LOVE MONTH: DAY 9: There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.” ― John Lennon
To be in love with life, I believe, is the goal we work toward. The rewards for this kind of love are happiness, great joy, and peace with the world the way it is; because we are at peace with ourselves. The process in 12-steps is:
1-Acceptance (of ourselves and all that we find along the path;
2-Hope (for us to remain in acceptance and grace);
3-Faith (that we may continue to put one foot in front of the other in both hope and acceptance);
4-Honesty (to become more authentic with who we are and what we are doing in all areas of our lives); 5-Integrity (to continue to walk in that truth);
6-Humility (to let all of life be what it is, but mostly US);
7-Patience (to let things be as they are and practice more acceptance and honesty);
8-Courage (to BE who we are, let life BE as it is, and live on with the other 7 principles);
9-Freedom (the outcome of these 8 principles!);
10-Discipline (to remain in this process without return to fear and anger);
11-Gratitude (to recognize that each and every moment is a gift, whether we like it or not);
12-Love (always the outcome of these 11 principles when we focus on our hearts, not our ego/mind).
For me, the thought of drinking or drugging is always going to be an issue; I am never cured, nor do I want to be.
The ongoing process of doing these things has removed the fear of life and personal outcomes. They are none of my business. My life belongs to the Creator who gave it to me. I rededicate it every day that I may be more in love with the outcomes that I receive when I do this. On and on it goes.
I love this quote, because I believe Mr. Lennon had some amazing skills in being a proponent for peaceful change and love of life. He taught well and walked some difficult roads to match his words. These have always been inspiring to me.
Small things, done in great love, as Mother Theresa said, are what change the world. If I focus only on those things, no matter how hard I must look for them, I will have become less selfish and self-focused. I will have created a minor miracle by shining a tiny bit of light more fully on something that is good and fine in the world, instead of focusing on what I want, what I am doing, what is going on with me. The world could use a lot more of that, I believe. That is what love is.
When I fully practice these things in my life, it isn’t about me. It is about my job to bring more light to focus on the wonder, joy and awe of the world I get to be part of. What a great gift!
Dolphin Hug 