No Evil Deeds...But

I hear people say that they did not do any bad actions a particular day.  Their examination of conscience, a Step 10 for some, tells them they did not do bad that day.  Well, this is good and probably an improvement on old behavior.  But don’t pat yourself on the back too soon.  After I say, “I did not do anything bad today, no bad behavior,” I then have to ask myself, “Did I do anything good today?”  If not, or if I had a chance to do good and passed it by, they I have committed what has been called a “sin of omission.”  Some days I find that though I did not do anything bad I also did nothing good and had chances to do good.  In some circles this doing good is called being of service. It is one thing to try and avoid acting out your old vices. It is another thing to be on a spiritual path.  The spiritual path will make you happier and also everyone around you.  I have found it so.  

Kincaid Fire

For those of you who have been freezing and dealing with October snow, I have also been in a bit of a mess since a fire broke out last Saturday.  I have been in Northern California.  We have had no power, no lights.  Cooking on two stove burners gave us some food choices.  We have an ice chest and ice from town when available to keep things cool.  So blogging is a bit of a challenge.  Now the power has gone back on, for how long, we do not know.  But I can get this out to you all.  There is still some smoke in the air and I wear a mask when walking.  No jogging or heavy exercise.  I am at the ocean about 115 miles North from San Francisco.  We are safe, but not going anywhere fo now.  People have been trying to call me probably to do things, thinking I am either in Colorado or able to get there quickly.  Hope your weather problems are manageable.

Divided

There is a wisdom saying, “Every kingdom divided against itself will not stand.”  I have found that if I am only half into something then I am also half out of it.  If I sort of exercise I will not get fit.  Exercise one day and then do next to nothing for several days, busy with other things, I will not get fit.  No one is able to run a marathon who exercises but twice a week for a half hour.  You are either all in or you are really all out.  I hear people talk about their drinking or eating or porno stuff.  The drinker talked about praying some on a day, and then not drinking for a day and then debauching for a day or two.  They are “sort of sober” as the person said to me. They are divided against themselves.  If you are going to stay recovered from an addiction you are going to have to be all in with the recommended steps handed on by those who are all in.  Divided kingdoms never make it.  If you read my blog only occasionally how will you ever get wise?  Oops!  Pride before the fall.

Hope And Action

Gratitude is the product of hope plus action.  A farmer prays for rain.  He has hope that it will come and then takes action with prayer.  He realizes he is powerless to make rain come.  So when it comes, he is grateful.  You may say his prayer has nothing to do with rain.  It was just good timing.  But the farmer is nonetheless grateful.  Sobriety is hope plus action.  You hope to stay sober or get sober and then you take action.  You get into a spiritual solution of fellowship, steps, service.  This is the action that follows the hope.  Without action, all you have is a brief and unhappy period of dryness.  No sober person ever said it was just a fluke that they did something and got sober.  They all know they have no more power to get sober and stay sober than a farmer has of making rain come.  They are forever grateful. Whenever I hoped for something but did nothing, no action, all I got was “nothing.”

Facebook

I know some people don’t bother with Facebook comments.  But I go onto Facebook a couple of times a week to be of some service.  Say What?  Well, I figure that some people post things that are important to them.  What if no one made a comment?  As if their life were going along unnoticed.  I can usually tell if something is rather significant, such as a wedding anniversary, or a place, event from a past in their life or maybe a significant trip, not just a vacation or a medical/health issue.   So I will make a supportive comment to let them know that they are being noticed.  It may be a small thing on my part, but it at least gets me out of myself.

Little Surprises

I was walking into a meeting one morning, being my unnoticed self, and a young lady was passing me by.  She stopped and smiled at me.  She said that my blog was very helpful to her.  I did not know her.  Wow!  I guess someone is reading my stuff and being helped.  I felt useful, a nice thing to feel.  Then at the end of the meeting, a fellow introduced himself to me and said that I had given a homily on divorce 25 years ago and it had been very helpful to him.  Wow! A second shot of being useful, and memorable to boot.  I think this stuff, little moments of light, happen just often enough to keep me at trying to be useful in whatever it is I do.  It makes me think, “OK. I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.  Don’t retire.”

On Fire

Did you ever have the desire to be on fire about something, such as a job, activity, spiritual journey, recovery, relationship and such?  I hear people say, "I am on fire about ...".  I admire that, but for me many days I am only on fire about resolutions.  I am on fire to accomplish something, but then don't do the work or put in the time.  What happened?  Stuff happens that diverts my attention.  Or discipline evades me.  Or the resolution is simply a fantasy to make me feel better about what I will do.  I find that I need a plan to go along with my resolution.  I need steps and I need to ask, "Is this possible?" Keep my ego intact.  And I need to be open to the unexpected happening that demands attention now, such as someone getting sick and needing my help.  At the end of the day I can examine myself and how I did with "resolutions."  Right now all California appears to be on fire, so I am trying to avoid fire and smoke.  If I am on fire to go jogging, it could be the end of me.