January 31, 2026 - Unity

 Unity is the word today. There are a few good quotes in one of today's daily readings about that. It talks about ego-deflation and setting aside our need to take credit for our recovery and to the need to promote ourselves. We are after all parts of a greater whole and when we lose sight of that, then our egos take control and we are right back where we started.

January 30, 2026 - live and let live

 When I was drinking and drugging, I did not live by principles. I did what I wanted, where I wanted, and how I wanted. Now that I am sober, I try to live by the principles I learned from doing the twelve steps. Humility, tolerance, kindness, anonymity, etc. That is how I "live". I realize that not everyone has principles. Some people are like I was in my before recovery time. I try to respect how they live. So that is how I "let live". I remember when I used to think I knew how everyone should live, now I only concern myself with how I should live.

January 29, 2026 - Willingness

 It’s about being open—open to trying, open to being wrong, open to changing, open to taking the next step even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed. People think willingness requires fearlessness. It doesn’t. Willingness is what you do with fear, not instead of it. - Quotes from AI

January 28, 2026 - Gratitude

 Gratitude is the word today. We have been without hot water for 4 or 5 days. It's true that you don't know how much you need or depend upon something until it's been taken from you. I was all set to go buy a heat gun or hair dryer and get down on my knees and try to warm up the pipes, and then we woke up this morning and they are already unfrozen. Now, we can shower, shave, wash dishes, wash our hands, whatever we would use hot water for. Go ahead, ask me if I'm grateful.

January 27, 2026 - But for the Grace of God

 One of the guys I sponsor is in the ICU ward of a hospital because he thought  he could take a drink and nothing bad would happen to him. My word today is the slogan But For The Grace of God and it is so appropriate because even though I have been sober 10, 285 days, I only have a daily reprieve, one day at a time, contingent on the maintenance of my spiritual condition. Basically, I am sober by the grace of God and as long as I do what I'm supposed to do then I will stay sober, but if I drift away from going to meetings, or talking AND listening to my sponsor, or from asking God for daily guidance, then I might start thinking its okay for me to pick up a drink and that nothing bad will happen to me. But for the grace of God, right.

January 26, 2026 - Patience

 It snowed last night. It was light snow, a lot easier to shovel than that wet heavy crap we had last week. I took my time anyway, tried to exercise patience, took lots of breaks and it only took about 20 minutes. i suppose I could have rushed through it, had a heart attack and I'd probably be sitting on a gurney at Emerg. Much better to sit here in my own home, listening to Billie Holliday.

January 25, 2026 - Denial

 Denial can be the way the mind protects itself from something overwhelming, painful, or destabilizing. Or it may just be a refusal to admit that something is the way it is.

January 24, 2026 - Love

 AI says Love is such a small word for something that behaves like weather, architecture, and chemistry all at once. It can feel like a force that rearranges the furniture in your mind, or like a quiet warmth that simply refuses to leave. John O'Donohue in his book Anam Cara which means Soul Friend says that love is attention without judgement. Father Martin, a catholic priest who was also an alcoholic said that love was not so much two people gazing in each other's eyes as it was two people gazing in the same direction. Foreigner wrote a song I Wanna Know What Love Is. If you really want to know, then get to know 2 people in love and watch what they do.

January 23, 2026 - Easy Does It But Do It

 Easy Does It But Do It. "A reminder that gentleness isn’t the opposite of action. You can move forward without forcing anything. You can take responsibility without white‑knuckling. You can show up without burning out." - unknown

January 22, 2026 - Acceptance

 Acceptance. Epictetus said "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."

January 21, 2026 - Hope

 Hope. The quiet pressure that keeps people moving even when nothing around them is giving them a reason to. Sometimes, it’s just the decision to try again tomorrow. That's a pretty good definition of hope.

January 20, 2026 - Amends

 The thing for me to remember about my eighth step list is that the step reminds me to make a list of ALL the persons I had harmed, not just a list of the people who knew I had harmed them, but all the persons I had harmed. Everyone.Living dead. In my life. Not in my life anymore. Deciding who to actually make amends to is the ninth step. For now, I just make a list of the people I have harmed.

January 19, 2026 - Boundaries

 The word today was Boundaries. Little lines we draw that we don't want people to step over. It's a good practice to let people know what they are, because they are not mind readers.

January 18, 2026 - Anonymity

 Anonymity is my word today. I have never been very good at protecting my own personal anonymity. I can keep your membership a secret but not my own. Way I figure it, I have never been concerned with who saw me staggering home drunk and disorderly, why should I be concerned that people know I joined AA.

January 17, 2026 - one day at a time

 All I can worry about is today so, as someone said to me today, I should make the best of this one day.

January 16, 2026 - Trust

 In the big book in the chapter working with others, it says burn the idea into the consciousness of every man that he can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is that he trust in God and clean house. The slogan gradually became trust God, clean house, help others.

Jan. 15, 2026 - Sponsorship

Sponsorship. There are only 2 things I know about a sponsor. You ought to have one and you ought to be one.  

January 14, 2026 - Gratitude

 People are saying you're awake early. I'm retired. I get up when I want. I'm supposed to meet with someone early today and I wanted to make sure I had everything done, cause I got that morning thing I do every day. The word I picked today is Gratitude and it's appropriate. I'm grateful I'm not lying in a hospital bed because I foolishly thought I had one more run in me. I'm grateful I'm not sleeping in a tent somewhere. I'm grateful for the man who sponsored me three decades ago. I'm grateful for the men and women I sponsor now. The list goes on and on. Gratitude isn't just a noun; it's also a verb. My current sponsor always says don't tell me, show me. That's why when my sponcee said she wanted to meet early today I said no problem I'll be there. Because I'm grateful.

January 13, 2026 - Live and Let Live

 Live and Let Live. The thing for me to remember about this is the first word. Live. Other people may have different ways of looking at things or of doing things and I do need to accept that. but I also should continue to look at things and to do things according to the way I do them regardless of what other people do.

January 12, 2026 - Acceptance

 Acceptance often means recognizing your own limitations, and choosing to move forward without denial of them.

January 11, 2026 - Amends

 I can say I'm sorry and ask for forgiveness, or I can set right the wrong.

January 10, 2026 - Forgiveness

 Forgiveness can help us lose the resentment that binds us to feelings of hurt.

January 9, 2026 - Acceptance

 Laying awake at 5 am, I could have denied getting out of bed or I could just accept that fact that I will be waking up early.

January 8, 2026 - Action

 Three frogs are sitting on a fence. One frog makes a decision to jump off the fence. How many frogs are left? Still three, because making a decision to do something and actually doing it are not the same thing.

January 7, 2026 - Trust

 Trust. A deceptively simple word that carries enormous weight. Self-trust is often overlooked. A  belief in your own judgment, resilience, and ability to handle uncertainty.

January 6, 2025 - Easy Does It, But Do It

 Easy does it.....but do it. The first part of that is a well known slogan, reminds me to not take on too many chores. the second part reminds me not to use it as an excuse to do nothing.

January 5, 2026 - Boundaries

 Boundaries are the limits I set to protect me and my emotional well being. I can say no to commitments that would personally drain me which can cause me to have resentments and lead to burnout. Boundaries I place on myself are a lot like expectations I place on others. If I do not let people know what they are, how is anyone  supposed to honor them. Interesting point: boundaries are not just walls, they are also doors. Deciding when to keep them closed and when to open them takes a bit of practice.

January 4, 2026 - Listen to Learn

Contrary to what most people think or presume, I don't know everything. Sometimes I am listening to what they say, in case I learn something.

Jan 3, 2026 - How important is it

 How Important is it. If it threatens my serenity, then it in itself is not important, but the fact that it affects my serenity warrants my getting rid of it promptly and without regret.

January 2, 2026 - But for the grace of god

One day last month, in church, the minister said that the Grace of God is a love that never lets go. I know that if not for the grace of the God I understand, I would very likely be drunk in a gutter or dead. Fortunately, He never let go of me even when I had let go of Him.                                               

January 1, 2026 - Daily Inventory

 Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. So, the practice of taking inventory of ourselves has been around for a while.