Strive for clear thinking. Many of us have had our thinking clouded by denial. Some of us have even lost faith in ourselves because we've spent a degree of time in denial. But losing faith in our thinking isn't going to help us. What we need to lose faith in is denial.
We didn't resort to denial - either of someone else's problem or our own - because we were deficient. Denial, the shock absorber for the soul, protects us until we are equipped to cope with reality.
Clear thinking and recovery don't mean we will never resort to denial. Denial is the first step toward acceptance, and for most of our life, we will be striving to accept something.
Clear thinking means we don't allow ourselves to become immersed in negativity or unrealistic expectations. We stay connected to other recovering people. We go to our meetings, where peace of mind and realistic support are available. We work the Steps, pray, and meditate.
We keep our thinking on track by asking our Higher Power to help us think clearly - not by expecting Him, or someone else, to do our thinking for us.
Today, I will strive for balanced, clear thought in all areas of my life.
From The Language of Letting Go
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
We didn't resort to denial - either of someone else's problem or our own - because we were deficient. Denial, the shock absorber for the soul, protects us until we are equipped to cope with reality.
What a beautiful post in its entirety, Q. I love this line above for its compassion. What a beautiful thing to recognise & for me, this brings patience. With myself & others. Our Higher Powers will reveal to us what we are able to accept as we go. Some of this will be through pain but always timely. This is one of the most beautiful things I love my Higher Power for. Revealing to me as I am capable of understanding. Much love in recovery, Carol. Danielle x
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Progress not perfection.. & Practice makes Progress!
Hi girls, I agree, love this post! I think my middle name is denial!! Said before, Sometimes I remind myself of an ostrich with my head in the sand.....Keeps me happy and "FINE" and thats exactly where I am now...Oh, Im F.I.N.E. alright!! (cant think of the acronym but know it fits.) Today all's I can do is pray that with the help of my HP, I am equipped to do his will and not mine!!!
Interesting thing going on in the news...A prominenet society woman claimed she was kidnapped recently. Her dad is a judge and husband a minister. She;s a lawyer. Claimed she was kidnapped last week and they found her thurs?
After much interrogation, recanted her story and said she made it up. Come to find out, she's allegedly stole clients money, owes a bunch of back taxes and is in huge trouble. As soon as I heard the story, I just knew something wasnt right..From day one..Her fears and denial has made her situation even worse that it was to begin with. I can relate to her fears...being afraid to fess up and take responsibilty for something youve done.
No matter how well Im working my program if I leave things unsaid or try to bury the past, (denial, denial)the guilt will eat me up! I dont think I can truly live a good happy life if I have something like this weighing on my heart. She has a long road to tow (might be ok cuz its "who" you know sometimes that gets you out of trouble), but her family is SOOO supportive and behind her 100 percent.
Ive heard it said that "you might be surprised at someones reaction" when you finally do fess up or make your amends to people! By doing the right thing! It reminds me of how people think their 4 th step (amends?) is going to be this big ta-do and the person just says, "ok, thats it?" like no big deal. I tend to make a mountain out of a molehill alot!
Its funny how God puts stories or people in our lives to show us the right way to do things. Its really not the end of the earth and we move on.....
*put in paragraphs for easy reading for our ADD friend Dean!!! Love ya's Lani
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"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. "
I think this is what I am FULL of (denial) when I get stagnant in recovery, which has happened several times. There invariably comes a time when I have to start dealing with certain things in life, and I have to start being more HONEST with myself. But I just dig my heels in and ignore the lesson(s) I need to work through. (And WORK is the operative word here.) I choose to stay stuck in denial and the "I'm FINE's". I just want to 'freeze' things the way they are, while I sit in denial from the fact that I still need to make changes constantly, even with some 'time' under my belt.
Lani, I too have been folowing the story you mentioned. I believe the lady is from my area here, near Cleveland. The way you saw her experience turned a lightbulb on for me, and I thank you for sharing your interpretation, and the relationship in this story to our recovery.
Joni
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~~"It's hard to be hateful when you're grateful."~~
