Blog entry for:

Fri, Dec 31, 2010 08:27:00 AM


ƒ working with others is only the beginning of service work ƒ
posted: Fri, Dec 31, 2010 08:27:00 AM

 

this morning, i do not feel like being of service to anyone, or anything. i feel like crawling back into bed and sleeping this day away. or even better, acting out in pure unabashed hedonism. yes it is cold, and gloomy, and still snowing. i really do not mind the snow all that much, it is the cold that gets to me, and the next few days are going to be frigid. so what will i do? well for one i swill stop pouting about things i cannot control, like other people and the weather. i will get some work accomplished and i will be of service to least myself and if the opportunity arises, to others. i am not going out looking for service opportunities, i will however accept what comes to me.
saying that, i think i will move on.
it was an interesting night last night. one of my peers in recovery came up and asked me if he was the object of my tirade yesterday. i said no, and forgot to tell him that i had enough respect for him, that if i felt he needed to be the object of fury, i would let him know. there are more than a few people in my life, who i respect enough to let them know what i think.
i also got to be part of a cleaning process, and actually handled things that make me go HMMMMMM. what was once in the car of an addict coming back from relapse, has now been relegated to a dumpster and hopefully on its way to the dump. i am grateful that i had a sponsee with me, as i was curious to actually look at what i was disposing of, instead of just taking an addict at his word, that the objects i was handling actually held what he said they did. this morning, as i ponder the feelings last night, i know that was the addict inside, looking for an excuse. examining what was inside, may not have led to relapse, but it certainly would have set off a whole chain of feelings about stuff, and get the old self-talk going about how just one would not hurt anything. i would have forgot how miserable the addict who asked for help was, less than a few hours clean, i would have ignored the pained expression on his face when he spoke of his intent to just go out for a weekend, nearly a month ago. most importantly i would not have been able to actually listen to what he was saying and provide him the smallest bit of comfort. as it is, i am not sure that i said or did anything of service to him last night. that is of course the part of me i call my addict talking, minimizing and maximizing and generally warping reality into a comfortable version that will lead me out of recovery.
so where do i go now? well after writing about stuff, it is time to be of service to my community, by removing the snow and ice from my sidewalks. time to be of service to the woman with whom i share my life, by taking out the trash and shoveling the snow off the driveway. time to be of service to those who pay my bills by getting busy working, and time to be of service to myself, by moving forward with all that is in front of me. sitting and whining will not get me anywhere this morning, so it is off to the next set of tasks for this day, remembering that staying clean, choosing to live a program of recovery and just being honest with myself is perhaps the greatest service i can do.

∞ DT ∞

 

djtConsulting Brand
The views expressed on this page are solely the opinion of the author.
While the author is a member of a 12 Step recovery fellowship, these writings are not intended to endorse or express the published wisdom of any fellowship.
These writings are not meant to be socially or politically correct, and if you take issue with any opinions expressed, please seek the guidance of someone wiser than me.

Another Look!

∞ SERVICE ∞ 264 words ➥ Friday, December 31, 2004 by: donnot
∞ on being of service ∞ 230 words ➥ Saturday, December 31, 2005 by: donnot
∞ i can find opportunities to be of service in nearly every area of my life ∞. 456 words ➥ Sunday, December 31, 2006 by: donnot
∞ what a difference my service efforts make?! ∞ 516 words ➥ Monday, December 31, 2007 by: donnot
μ i am in recovery now and through living the program, i have attained some stability in my life. μ 541 words ➥ Wednesday, December 31, 2008 by: donnot
⊗ i tend to think of service only in terms … 359 words ➥ Thursday, December 31, 2009 by: donnot
− i will look for opportunities to be of service in everything i do − 343 words ➥ Saturday, December 31, 2011 by: donnot
—  so now what? do i simply sit still and enjoy? —  590 words ➥ Monday, December 31, 2012 by: donnot
¢ just imagine what the world would be like ¢ 612 words ➥ Tuesday, December 31, 2013 by: donnot
∏ through living the program, ∏ 471 words ➥ Wednesday, December 31, 2014 by: donnot
♭ being of service ♯ 537 words ➥ Thursday, December 31, 2015 by: donnot
✱ simply sit ✱ 714 words ➥ Saturday, December 31, 2016 by: donnot
🏚 to be 🏚 526 words ➥ Sunday, December 31, 2017 by: donnot
🙻 so now what 🙻 555 words ➥ Monday, December 31, 2018 by: donnot
📈 some stability 📈 394 words ➥ Tuesday, December 31, 2019 by: donnot
🤔 opportunities 🤔 595 words ➥ Thursday, December 31, 2020 by: donnot
🏃 only the beginning 🏃 446 words ➥ Friday, December 31, 2021 by: donnot
🔐 of service 🔓 579 words ➥ Saturday, December 31, 2022 by: donnot
🙄 the compassion of 🤗 531 words ➥ Sunday, December 31, 2023 by: donnot
Spacer Image

☯ The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao ☯

THE TAO TEH KING, OR THE TAO AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS
by Lao-Tse
Translated by James Legge

Book 1

1) The (state of) vacancy should be brought to the utmost degree,
and that of stillness guarded with unwearying vigour. All things alike
go through their processes of activity, and (then) we see them return
(to their original state). When things (in the vegetable world) have
displayed their luxuriant growth, we see each of them return to its
root. This returning to their root is what we call the state of stillness;
and that stillness may be called a reporting that they have fulfilled
their appointed end.