Topic of the Week - Words beginning with "J"

[MajestyJo]

J is for Just for Today. All I have to do is deal with today's feelings, thoughts, actions, situations, etc., for this 24 hours, keeping in mind all I have to do is stop, and turn my day over again when we hit a block or just having a feel bad moment in the day.

[MajestyJo]

J is for Jump. Jump up with happiness and joy. Jump up and do the do things you need to do instead of sitting on a pity pot. You don't have to jump and do what everyone tells you to do, but I suggest that you listen to the way your Higher Power would have you go.

[MajestyJo]

J is for Joy. If you are not enjoying recovery, what are you doing wrong? I had to learn and accept it when it came my way, it can be fleeting. I can't always make it happen, but I can have an open mind as to what brings joy to my life.

[MajestyJo]

J is for Judge. Judge not, lest you be judged. I have't walked in another person's shoes. They haven't walked in yours, so let go of their judgment and your own harsh judgment of yourself.

Many times I have found myself saying, "I am glad that I don't have to walk in their shoes." It isn't my job to judge, it is better left in my God's Hands.

My sponsor said, "You have no reason to pick up in today, but there are a lot of excuses. Just stay in today and don't pick up no matter what.

Just Peeking In To Say Hi!

[MajestyJo]

J is for Journal. It was important for me to journal and catalogue all my feelings, thoughts, and emotions, especially in early recovery. I had stuffed them for so long, I wasn't able to identify them and put a label on them. Many time I thought it was anger, and under that anger was rejection, abandonment, self-justification and the feelings were not always toward others, but toward myself and my understanding of my God.

Recently, I have been so bogged down with negative things, most of it being health issues, I wasn't feeling much joy. I was carrying around a junk load of stuff that wasn't mine to take on and my spirit was feeling heavy and sad instead of joyous and free.

[dwmoeller]

J is for Joy. In sobriety, joy is to be experienced and felt.

[MajestyJo]

J is for Justification. I always felt I had to justify my existence and reason for being. Many times because of it, I got stuck in a soul sickness, until I could find self-honesty.

Many times we come to a place were we feel very alone and feel that God has forsaken us. We don't seem to be connected to God and we don't seem to be getting any direction.

I was in this place not to long ago, and I came to the realization that: l) I wasn't hearing what I wanted to hear; 2) It wasn't time to move into a new direction because I hadn't completed and finished the feelings concerning where I had been and what I had done; and 3) I was still in the blame mode and not willing to take responsibility for my part.

A lot of what blocked me from God was my anger, and my inability to deal with the hurt, pain and rejection. Not only was their feelings in the present, but there were buried feelings that I hadn't dealt with and were in denial about.

When I am angry, I can't get to God and He can't get to me. Denial is a blanket which we often draw around us which prevents us from seeing and dealing with things until we come to a time where we are feeling like looking at and dealing with them, or the pain is so bad that we have to face the issue because staying where we are at is too painful and it is time to let go.

[MajestyJo]

J is for Jaywalk. When we jaywalk, we are often crossing boundaries, running on self will, and just dong what we want to do, the heck with anyone else.

Acceptance or perhaps I should say, "Lack of ..." Today I am feeling very, very old. Very, very tired and have had no direction and thought which seemed.worthy of following through on.

It wasn't until this afternoon that I made the decision to get out of my apartment, walk to the Denninger's Store around the corner from me and get some fresh air and exercise, that I felt a little better. From there, I got on a bus and went to my bank, then to the market and although tired, it was a nice kind of tired because I had accomplished something. I lay down for about an hour when I got home. I stuffed a chicken and made coleslaw then I was able to rest until it was time to put on the broccoli, make garlic mashed potatoes, and ended up making a white cheddar cheese saw for the broccoli and mushroom gravy to go with the mushroom stuffing. Ended up with a feast which added some fuel to the body and brain, not too sure about the emotions; I think they were probably well stuffed! LOL.

When I accept my disease, accept my limitations, accept the fact that the pain is always going to be there, so what am I going to do about it. I refuse to let it rule my life. I put my life on hold for two many years. Life is for living, and when I accept it, then I can deal with it. The nice thing was that I didn't take an extra-strength Tylenol (without codeine) until about twenty minutes ago to release some of the burning so I can hopefully, lie down and sleep.

From my site The Five A's from 2005.

Sounds like a familiar swan song for me. Here I am, 8 years later, still in pain, but still clean and sober. No jaywalking and getting off the recovery road, still need the program just as much in today as I did then, or when I came into recovery in 1991.

Have always loved this picture.