Alive

“When we stop living in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably.”

Basic Text, p. 99

––––=––––

“Just for today”—it’s a comforting thought.  If we try to live in the past, we may find ourselves torn by painful, disquieting memories.  The lessons of our using are not the teachers we seek for recovery.  Living in tomorrow means moving in with fear.  We cannot see the shape of the secret future, and uncertainty brings worry.  Our lives look overwhelming when we lose the focus of today.

Living in the moment offers freedom.  In this moment, we know that we are safe.  We are not using, and we have everything we need.  What’s more, life is happening in the here and now.  The past is gone and the future has yet to arrive; our worrying won’t change any of it.  Today, we can enjoy our recovery, this very minute.

––––=––––

Just for today:  I will stay in the here and now.  Today—this moment—I am free.

Sometimes the feeling only lasts a few minutes and at others the feeling can last for a day or two. Regardless of how long it lasts for me or you, try not to forget how amazing it is to feel this way.

We are free.

We are loved.

We are happy.

We are content.

... in these moments... when it's 70 degrees out and 88 degrees in the pool hah

Obama, The Pope, and Pearl Jam...

 

No, silly rabbit. The title is not the beginning of a joke. They are all in NYC over the next few days. God save those who commute from the burbs during the work week. I'm told that anything around the UN including the 1st Ave AND the FDR is banned from vehicular traffic. Get your walking shoes on folks.

The Pope had some interesting things to say this afternoon. I'm fully aware that everyone doesn't agree with everything the guy had to say. If you read the linked transcript you'll see that he doesn't claim to know how to accomplish everything he proposed, but I really like the theme of not giving up. He says that these are difficult times and the resolutions to our problems are going to be complex, but he encourages us not to give up and continue trying. I really like that. Nice job, Frank.

I'm going to the Global Citizens Festival on Saturday... mainly for Pearl Jam, but the others should be okay too ;) I hope Jay Z comes out while Beyonce is doing her set. I doubt that's going to happen, but I can dream. Coldplay and Big Ed are a mixed bag for me. If I get a good night's sleep Friday then I'll enjoy them. If not a lot of their music is going to make me want to take a nap. I haven't seen Pearl Jam since July, 2003. That was a really good show: Once, Dissident, Corduroy, Present Tense, Given To Fly, Porch, Daughter, Alive, Hunger Strike, and Yellow Ledbetter. I hope to hear Black and Garden this time around... they can throw in Oceans, Deep, and Release too :) Oh and I also get to listen to celebrities educate me about what I should to doing to resolve global poverty. Meh

::insert pearl jam video at some point::