Narcotics Anonymous

Just For Today - Daily Email Service

   November 24                                          Gratefully recovering

    "We entertained the thought that staying clean was not paying off, and
        the old thinking stirred up self-pity, resentment, and anger."

                                                            Basic Text, p. 98

                           ----=----

   There are days when some of us wallow in self-pity.  It's easy to do.
   We may have expectations about how our lives should be in recovery,
   expectations that aren't always met.  Maybe we've tried unsuccessfully
   to control someone, or we think our circumstances should be different.
   Perhaps we've compared ourselves with other recovering addicts and found
   ourselves lacking.   The more we try to make our life conform to our
   expectations, the more uncomfortable we feel.   Self-pity can arise from
   living in our expectations instead of in the world as it actually is.

   When the world doesn't measure up to our expectations, it's often our
   expectations that need adjusting, not the world.    We can start by
   comparing our lives today with the way they used to be, developing
   gratitude for our recovery.  We can extend this exercise in gratitude by
   counting the good things in our lives, becoming thankful that the world
   does not conform to our expectations but exceeds them.  And if we continue
   working the Twelve Steps, further cultivating gratitude and acceptance,
   what we can expect in the future is more growth, more happiness, and more
   peace of mind.

   We've been given much in recovery; staying clean has paid off.
   Acceptance of our lives, just for today, frees us from our self-pity.

                           ----=----

   Just for today:  I will accept my life, gratefully, just as it is.