Latest / Sober Readings / The Best For Today
Transcript
- Scott Hayes: Welcome to Sober Readings, everyone. Today is Wednesday the first of July. I cannot believe it's July already. The summer is gonna fly by. Let's begin today's episode with the serenity prayer. God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference. Today's reading from Daily Reflections The Best for today. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. And that's on page sixty of Alcoholics Anonymous. And that's also a line from How It Works. Just as a sculptor will use different tools to achieve desired effects in creating a work of art, in Alcoholics Anonymous the twelve steps are used to bring about results in my own life. I do not overwhelm myself with life's problems and how much more work needs to be done. I let myself be comforted in knowing that my life is now in the hands of my higher power, a master craftsman who is shaping each part of my life into a unique work of art. By working my program I can be satisfied, knowing that in doing the best that we can for today, we are doing all that God asks of us. Today's reading from 24 hours, July 1 AA Thought for the Day. In following the AA program with its 12 steps, we have the advantage of a better understanding of our problems. Day after day, our sobriety results in formation of new habits, normal habits. As each 24 hour period ends, we find that the business of staying sober is a much less trying and fearsome ordeal than it seemed in the beginning. So I ask myself, do I find it easier as I go along? The meditation for the day. Learn daily the lesson of trust and calm in the midst of the storms of life. Whatever of sorrow or difficulty the day may bring, God's command to you is the same be grateful, humble, calm, and loving to all people. Leave each soul the better for having met you or heard you. For all kinds of people this should be your attitude, a loving desire to help and an infectious spirit of calmness and trust in God. You have the answer to loneliness and fear, which is calm faith in the goodness and purpose in the universe. And today's prayer for the day. I pray that I may be calm in the midst of storms. I pray that I may pass on this calmness to others who are lonely and full of fear. Today's Daily Meditation from Touchstones If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. That's a quote from Raymond Inman. We all seek creative ideas from time to time, perhaps when we have a problem resting heavily on our minds, or when we are simply in a bad mood. We need to refresh ourselves at those times. Refreshment doesn't solve a problem, but it can revitalize our thinking. Sometimes when we are feeling hopeless, we neglect to care for ourselves, forgetting that a better environment will give us a stronger attitude, even toward the most difficult problems. We must learn our own best methods for being refreshed, ways that allow angels to whisper to us. They should be simple, inexpensive, and accessible daily. Going for a walk is a very good example. Daily reading and study is another possibility. Observing nature or doing handicrafts or hobbies is refreshing for some people. These activities allow us to temporarily set aside our tasks and concerns and And open us to creative ideas. Today, I will give myself a creative break from the concerns I am facing. For today's final reading, I'm gonna read a story from Voices of Women in AA. And this is ⁓ AA Grapevine material. It's stories of experience, strength, and hope from the grapevine. And this story is from chapter eight, which is titled Worker Among Workers. And the title of this short story is List of Dreams, and it's from August of 2004. I am 40 years old. I work in an hourly wage job and I have no husband to support me. I'm too old to go back to school. I'd be almost fifty when I would start a new career. I'm sober, but I still resent alcohol ruining my life. So said an attractive, articulate woman at a meeting my husband and I attended at one of our adventures across the country. I wanted to share an experience and some hope with this lady. But the meeting ended and she left hurriedly after the Lord's prayer. What she had said was very similar to what I had said 14 years ago at the age of 40. I also remember with brilliant clarity what was said to me. Well, in 10 years you'll be 50, whether you go to school or not. Would you rather be 50 with a degree or 50 without a degree? Now 54, I have had my PhD for two years. I worked full time, finished my undergrad degree, and was accepted into a master's degree program for the following year. The month I started graduate school, I was diagnosed with cancer. My past consumption of alcohol and withdrawals were primary factors. I had surgery and two and a half months of daily ret radiation. After three weeks off from for surgery, somehow I continued to go to school and to work and completed the semester. My master's took me two years to complete. Then I completed my doctoral program in a little over three years. True, I'll probably be paying off my student loans with my social security checks, but that's okay. The years in school were some of the best in my 14 years of sobriety. I am now doing things I'd only fantasized about when I had a vodka and tonic in one hand and my dream list in the other. One of my jobs is an adjunct faculty member at a local university. I often hear women in their 30s and 40s use age as an excuse for not going to graduate school. If age is the only excuse, I tell them, they might want to reconsider. Had I not remained sober, I would never have accomplished my goals. Remaining sober and following the principles I learned in AA allowed me to experience miracles beyond sobriety, but not beyond my dreams. In sobriety, my dreams really do mean something. Somewhere, I hope a woman are in her forties is reading this and reconsidering her options. And that was written by Romy P in Jeffersonville, Indiana. And I had to read that story today because I can relate. I happen to be 50 years old and I happen to be a graduate student right now, currently, and I can tell you that when I decided to quit my job and go back to school as a grad student. It was very scary. And it was never something that I would have done had I not been sober. Because sobriety has given me confidence. Not that I didn't have confidence growing up, but there was always fear surrounding everything. And when emotions like that crept up, I always drank. And then everything seemed to go to the wayside. But in sobriety, it's easier to take risks. And I think the main reason why. It's because of belief in my higher power. It's because of my faith that things will work out in the end. And so I'd love to hear your thoughts and your comments on that story. You can send me an email at soberreadingswithscott at gmail.com. Or you can go to my website, soberreadings.com, and there's a short form that you can fill out, and that'll make its way to me. And while you're there at my website, soberreadings.com, ⁓ if you'd like to drop a dollar in the virtual donation basket, just click that donate button. And I really appreciate it. So thank you so much for listening today. Stay sober, keep reading, and I'll see you in the next episode. Until then, take care of yourselves and each other. And remember, just for today, don't drink, go to a meeting, and keep coming back. Have a great day. And as my friend Larry says, best day ever.