Ten

.

.

On a scale

of one to ten,

with ten being the best,

God said we are all tens.

.

.

Why should we argue with God's judgement

and become the judges of others character,

even when we know that our own character

may be less than the best.

We judge the character of others

so that we do not have to look

at our own eccentricities.

Guilt and shame are the result

of not doing the will of our Higher Power.

God does not hold grudges or keep score,

so why should we?

God gives us a chance to be a ten every day,

the choice is ours.

Be kind, smile at ten people today.

Be loving, tell someone in your life how special they are to you.

Be the ten your Higher Power wants you to be.

When all else fails, count to ten.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

.
ME and the Boss

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.

.

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..

Tuesdays Promises 4-3-15

The Promises Group

...

Tuesday @ 5:00

.

Ninth step promises,

#11 from page 84

of the Big Book.

.

We will intuitively

know how to handle

situations which used to

baffle us.

.

Great meeting as usual, lots of strength and hope

shared by all who participated.

The person who selected this promise related that

their sponsor had recently died but because of

what he learned in the rooms it was not a reason

to drink.

Many others who knew the deceased

praised his recovery and his example of how

the program should be lived.

Great to see a few new faces at the meeting.

.

ME and the Boss

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.

.

.

..

Group Conscience

.

A day or two behind;

Friday, noon at Cabrini

and the usual souls

were in attendance,

give or take a few.

.

The topic bounced

but it was mainly based on the

daily readings and of course

not drinking one day at a time.

.

The Daily Reflections topic was how the group conscience

kept A. A. on track and what the role of the long timer,

the elder statesmen and stateswomen, was in making

sure that the groups primary purpose did no waver.

Some less than humble long timers had something to say,

most of the long timers just sat quietly and nodded their heads.

.

Saturday ; 1;00 PM on Century Drive,

Just the core group and the discussion was

mainly focused on the miracles that recover.

Where were the new comers ???

also took some discussion time,

attraction rather than promotion,

court appointed, drugs,

the demographics of living in Florida

where there are lots of older

and long time fellowship members.

.

Just keep coming back ...

ME and the Boss

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.

.

.

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Recovery...as this drunk sees it #6

 

Get help or else. (Change)

It is necessary to understand that no one is going to do

anything to help cure the drunk, because there is no cure,

there is only recovery.

The therapist, the judge, the friend, the family or the
sponsor may suggest a change,

but only the drunk can make the change.

Cured is a state of being in the mind of the alcoholic/addict
that when the physical compulsion and the mental
obsession to drink and use has been lifted and they now understand how their recovery was manifested.
That understanding only comes when they realize who or
what gave them the courage and strength to change.

"We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we

could not do for ourselves."  BB    pp84

If the drunk is not willing to change, nothing will change.

Change, be it for the better or for the worse, just change, usually because anything is better than what
we were subjected to when the drunk was drinking, the addict was using.

Treatment and recovery usually means that we are trying to restore the alcoholic/addict to sanity.
Sometimes the restoration becomes lost in the fog of who is that person, really. Sometimes we
remember vividly who that person was; the smiling, confident, caring and loving child, spouse, sibling,
friend, co-worker, that we remember from when. Many times we wonder if there ever was any
sanity, the drunk has been drunk for so long that all we remember is the misery and torment of
broken promises and broken dreams.

At this point in his/her recovery the list of bad habits, the defects of character have been made and
the alcoholic/addict has said they are willing to change those bad habits and questionable
characteristics to resemble sane behaviors.

Stopping the drinking and drugging is not the only goal of recovery. Many a person has stopped
drinking and drugging on their own. Without changing their emotional make up those people are
just miserable dry drunks who no longer drink or drug. Their behaviors remain just as destructive
to the family structure as were the drunken sprees.

The change that a treatment program seeks is the maturation of an immature ego that has been
stunted in its growth by drugs and alcohol. Rather than face reality or learn from previous bad
experiences the addict/alcoholic who is in their active addiction use drugs and alcohol to numb
them into unmanageability and virtually ignore any feelings towards anything. The word
consequence means little or nothing to the addict/alcoholic. Many a drunk knows no fear and
they believe that they are invincible, bullet proof, above the law, beyond needing to comply with
rules and regulations.What else would explain why the drunk would drink and drive again, knowing
that if apprehended one more time they could face consequences that could include jail time,
the loss of a career, the loss of loved ones and  possible financial ruin for the family.

The functional alcoholic is capable of maintaining a career and routine responsibilities, however,
their capability to show emotions, feel guilt, shame or remorse, has been totally destroyed.
At some time during the progression of the disease of addiction and alcoholism the ability to
function at a level that can maintain a career or act responsibly is usually ruined. The inability
to have true feelings, other than anger or rage, is what leads the addict/alcoholic to destroy
relationships and eventually to a destroyed self image. The functional alcoholic/addict that
still has his material world under control but stubbornly refuses to examine the emotional
consequences of his bad habits is usually the most difficult of cases to enter the rehabilitation facilities.

 It is this emotional side of their recovery that is the most difficult to have the addict/alcoholic identify
and change. Early in treatment or recovery the alcoholic/addict will be flooded with feelings, some for
the first time in their lives, some for the first time in many years. This flood of emotions makes the addict/alcoholic very uncomfortable and vulnerable to relapse.  Fight or flight is often the most
immediate response by the client to avoid the sense of being overwhelmed by feelings. As noted
previously, the family of a person in treatment should be warned that the telephone call may be
forthcoming, “Get me out of here, these people are crazy, “with the motivation of the client being,
"I can’t stand having these feelings."

Those treatment centers that believe in a cure say that a changed self will is sufficient.

Those religious treatment centers believe that their God can cure anyone.

Those who are proponents of AA believe that a combination of physical, emotional and
spiritual changes will help a person achieve sobriety.

All theories work for some of the people some of the time.

Reality is that the success rate, the number of treated people who are restored to sanity,

among all forms of treatment is very low.

The best thinking of the drunk is not of the best.

Michael_e

The Whole Body Smile

Smile, it makes them wonder what you are up to.
No, not that smarmy, guilty looking grin that the 

Cheshire Cat wore to help make Alice into the 

star she is today.

No, not that slight curvature of the corners of your 

mouth that you force onto your face when the little 

old lady pinches your cheek.

Yes, your real smile, the one that goes from 

the top of your head all the way down to your toes, 

“the whole body smile.”

Never heard of it, don't know how to do it??

Just follow these simple instructions,  these twelve easy steps:

1) Be happy. It is an attitude, just do it.

2) Clear your brain of any activity. (Like thinking) For most of us
there is no effort required, this is better known as our normal state of mind.

3) Open your eyes. Sparkling, smiling, laughing eyes are beautiful to behold
and the wonder is how those smiling eyes see things more clearly.
Every day something new is born into this world.
Smile, God made it just for you to enjoy.

4) Shut your mouth. You cannot hear when your mouth is moving,
nor can you smile when you mouth is moving.

5) Clean out your ears. Listen closely to others and heed the word of God.
God has endowed man with the ability to make beautiful music,
learn to listen and listen to enjoy.

6) Relax.
Ever notice that the back of your neck is always tense,
bad habit, smiles make the stress go away.

7) Follow your heart.
Love enormously, love often and smile when you think of those that you love.
Remember that you may like things, you may enjoy things, you may want things,
but your only need is to love people, God and pets.

8) Hug everything, even trees.
God has given you two arms and two hands so that you may hold onto
those things that make you smile, however, we must remember that
God’s will may take those things from us at anytime and we must let go
and learn to smile when we remember the good times.
Hand in hand we will do for each other what we cannot do alone
If you are holding my hand I cannot pick up a drink.

9) Trust your gut feelings.
God has given you the intuitive instincts to protect your feelings from being hurt.
Learn to smile when you say "I told you so."

10) Move out of the way.
God has given you two legs to allow you to motivate your body to places that are happy.
Go there.
Smile in anticipation while you are moving towards your happy destination,
and make the smile even larger when you have reached your goal.

11) Dance.
God has given you two feet to celebrate the rest of your body.
Don't think about it, don't talk about it, see it, feel it, trust it,
listen to the music and move to the rhythm of God's earth.

12) Toes know.
When your toes are happy,
you will know you have learned “the whole body smile.”

Smile, this is God's candid camera watching you do his will.

Be yourself...everyone else is already taken.

The Doctors orders are to repeat the process as often as necessary and share
with everyone whom you think would also benefit from 

“The Whole Body Smile.”           :)

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

Me and the Boss (Michael Erb)

.

.

..

Divine

Humility is the ladder to divine understanding.

There is a Higher Power and it is not you or me.

"But those who are ignorant of the truth do not
think that these prophets are to be believed; for they say that those voices are not divine, but human." ~ Lactantius

Even though I am not God, I believe that every

action and every word of every person who has

lived or is living, me included, are the words

and actions of a Higher Power who is the

very soul of every being, and the soul of every thing that fills this universe.

Even the void of space has the energy of the Spirit of the Universe passing through it.

A Divine being talks to me through other people...

So now that I have made you God, what are you going to do with your divinity??

"The choice that you, as a Soul, have in relation to anything is always to be loving.
Do you understand that this is the divine purpose that all of us as humans have been given -
to love unconditionally?" ~ John Morton

Be kind, you may be the only conscious contact that another person may have with

their Higher Power today. Do not let your divinity go to your head, motives are choices

 that a Higher Power gives you, chose to love with your heart, not your head.

Be loving, your soul grows stronger and brighter as you share your love, your hopes

and dreams. Where do you think the saint's halos come from??

Halos are the brilliance's of a kind and loving soul shining through and around their

earthly bodies. Balance your divinity with your humility. Give your Higher Power the

credit for your good deeds. If you chose to be a mean, selfish, ugly and nasty person,

take all the credit for yourself.

"Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit,
not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose.
From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do
know that man is here for the sake of other men." ~ Albert Einstein

Today, be the divine person your Higher Power wants you to be.

Happiness is using your divinity wisely.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

.

ME and the Boss

.

.

.

..

Incidence

. It is not a coincidence,

it is a God incidence,

 and the answer is always there.

Even before you thought to pray,

as soon as you thought to pray,

some time after you have prayed,

the answer will be given,

in God's time, not yours.

God knows when you are ready to receive the message.

Even if you miss the message the first twenty two times, God will continue to send

you messages of His will until you finally see the way. Every morning in your daily

readings, good book, bad book, newspaper, boob tube, internet or just by having the

fool driver in front of you stop in the middle of the road, for no apparent reason,

God is sending you answers to your prayers, even the prayers not spoken.

Slow down, enjoy life, be happy, spread the joy, be kind, be loving, be the good person

your Higher Power wants you to be.

"This week I encourage you to stop playing "my life would be perfect if," and start
playing "my perfect life." What's the difference? Three things: being in the present,
an attitude of gratitude, taking action with what's available now." ~ Betty Mahalik

Have an attitude of gratitude. Everyone is perfect, just the way a Higher Power wants

them to be, so that they can better do His will, that is unless you have decided that today

you are going to be God's critic and you are going to establish the parameters for what

is or is not perfect.

Good luck.

It is no coincidence when two people become friends,  lovers, soul mates or the mates

luck, miracle
from hell, God had his fingers in the incident.

"There is nothing more admirable than two people who see eye-to-eye keeping house
as man and wife, confounding their enemies, and delighting their friends." ~ Homer

A coincidence is a small miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous,

a God incidence which we must accept, do not look for the whys and wherefores,

enjoy the lesson, let God be God and let you be you.

Happiness is knowing that there are no coincidences, only God incidences.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

.

ME and the Boss

Perfectionism

  Who are we to think

that we can compete with God.

We might think that something

is or is not perfect, but what a

Higher Power knows will be

the last word.

"Perfectionism is not a quest for the best.
It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves,
the part that tells us that nothing we do
will ever be good enough -
that we should try again."   ~ Julia Cameron

First we must consider that perfect is a relative word.

Everyone has a different perspective on what is perfect.

You cannot please all the people all the time and remember

to include yourself in that number.

Secondly, anything we do is good enough, unless someone

else is paying you to do something different.

Sometimes it becomes impossible to work for the perfectionist.

Next, we must consider that perfectionism is a waste of time.

Why would one want to spend three days trying to perfect

one idea when you could have completed three ideas,

one each day, one day at a time, and those three ideas would be

good enough to please some of the people some of the time.

How you do the job is of no consequence, a left handed and a right handed

person usually attempt to do the same job by starting it at different angles,

just remember that the goal is to get the job done.

Even between two perfectionists there is room for a happy medium.

"Perfectionism is the enemy of creation,
as extreme self-solitude is the enemy of well-being."   ~ John Updike 

Expectations become an important part of learning how to change

the bad habit of perfectionism.

Make your expectations realistic and attainable.

Lowering your expectations to make sure that you can succeed

is not a sign of imperfection in your character.

Succeeding at lesser goals usually means that you have just rearranged

your ultimate goal into smaller steps.

Perfectionism is a bad habit.

Anyone can break a habit.

Accept the new habit of peace and serenity in your life.

Accept that as one grows older, what is done is done, perfect or not.

Allow a Higher Power to select many goals and expectations to come

into your life so that you can do His/Her will.

A well rounded life that has attempted many things can be much more

rewarding than not succeeding at perfecting anything.

Life goes on, what was perfect yesterday is now perfect history

and today's expectations are in the hand of God.

Have faith that a perfect tomorrow will be given to those

that have been blessed by their Higher Power.

For those who want to live life perfectly today,

let us just say that we did.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

.

ME and the Boss

.

.

.

.

..

Ten

. On a scale of one to ten,

with ten being the best,

God said we are all tens.

Why should we argue

with God and be judges

of others character,

even when we know

that our own character

may be less than the best.

.

We judge the character of others so that we do not have to look at our own character.

“Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” ~ Anon.


God does not hold grudges or keep score, so why should we?

God gives us a chance to be a ten every day, the choice is ours to act that way.

Be kind, smile at ten people today.

Be loving, tell someone in your life that they are a ten
and more importantly tell them how special they are to you.

Be patient and tolerant and when all else fails, count to ten.

Be forgiving, keep the Ten Comandments.

Today, be the ten your Higher Power wants you to be.

Happiness is being able to count to ten.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

.

ME and the Boss

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.

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.

..

Answer

The right answer is an opinion.

"I was gratified to be able to answer promptly.

I said, I don't know." ~ Mark Twain

Sometimes the obvious makes the question

more difficult to answer.

When there is a good question it is usually

better than the answer you will receive.

Sometimes silence is the best answer.

.

.

.


The smartest and wisest are not the ones with all the answers,

they are those who know how to ask the right question.

Those who know peace of mind and serenity are the ones who

know that yesterday's answers may not apply to today's question.

Life is a question, the answer is your choice.

When the answer is to do the next right thing you cannot go wrong.

When the answer obeys the will of a Higher Power

only good things can happen.

Reply, be kind.

Respond, be loving.

Retort, be patient and tolerant.

Rejoinder, be the person God wants you to be.

Today, make the best answer to that difficult question

take the form of another question to you Higher Power,

the question whose answer will provide guidance,

strength of character and the courage

to be the best you can be.

Today, be happy that you do not know all the answers.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

Space

.

The three dimensions:

distance, area and volume,

can be used when discussing

the word space,

but more important than these

is the dimension of time.

.

.

The Dash Poem, by Linda Ellis

"I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end
He noted that first came the date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years..."


The complete poem, "The Dash", tells the story of the most important space that exists,
the duration of our lives. Today is the most important time in that space. What we do
in the space of the next 24 hours may be all that we will be remembered by.
Will we be remembered as a good guy or a bad guy, or just as a person who did the
best they could within the space they occupied.

God will give us the chance, we must make the choice.

Hope, faith and good habits will place us in a dimension where we can be of service
to self, others and our Higher Power.

Hope is the thought, the wishes of our mind.

Faith is the belief, the heart of our desires.

Good habits are the soul that puts into action the doing of the will of a Higher Power.

The Spirit of the Universe is in control of the dimension beyond our comprehension,
our space needs to be occupied by doing the best we can to carry the message of a
loving God. Be kind, the space between making a good choice and a selfish one is
very small. Be loving, the space you fill in the hearts of others is directly proportional
to what you give. Be patient and tolerant of those whose time and space may be out of
control. Do not teach, do not preach, just be a good example to those who do not know
how to use their space wisely.

"As long as you don't forgive, who and whatever it is
will occupy rent-free space in your mind."                       ~ Isabelle Holland


Have a friend, learn from those who make good choices, time and space are too valuable
to spend on the losers. Losers are those who refuse to change for the better. Do the best
you can within the space that you live, life is not a practice run, today is it, do the next
right thing and become a good habit, one that will have improved the world for all.

"Don't ever believe that you have nothing to contribute.
The world is an incredible unfulfilled tapestry,
And only you can fulfill that tiny space that is yours."               ~ Leo Buscaglia

Laugh, love and make sure your space is well occupied.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

.

ME and the Boss

.

.

.

.

..

My Short Story

This is a short story, just like me, short.

I'm not a midget, but, for the egomaniac

who suffers with an inferiority complex,

any character defect is/was enough to drive

me crazy, short drive.

I did not fit in, I did not know how to fit in,

still don't, but I have learned that not

fitting in does have its benefits.

At forty-nine I stopped drinking because my fuse was burning rapidly

and I could not see my life for the smoke.

After fifteen years the smoke lifted and I started to learn how to listen.

At first I listened to those who had traveled a  path similar to mine and they

taught me the most important lesson I have ever learned, how to listen to my

own quiet small inner voice, the intuitive song that is provided by the

Spirit of the Uni-verse, the song that flows through everyone and everything.

I read books, I read blogs and I saw it written many times and many ways,

writing is very good therapy both for the sane and the insane, I couldn't miss.

I put together the two lessons, listening to my gut feelings and to start writing

because it is therapeutic and ergo I was launched on a daily routine of writing

that has surpassed four years.

For the first year and a half I wrote 4 to 6 hundred words a day by choosing

a word that was positive, a word that related to changing ones behaviors and attitudes

or a thought that helped me better understand myself, even though the writing was

supposedly for the benefit of the reader,.

The therapy for me was in the proof reading, was I just talking the talk (writing the write),

or was I walking the walk.

Two Thousand and ten saw the advent of "Happiness Is", 365 posts about happiness,

followed by "Love Is" in two thousand and eleven  and I am half way through

two thousand and twelve writing "Life Is".

I have a friend who reads my blog from time to time and sometime during

two thousand ten I chastised him for not reading a particular blog because the topic

was about an issue that he was having trouble with (women), and I was sure that

he would benefit from my sage advise.

He told me that at 250 to 300 words per day, it was too long and too tedious for his

little brain to wrap around.

Two lessons, write short, Love Is and Life Is are 100 words +/- per day, and lesson

number two, the most important lesson, I am writing for MY benefit and if someone

receives some motivation or pleasure from my writing, God bless them.

Do I want to publish my thoughts, the ego says yes, the retirement income says it could

use the boost, but the truth is I am content to write for myself every day.

Faith, God has provided me with inspiration every day over the span of the exercise

and my life is just as good as God wants it to be, my needs are being met and

my wants know their place.

The moral of this short story, learn to listen and listen to learn.

.

Hugs, love and prayers, ME and the Boss

.

.

The Boss is either God or my wife,
depends on who is standing behind me at the time
giving me the inspiration needed to get the job done.
.

Boundries

. Love is enjoying togetherness,

having mutual respect and knowing

that a partnership is made up of two.

Boundaries are the mutual respect

part of love.

Everyone needs a boundary.

Do not let your love of another

be so intense that you suffocate the soul

of the one you love.

Do not let someone's love be so demanding

that it suffocates your soul.

Stress is the alarm that a boundary is reached. When the boundary is reached,

politely reduce the stress. To reduce the stresses communicate your feelings,

good and bad, to the one you love. Let those people who are stressing you out

know that you are having bad feelings as a result of their behaviors. To be free

of destructive stress, don't sweat the small stuff and realize that all stuff is small.

How important is it??

To reduce the stress, go to where there is love. Prayer and meditation will vanquish

all stress. Understand that mutual respect is not a license to abuse. Understand that

love is not a license to abuse. Just because you are the boss, you are married, you are

the parent, it does not give you the right of ownership to the soul and the will of another

of God's creatures. Learn that you can help grown the boundaries of the one you love.

Be mean, be nasty, be disrespectful and the boundaries of others will become very

wide and very high. Be kind, be loving, have patience and tolerance and the boundaries

of the ones you love will become narrow and low. The more you love the closer you can

get to the heart of the one's you love and lower the boundaries become.

"The spiritual meaning of love is measured by what it can do.
Love is meant to heal. Love is meant to renew.
Love is meant to bring us closer to God."      ~ Deepak Chopra

Today, when you are with others, display mutual respect.

Today, always remember, mutual respect begins with you.

Today, feel your feelings, and do not let yourself become stressed out.

Today, love.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

.

ME and the Boss

.

.

.

.

..

Unacceptable

Who are we

to say that anything

in God's world

is unacceptable??

A Higher Power

created this world

exactly the way it is

and our opinion

is of little significance.

The sun will rise,

the tides will turn,

and people will be people.

The only unacceptable thing that I can change is my behavior and my attitude.

"Acceptance of one's life has nothing to do with resignation;
it does not mean running away from the struggle.
On the contrary, it means accepting it as it comes,
with all the handicaps of heredity, of suffering,
of psychological complexes and injustices."    ~ Paul Tournier

There are three guarantees in life; death, unacceptable childish behaviors and taxes.

As unacceptable as death may be to us we must accept that it is inevitable.
We mourn for those whom we loved that have died, we collect their strength
and add it to ours to make us stronger and better able to do the will of our Higher Power.
Have faith, a Higher Power assures us that no spirit departs this world without having
made the world we live in a better place.

"That is the definition of faith -
acceptance of that which we imagine to be true,
that which we cannot prove."                                ~ Dan Brown

Children learn their behaviors from the examples they see. If your child's behaviors
are unacceptable, improve the examples that they see. To have children cooperate
with you use words that are acceptable, such as "I love you," "Please," Thank you,"
and "How can we make this better for everyone."

Children are innocent until you make them wrong.

"Seeing people as innocent is the greatest gift
you can give another human being:
the gift of acceptance."      ~  Rhonda Britten

The last unacceptable guarantee is taxes. When people find things unacceptable
they ask for change. Does having a different leader using different words to describe
the same issues constitute change? We should never have left a Higher Power out of
our schools or out of our government.

"Accept the place the divine providence has
found for you, the society of your contemporaries,
the connection of events."                           ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today, point out the unacceptable.
Today, do not get angry, ask politely for change.
Today, do something, but do not rely on your neighbor to grieve for your loss,
raise your children or pay your taxes.

"Happiness can exist only in acceptance."     ~ George Orwell


Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

ME and the Boss

.

.

.

.

..

A Way of Life

..

.

"When you realize

how perfect everything is

you will tilt your head back

and laugh at the sky.”

~ Buddha

.

.

.

Thinking is a way of life.
You do not do anything
without thinking about it first.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life,
think about it and make it a way of life that you want.
Today is the day to love your family.
Today is the day to make a friend.
Today is the day to do the will of your Higher Power.

First, think about it, next, do what is right.
Yesterday is history and the resentments you made are yours.
If you were angry, fearful, jealous, envious, mean, spiteful,
it was because you had a thought that has become your way of life.
When you are unhappy, you are saying that you know more than God does.

Move a muscle, change a thought.

If you were patient, tolerant, kind and loving it is because you had a thought
that has become your way of life. If your thoughts made you happy it means
that you and God are on the same page.

"What we think, we become." ~Buddha

We love our bad habits because we do not have to think about what we are doing.
Not thinking means no guilt, no shame, and no remorse.

Not thinking is a way of life.

Today, you are allowed to change your mind.
Today, you may accept the world as it is.
Today, think that the universe is perfect, God does.
What is imperfect in this world are the negative thoughts and negative actions
of people who do not think.
Think, be patient with yourself, tolerant of others and know that your Higher Power
will give you a way of live that is perfect, if you will just have positive thoughts.

Think, Think, Think.

The first thought is instinctive.
The second thought is make sure the instinct is sane and rational.
The third thought is to check and see if God would approve.

Happiness is making the good thoughts a way of life.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

ME and the Boss

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.

.

.

..

A Good Plan

.

.

Have a good day,

unless you've

made other plans.

.

"Efforts and Courage

are not enough without

Purpose and Direction."

~ John F. Kennedy

.

.

You know well about the best laid plans

of mice and men, however, without a thought

nothing ever happens.

Some people are morning thinkers, others think they know better after dark.

Some people plan weeks in advance, others plan a minute before the action begins.

Actions and Attitudes, you need a plan for both.

Go to work, with a good Attitude.

Go to school, with a good Attitude.

Do the household chores, with a good Attitude.

Run the shopping errands, with a good Attitude.

Meet with friends and family, with a good Attitude.

Smile when you answer the telephone,


the person on the other end can hear your Attitude.

At the end of the day you may have not done all that you had planned,

but if you kept to your plan of doing whatever you did with a good Attitude,

you will have had a good day.

You should have a basic plan that works for you, a plan that makes every day

start out well and end well.

A good way to start your day is to make a gratitude list. Try to get your attitude

on the good feelings side of your emotional barometer before you plan anything else.

To enhance your plan for today try to find the time to help one other person.

Remember, you cannot give what you do not have.

Have a good attitude, a good plan and share with others who may need your guidance.

There is more than enough bad advice and bad attitudes in the world already,

no need for you to add to the pile.

You may not be able to change the world, but you can change you.

Live in the now, but plan as though your Higher Power has more for you to do.

Doing the will of a loving God knowing that being of service to self,

others and your Higher Power is always the best plan.

"The purpose of life is the expansion of happiness."   ~ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

An attitude of happiness is a good plan.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

.

ME and the Boss

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.

.

.

..

Who Goes There?

. Luck,

Serendipity,

Coincidence,

Consequence,

by any name,

it is God's way

of remaining

anonymous.

Good things happen to good people.
Bad people often get away with things, because God wants to give them a second chance.
Eventually the Piper is to be paid.

"However great an evil immorality may be,
we must not forget that it is not without its beneficial consequences.
It is only through extremes that men can arrive
at the middle path of wisdom and virtue."    ~ Karl Wilhelm Von Humboldt

It is not all about you.

This is a world that is linked together by choices and chance.
The choices are yours to make, the chances are God given.

Keep it simple, make today the best day of your life.

Chose to allow the philosophers to philosophize, and live your life in the real world,
connected to other real people.

Choose to be positive.

Choose to be happy.

Choose to love.

Choose to share the good.

Let God determine the consequences. God will give you what you need.

You will become wise and virtuous by learning from the people
that God will put into your life.

Remember, do not kill the messenger, even when some of God's lessons
are given to us by those who practice evil immorality.

"Perhaps we're too embarrassed to change or too frightened
of the consequences of showing that we actually care.
But why not risk it anyway? Begin Today.
Carry out a random act of seemingly senseless kindness,
with no expectation of reward or punishment.
Safe in the knowledge that one day, someone,
somewhere, might do the same for you."       ~ Diana, Princess of Wales,1961-1997

Learn today so that you may teach today.
Today, the will of your Higher Power is to teach His lessons.
Today, do not be the teacher of the immoral lesson.
Today, be the teacher of patience, tolerance, kindness and love.
Do not rely on luck or serendipity, doing the will of a Higher Power
is much more likely to give you the serenity and peace of mind that
you seek and will make today worth living for.

Today, practice doing random acts of senseless kindness.
Pray for what you want, but know that God will give you more than you need.
Who goes there? Your anonymous God.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

.

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ME and the Boss

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..

Compass

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.

May your

moral compass

always point

towards

Happiness.

.

.

.

"Conscience is a man's compass."        ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Check the map of your life, your moral conscious and if you consciously
seek happiness today, you will find it. Have an attitude of gratitude.

Thank your Higher Power for giving you another day to celebrate living
a life of service. Happiness is looking for the things in life that are pleasing.
If your compass is upside down you will find trouble. Look for the negative
and you will find it. Dwell on the negative and you will be miserable.
Live in today, the here and now, and do your best to keep your compass
right side up. Do not know where your compass is, look inside of yourself.

If you do not know which way your compass is pointing, ask a friend.
Keep life a simple matter, check your moral compass on an as needed basis,
and make sure it is always pointed towards the better things for everyone.
Lying, cheating and stealing only complicate ones life.
Do not rely solely on your thinking, sometimes your best thinking
is what may put you in harms way.

Learn to rely on your feelings and be aware of when your compass
may be out of alignment with the will of your Higher Power.
When you know in your heart that this is the best you can do,
be happy and enjoy.

Live up to your expectations for yourself, not the expectations
others may have for you.

Compasses never need fixing.

You are lying if you say your compass is broken, you are cheating if you hold
your finger on the needed and do not feel what is in your heart, you are stealing
when you try to manipulate the compass of another person.

God has given everyone a compass; learn to use your compass often and wisely.
Share your compass with others until they learn how to read their own.
Do not try to be the compass of another person, unless they ask,
or the judge request that you sit on the jury.

God is His own judge and jury; He does not need your help.

Keep your compass clean so you may see it clearly.
Avoid the dark when it becomes impossible to see your compass.

Today, may all of your compass points be good feelings of happiness,
kindness, patience and tolerance, love and understanding, and willingness
to do the next right thing.

Happiness is helping someone help themselves

ME and the Boss

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.

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..

Mantram

"The mantram becomes one's staff of life and carries one through every ordeal.


Each repetition has a new meaning, carrying you nearer


and nearer to God."   ~Mahatma Gandhi

Don't have a mantra yet,

borrow one of mine:

"God grant me the serenity to accept

those thingsI cannot change, (Other People)

courage to change the things I can, (Me),

and the wisdom to know the difference."

Or:

Be kind, be loving, be patient and tolerant, be forgiving,

be the person God wants you to be.

Or:

God help me.

Or:

Seek out a sponsor, a friend, a person in the rooms who has what you want, and ask

them if you may borrow their mantra.

Everybody who is seeking spiritual progress has a mantra, a prayer, a way to seek

the will of their loving Higher Power.

God loves you or He would not have led you to the rooms so that you can get

clean, sober up and be able to better do His will.

Today, repeat after me, repeat after your sponsor, repeat after a true friend,

there is a better way.

Today, may you be blessed with one day of sobriety, may you find your mantra,

and may you find a pathway to spiritual progress that is happy, joyous and free.

Michael_e

Drama

Drama is nothing but a poorly written comedy.

The difference between success and failure

is an opinion.

Drama assumes that you believe everything

is a failure.

Chaos is drama with a tad of hysteria

added for spice.

Funny is when you realize the absurdity

of the drama.

A good comedian pokes fun at how serious we think we are.
"Remember that you are an actor in a drama,
of such a part as it may please the master to assign you,
for a long time or for a little as he may choose.
And if he will you to take the part of a poor man,
or a cripple, or a ruler, or a private citizen,
then may you act that part with grace!
For to act well the part that is allotted to us,
that indeed is ours to do,
but to choose it is another story."   ~ Epictetus

Drama is not accepting the will of your Higher Power.

Drama is trying to write the next chapter of your life's story

to come out the way you want it to.

Drama is not changing when change is needed.

If other people, places and things are creating drama in your life, move up, move on,

move out, move a muscle and change a thought and get on with the happy side of your life.

Teach your children drama and they will fail, teach them laughter and love and they will

succeed in having no drama in their lives.

This world is not a drama of the good guys versus the bad guys, it is your world to love.

Beware of the devil and his devices or vices and do not become a bad guy.

To avoid drama avoid the seven deadly sins.

If you seek to do the will of your Higher Power on a daily basis

the surprises in life will be less dramatic.

Seeking God's help after you have run the train off the tracks is how dramas are created.

Pray for guidance to accept God's will and then go out and work your tail off to make

your life successful, comfortable and a benefit to yourself and all who meet you.

Eliminate drama by doing God's will:

being kind is not dramatic,

being loving is not traumatic,

being patient and tolerant involves no conflict,

there is no chaos in acting out the role your Higher Power has given you.

"There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility.
Inside of the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy." ~ Mark Twain

God will give you the chance, you must make the choice.

Laugh often, Sing loud, And  Dance when you get the chance!

Happiness is helping someone help themselves.

Dramatically yours, Michael_e