving when I began.
Today’s Reminder:
Today I can choose to take responsibility for my own life. If I stay out of others’ affairs and become more aware of my own, I have a good chance of finding some serenity.
“Each man’s life represents a road toward himself.”
– Hermann Hesse