HOPE MONTH: DAY 17:
“Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.
Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.
This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
So, if we did live this way, we would be happy in each moment, living the day fully and having little or no regrets about how our lives unfolded.
What a great idea! I believe this poem should be the official poem of 12-step recovery. “One Day at a Time” is a great motto and saying, but there is too much left to the imagination. New members have a great deal of trouble with analyzing that one.
So, this poem tells us all we need to know and do and be. It allows us to be grateful for this moment and to show up mindfully to live in it. That is a great start!
Then we get to clean up the end of the day with a look at how it went and being okay with our humanity. Any errors can be corrected in that moment, without building up a shit list of resentments and justification.
And, here we are, back into another new day. Appreciative and awake and in the moment again. I like it! The tone is upbeat and positive, which we certainly need to instill hope. And there is simple direction about how to navigate the day with no worry or feeling anxious (which is a sure sign we are trying to drive the bus!)
Today I simply present this amazing poem, as always, a great spiritual reminder from Mr. Emerson, who I think should be the Poet Laureate of AA. Keep your hope high!
Dolphin Hug 