October 17

DISCIPLINE MONTH: DAY 17: “Good habits are worth being fanatical about.”― John Irving

I love, love, love this quote! It gives me permission to be the fanatic I am about recovery and working steps. Being an addict, I know that I substituted one addiction (or many!) for this one! It is my response to every problem or uncomfortable situation I encounter over the last 33-1/2 years! All of it, everything. I am really happy to have found this quote this year.

I am fanatical about my diet, about exercise (most of the time) and the healthy lifestyle I have created for myself. I love how I feel and keep doing what works for me, even when it takes a great deal of extra effort and time to do things the way I do.

There is no payoff for any of this, except how I feel about myself and my life. I don’t really have any friends who do what I do in every area. They do it in spurts or starts, but for me, this is a lifestyle of long term.

What I have gotten in the steps is the same. It is worthy of fanatical adherence to spiritual principles, because when I falter or get lazy, I don’t like the results. The old saying I learned when I was new was, “If you like what you are getting, then keep doing what you are doing.” I really adhere to that.

In the last week or two, I have grown somewhat weary of this writing. It feels too self-centered and too much like preaching. I don’t really feel the connection I used to with the people who receive these each day. That lessens my enjoyment of it. I do plenty of writing for my own benefit.

I am not doing this to change anyone else or to get any kind of feedback, really. I do it because it had a benefit that I felt each day. That has shifted for me.

I am waiting to see if that is true during the rest of the year, because November is about Gratitude, which is my base; and December is about Love, which is the result of the steps. So, I may continue this, or I may not. I am letting it be for a bit longer, writing when a quote strikes me and not when nothing feels inspirational. Yesterday I did not write, and it did not matter.

I am also losing interest in social media because it is mostly advertisements and rants. The Ego involved there is unpleasant for me. I can honestly say that staying in touch with others is done best in a personal fashion for me. I am not interested in living online. Many are, it doesn’t feel good to me.
I want to focus more on the people in my life who are here and now. There are things happening for me that feel like a new direction and I am moving toward that. We shall see where this goes. I may just need to sit with it for a bit longer. Who knows? Have a lovely day and honor your spirit. I do with mine!