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Article Writing Day

June 10, 2011 by

Today was my day off from working at The Villas – so I made it a day for working on my article. I made good progress though I have about four or more hours of work on it.

The best thing is I am learning to write in a new way. Most of my writing to this point has been journaling – this is my first attempt at writing an informational article. I spent the whole day researching. Tomorrow I hope to start putting it together.

If anyone is interested in following my journey of starting a small business I added an email subscription form a little bit ago.  You can also follow me on twitter and hopefully in the days to come I will start a Facebook page for the business as well. Lots of bits and pieces to put together. Basic Business Promotion

I have to share a funny thing about Buddy the cat. For the last two days he has been spending the whole day on top of the hot water heater pipes in the kitchen. A very uncomfortable seat and I couldn’t figure out why he would stay there till I realized this afternoon that those pipes are warm! Of course cats like warm places. So, I went and found an old towel and made his new spot a little more comfortable. I think he was appreciative.

After putting in a full day on the article I rewarded myself with watching one of my favorite movies, The Truman Story. It’s been a while since I watched it and I enjoyed it a lot. The first time I watched it I thought it was crazy and didn’t make any sense all through the movie but when it finally clicked what was going on – I’ve become an avid fan. I think the author of that film captured a basic thought we all have (or at least I do) in that we tend to feel the world is intensely interested in everything we do.

I remember my mom telling me as a grade school kid whenever I was sure I looked funny or didn’t have the right something or other to fit in, “That no one will even notice.” Of course I didn’t believe her. I was always sure everyone noticed everything I did wrong. How could they not? It was so obvious!

Al-Anon has helped me a lot in getting that attitude adjustment leveled out.

Filed Under: Buddy, Day by Day, Work Tagged With: , , , ,

Taking Care of Myself

June 9, 2011 by

This evening after work I went to an Al-anon meeting. It was quite small – just four of us but as usual was just what I needed. After the meeting I decided to take one of the little Al-Anon magazines home to read.

I just read the first story and it was so powerful that I want to share it with you. (There is a little note at the bottom of the article that says it is fine to share on website or newsletter as long as credit is due – so note the credit at the end of the article.)

Taking care of myself comes first

By Roland V., British Columbia

Growing up in an alcoholic home forced me to adapt to situations quickly, often putting my own feelings aside. Surrounded with forceful personalities, I learned it was easier and safer to conform to the needs of the people involved, rather than take care of my own needs.

“… when presented with a situation over which I am powerless, I no longer have to be the second victim.”

The ocean had always comforted me. When I was a teenager, I had taken a rescue diving course. One of the training scenarios was to rescue an unconscious victim near a rocky shore.

The instructor explained, “You have reached the victim, but both of you are about to be thrown against the rocks, causing certain injury to both of you. You can use yourself to shield them or vice versa.”

I responded quickly, “Surely we should throw ourselves between them and the rocks.” His answer was, “The correct action is to use the victim’s body to shield yourself from injury.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I protested, “We’re trying to save people, not injure them further.” My instructor responded, “Then there would be two unconscious people in the water. Your first responsibility, in any rescue, is to not become the second victim.”

I would not understand the full weight of this error in my thinking until I had been in Al-Anon for several years. How many times had I tried to shield the alcoholic from their disease, only to be thrown against the rocks with them?”

Today, with the help of the Al-Anon fellowship, I’ve learned that to be of service to others I have to take care of myself first. And when presented with a situation over which I’m powerless, I no longer have to be the second victim.”

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Reprinted with permission of The Forum, Al-Anon Family Group Hdqts., Inc., Virginia Beach, VA

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As an update to my job interview – it went very well. I don’t know what will come of it – but I am glad I went for it.

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My 90 day Committment

June 7, 2011 by

I have decided to make a 90 day commitment to work as much as possible on my business. A sort of sink or swim endeavor. I will continue with Joy in Recovery - but my daily blogging and work commitment will be at Basic Business Promotion for the next 89 days (I started yesterday).

You can read about it on my business website - where I will be giving a daily report on my progress. The site is not finished – lots to do but its a start.

I will still continue with Joy in Recovery – but right now my recovery is about making a living. Otherwise my daily Joy in Recovery might be on a street corner. Well, not really – I have lots of family that will take me in for a few weeks and I can keep moving from one to the other for a while – but I don’t think that is a very good goal.

I just read a wonderful book by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. God Has a Dream. It is very good. Here is a few sentences from his first chapter called, God Believes In Us.

Of course, there were times when you had to whistle in the dark to keep your morale up, and you wanted to whisper in God’s ear: “God, we know You are in charge, but can’t You make it a little more obvious?”

I loved that.

I agree with it wholeheartedly.

I’m always for God moving a little more dramatically in my life. I got the book when I went on the AA retreat a few weeks ago. We stopped at the Powell’s book store in Portland on the way home and someone had picked this book up to look at it and then apparently decided against it and just left it on a shelf. I don’t think I would have picked this book up otherwise – but the way it was just sort of “sitting” there as I walked by made me feel like it was nudge from God to take and read. So I did.

For me, books have often played a major role in my conversion journey. It always seems that God sort of “drops” the next thing I am supposed to read in front of me.

Another good book I finished a couple of days ago that I really love is a science fiction called, “Hopscotch by Kevin Anderson.” I went to the library last week to get a couple of books to read. I was in a hurry so I looked at the books that they had at the end of the isles on display. It was about life a couple thousand years ahead of now when people could “hopscotch” themselves from one body to another. If you don’t like science fiction than you wouldn’t like this I expect - but if you do - this was a great one! It actually turned out to have a lot of “God” in it which I hadn’t expected. In fact it even had a “monastery” in it which I found amusing. Sort of like it was another God pick for me. The main characters were all raised in a monastery and then left when they came of age. So if anyone was wondering if there will be monastic life 2000 plus years from now this was a good case for it. Funny. (Warning: it does have a bit of sex and stuff in it but nothing graphic – at least I didn’t think so.)

Sunday I went to a very powerful al-anon meeting. It was an “Open Talk” meeting which is what they call it when one person tells their personal journey of recovery. I wish I could have packaged the whole thing up to share with you – but that wouldn’t be part of the anonymous part of al-anon – so I will be good and keep with the program. I will say though that the stories one hears at these meetings are totally amazing. Sometimes a few people will say that I share with honestly – but “whoa”  mine is sugar and cream compared to these stories. Each one is a true witness that “God” is at work in each of our lives no matter what it might look on the outside.

Filed Under: Al-anon, Uncategorized, Work Tagged With: , , , , , ,