What's Right - Not What's Wrong

I introduced myself to a A.A. participant who was unfamiliar to me and discovered he's relocating to the area from a sober living house in the San Francisco Bay area.  We exchanged contact information and he surprised me by responding to my "hi, how ya doin'?"text that he could use some help finding a similar living arrangement here.  I didn't hear from him for a while and then he surprised the hell out of me by showing up at the meeting one morning and informing me he was in town, living in the sober living house I recommended.  He did not surprise me by implying it wasn't much to his liking but that he was going to make due for the time being.  I have since spoken with him about how important it is for me to try to find the positive in everything - which is a nearly impossible task - and not concentrate on what I don't like - which is an effortless and seemless facet of my life. 

I'm also becoming more and more aware of the simple joy I experience when I let other people live their own lives.  It's my nature to try to stay in touch with too many people and then to feel disappointment or resentment when this effort isn't returned.  I'm easing off the gas in this regard.  I need regular contact but I don't want to engage in hostage taking.  Where am I right now?  Who's in the room right now?  That's who I'm trying to focus on instead of marinating over people - real people, these people, beloved people - who aren't right there in front of me.  I'm not ignoring these people or forgetting about their existence but rather considering them in a more appropriate context.

Right Here.  Right Now.  Right?  Right?  Where are you right now?  You're not someplace else.

"There are two parallel tasks to spiritual life.  One is to discover selflessness, the other is to develop a healthy sense of self.  Both sides of that apparent paradox must be fulfilled for us to awaken.  So when we look into the question of self and identity in spiritual practice, we find it requires us to understand two distinct dimensions of self: selflessness and true self."

Jack Kornfield

Fight:  A violent confrontation or struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons.

We continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along.  We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past.  We have entered the world of the Spirit.  Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness.  This is not an overnight matter.  It should continue for our lifetime.  Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear.  When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them.  We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone.  Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help.  Love and tolerance of others is our code.  We have ceased fighting anything or anyone - even alcohol. With our new attitude toward alcohol we are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptations. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality. That is how react so long as we keep in a fit spiritual condition.

Yeah. I have some pretty good weapons in my armory but King Alcohol goes nuclear right away. Now warning, no escalation, no proportionality in the response. Just blows everything up. No survivors. Boom.