Monday, January 21, 2008

timely words

"When all the little things really bug me,
it's because there's a big thing I'm not facing."

Irritable, restless and discontent - that's my normal state as an alcoholic. Going to meetings, working my steps, praying and relying on my Higher Power are the ways I get restored to sanity and actually achieve some peace and serenity. But even when I am in a calm space, if little things still bother me I know now to look beyond my alcoholism.

It's amazing how my first instinct these days - even with considerable time - is to deny or ignore things that are uncomfortable in my life. And it's been my experience that not facing what at first appears to be a 'big deal' often turns it into one and quickly makes my life unmanageable. And the first signal I have that I've done this is that all the little things (stuck in traffic, misplacing my keys, a line at the market) start to really bother me.

Today I've learned to acknowledge these things and recognize them for what they are - indications that there is something bigger that I'm not dealing with. As soon as I take the time to look at what's really going on, I immediately begin to feel better. And once I begin to apply the tools I've been given in this program to deal with whatever is going on, I find that it really isn't such a big deal after all.

Today I use the little things to help me become aware of and to deal with the 'big things.'

via - Wisdom of the Rooms

3 comments:

Alexander M Zoltai said...

The 12-Steps are a gift of God.

I'm an alcoholic, former cigarrette smoker, drug-abuser, and an introverted writer.

Your words also ring true for my current Challenge--taking highly debilitating drugs to rid my liver of a deadly virus.

Two of the drugs, in addition to messing with my body and emotions, cause cognitive changes. This is where the real learning is happening for me...

~ Alex

Anonymous said...

What good words!

Anonymous said...

"When all the little things really bug me,
it's because there's a big thing I'm not facing."

Good quote. Thanks for that.
Mich