Aug 10th it’s 35 more wonderful days at the time of this
writing till I board the Zephyr to Chicago’s Union Station for a 3+ hour layer
over before the Capital Limited arrives in the windy city. Maybe I’ll get a
chance to step out door, grab a little of the street life and soak in the
moment. As I anticipate the steps from the door of my residence with baggage in
tow and just a very short walk to Lodi station to board the bus to Sacramento,
I no doubt will be filled with awe plus wonderment, but yet filled with a
little fear. What kind of fear? I don’t know maybe of the unknown or unfulfilled
expectations, what can possible go wrong or right, Iris luck, serendipity? They say the greater the risk, greater the
reward, time can only tell. Truly the only fear I have is that of myself, when
I look in the mirror I constantly see the enemy so lays the great question? What
does one do about it “What lies behind us
and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us! “
From Ralph Waldo Emerson
From the days of my youth fear has always been at the EPIC
center of my life, but in my latter years I’ve discovered the core of my
anxieties and I’m willing to conquer in time the enemy that is within…….. A.A‘s
view of 100 forms of fear can be summed up as said below
Selfishness and self-centeredness
that we think is the root of our trouble. Driven by a hundred forms of fear...
We learn certain behaviors, attitudes, and ways of thinking as the ism creeps
up on us. These things all have a basis in fear. The fears feed on themselves
taking us to a place of self-delusion such as I "need" a drink, I am
to fat, one more roll of the dice and I'll be set for life. The excuses start
to roll like an avalanche soon completely engulfing not just the self but all
those around us. The need to protect the idea that we are OK and everyone else
is wrong causes us to become even more dishonest. This self seeking behavior
only compounds the problem as inevitably we get caught in our dishonesty. This
process leads us to such a place of self pity that we find ourselves totally
isolated. A place where even when we ARE able to be honest those around us take
it with a grain of salt waiting for the next episode……taken from dailystrenght.org
Early in my recovery I had to
change only one thing and that was everything. I had to get honest with God,
myself and another human being. When I sit
in court with loved ones while waiting their fate, I’m amazed at how a whole industry
evolved just to serve these unfortunates and all it takes is some attitude
adjustment. We live by our choices and them alone we live. At a
very young age I learned how to manipulate my mother just by using my GOOD
behavior. I was blessed with enough wisdom to sit back, watch and observe all things
for which I still do today. Being all so humbled today I can count my blessings,
realizing that God did indeed kept a safe hand on me, even with all my foolishness
and ill decisions. Remember “Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery and
all we have is the present, that is why we call it a gift”
If the world is your oyster than what is your pearl? Now
come with me mates and let’s sail to ports of call unknown
Bon Voyage
