July 1

PATIENCE MONTH: DAY 1: “Patience is where we choose to enjoy the view instead of run off the cliff.”― Craig D. Lounsbrough

Hahahaha…love that! I am so inclined to run off cliffs. Patience is not my strong suit, for sure. No one with an ego is.

And Step 7 is all about allowing that Universal Power to do the work. We may list our character defects, and ask (however humbly) that they be removed, but we will be given SO many opportunities to practice new and different ways of responding to life, instead of reacting to it in our very well-practiced old behaviors, all stemming from self-centered fear.

I love Step 7 in the 12×12! It talks about all of that. It truly does describe addicts in ways that are significant and powerful. Our drive to self-centered fulfillment is the road to destruction we are on. And learning to be patient with life and its unfolding in God’s way, not ours, is so important.

I really believed when I got here, that I would have all this stuff just magically vacuumed out of me. Yeah, I did. Still surprises me how deeply I believed in the promises of these steps. I still do. However, what I got, almost immediately, was an opportunity to participate in a VERY damaging old behavior with someone I really wanted to participate with. I chose not to and was devastated that I could not play. It was a BIG turning point for me. I cried for days and thought my little heart was going to explode. It did not and I got the message that I was not in charge of when or how these things get removed, but that it was all up to the Power to take care of me here also. Oh!

I get to stop doing things as I become aware that they are defects, rather than assets. Oh! And the freedom is mine…and the good life is mine. And I seldom need to run off those cliffs. What a relief!