Independence Day!

The quick inventory is aimed at our daily ups and downs, especially those where people or new events throw us off balance and tempt us to make mistakes.

            In all these situations we need self-restraint, honest analysis of what is involved, a willingness to forgive when the fault is elsewhere. We need not be discouraged when we fall into the error of our old ways, for these disciplines are not easy. We shall look for progress, not for perfection.

Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions, (p. 91)

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Once I began on this path I wondered what all the fuss was about if we are only human. Actually, I felt then and I still do, that too much emphasis was put on the wrong wrongs and not enough attention was put on the right ones. 

Running through the forest at night! That's what I am doing most of the time. I found out that I could only do this if I went native… (no racism intended)… making my way through the bush hunched forward with hands close to the ground… staying alert and paying attention to where I put my feet. That is the way I wind through life… running from fears… careening through the forest in the dark. Better yet, slow down… where am I going in such a hurry? Pause when agitated or doubtful… take a breath.

I can admit, however, that such advice falls on deaf ears at the time of enraged emotions but, before my day is done, I can look at myself and laugh. It is a reflex that has developed through interaction with members of the Fellowship. It didn't arise naturally and, trust me on this, I don't do it willingly. However, when I do this, my days level out and hardships that once determined where I went and those annoying people I avoided, became fewer.

After all, everyday is Independence Day!

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