The easier, softer way. I have come to understand that my good life, in general, is not easy. By that I mean having good things – like being sober, having a happy marriage, being employed in a fulfilling job, etc. takes some doing on my part. If I don’t put the effort I am just not likely to get good results. Sure I might hit upon some dumb luck now and again and stumble into some good outcomes. But they are less likely. When I was drinking I ignored things and consistently reaped those rewards. Life got worse and worse.
So my life is like trying to be a farmer. Growing something substantial takes many things that require my attention – planning, action, adjustments and time. Whether I want two hundred acres of corn or to keep a bonsai tree, I can’t get by on a little effort and expect to have great results. Bonsai care takes effort and attention just like staying sober. And just like having a beautiful and interesting Bonsai tree my sobriety can be a wonderful thing if I pay attention and take time to do the right things.
Wishing you all the best in sobriety,
AA Blogger
thanks for posting this. it is always nice to identify. I just completed another fifth step and got blindsided by some BIG work to be done. Although things were going pretty well, there seems to be more for me to do. oh joy of the process! cheers.
Thanks for stopping by and glad to hear that you are putting in the tough work (fifth step) and the “reward” of the newly discovered work to be done. Yeah, this stuff is a be a bit of pain at times, isn’t it?
Just another part of trudging the road of happy destiny, I guess.
Be well.
I enjoy reading your site. Itâ??s really well done and offers great insight.
On March 10, just under a week from now, Iâ??ll mark four years of sobriety. One of the things I promised myself Iâ??d do is build a site for the recovery community with the interactive functionality of Facebook and MySpace. I recently launched the site at http://www.sanewire.com and I work on it in the evenings after work, when I donâ??t have school.
Please visit the site and join if youâ??d like to. If you are able to help me tell others about it Iâ??d very much appreciate it.
Congratulations on your upcoming anniversary. Each day is a milestone but it is nice to rack up those years too!
Best of luck with your new site.