May 31: Spiritual Principle a Day, read by Craig

May 31: Just for Today meditation, read by Craig

Just for Today meditation for May 31, read by Craig Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to: voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com May 31 Keep it simple "We live a day at a time but also from moment to moment. When we stop living in the here and now, our problems become magnified unreasonably" Basic Text, p.96 ––––=–––– Life often seems too complicated to understand, especially for those of us who've dodged it for so long. When we stopped using drugs, many of us came face to face with a world that was confusing, even terrifying. Looking at life and all its details, all at once, may be overwhelming. We think that maybe we can't handle life after all and that it's useless to try. These thoughts feed themselves, and pretty soon we're paralyzed by the imagined complexity of life. Happily, we don't have to fix everything at once. Solving a single problem seems possible, so we take them one at a time. We take care of each moment as it comes, and then take care of the next moment as it comes. We learn to stay clean just for today, and we approach our problems the same way. When we live life in each moment, it's not such a terrifying prospect. One breath at a time, we can stay clean and learn to live. ––––=–––– Just for today: I will keep it simple by living in this moment only. Today, I will tackle only today's problems; I will leave tomorrow's problems to tomorrow. ––––=–––– © NA World Services This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

May 31: Spiritual Principle a Day, read by Craig

Spiritual Principle a Day for May 31, read by Craig Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to: voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com May 31 Finding Balance in Our Lives "Each of us seeks our own balance that allows us to participate in the world without sacrificing our recovery or putting ourselves at risk." —Living Clean, Chapter 5, “Bridging Two Worlds” ––––=–––– Imagine life as a pie chart. The sections of this pie represent the different areas of our lives. We have a portion for Narcotics Anonymous and sections for family, friends, work, our community, our interests, and many other categories we could add to this list. While we often hear that recovery should be our priority, maybe even the biggest segment, there’s no prescribed ideal balance for how much time we dedicate to NA versus the world outside of NA. While we were using, our addiction took up most of the pie. Everything else was reduced to a sliver. For a lot of us, when we’re new in the program, NA becomes the lion’s share of our pie chart. As newcomers, we tend to stick very close to the Fellowship because it’s suggested by our sponsor and other members—and because NA is where we begin to find comfort and safety in being who we are. But as we transform in recovery, our lives tend to fill up. Our pie chart diversifies! Even though our aim may be to sustain the same level of participation in meetings and Steps and service, there are only so many hours in a day—and space in our chart. As we seek to maintain balance in our busy lives, we may find ourselves obsessing about one area and neglecting others. No matter what we have going on, we have to remember that our number-one priority must be to stay clean or we risk losing the rest of the pie—along with our cleantime. We can seek the balance we need without worrying about perfecting it. We can learn how to assess when things are off-kilter and a dose of the NA basics is needed. We can adapt as the demands of our lives keep shifting. We can enjoy a full life without posing unnecessary risks to our recovery. ––––=–––– Spiritual Principle: How’s my pie chart sectioned these days? How am I balancing my NA program with my other responsibilities and pursuits? ––––=–––– © NA World Services This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

May 30: Just for Today meditation, read by Craig

Just for Today meditation for May 30, read by Craig Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to: voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com May 30 Loneliness vs. being alone "Sharing with others keeps us from feeling isolated and alone." Basic Text, p.81 ––––=–––– There is a difference between being alone and being lonely. Being lonely is a state of the heart, an emptiness that makes us feel sad and sometimes hopeless. Loneliness is not always alleviated when we enter into relationships or surround ourselves with others. Some of us are lonely even in a room full of people. Many of us came to Narcotics Anonymous out of the desperate loneliness of our addiction. After coming to meetings, we begin to make new friends, and often our feelings of loneliness ease. But many of us must contend with loneliness throughout our recovery. What is the cure for loneliness? The best cure is to begin a relationship with a Higher Power that can help fill the emptiness of our heart. We find that when we have a belief in a Higher Power, we never have to feel lonely. We can be alone more comfortably when we have a conscious contact with a God of our understanding. We often find deep fulfillment in our interactions with others as we progress in our recovery. Yet we also find that, the closer we draw to our Higher Power, the less we need to surround ourselves with others. We begin to find a spirit within us that is our constant companion as we continue to explore and deepen our connection with a Power greater than ourselves. We realize we are spiritually connected with something bigger than we are. ––––=–––– Just for today: I will take comfort in my conscious contact with a Higher Power. I am never alone. ––––=–––– © NA World Services This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

May 30: Spiritual Principle a Day, read by Craig

Spiritual Principle a Day for May 30, read by Craig Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to: voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com May 30 Accepting Another’s Path "I have learned to love and to accept the people I sponsor as the people they are—not little mirror-images of me or any other model of recovery." —Sponsorship, Chapter 3, “To the Sponsor” ––––=–––– Each of us looks for a sponsor who does the deal: trusts a Higher Power, cleans house, and helps other addicts. We seek out experienced members who have what we want and will accept us without judgment. Most importantly, we look for sponsors who will offer loving guidance through the Twelve Steps of NA. Such love takes many forms. Some of us rely on our sponsors for an unbiased perspective on our thoughts and behaviors. Others appreciate being offered gentle guidance, tempered with loads of support and empathy. Whether our sponsors apply a firm hand or a soft touch, we learn to confide in them. Their acceptance of us—warts and all—helps us to accept that everything is as it should be. Working Steps is a process of self-discovery. With a sponsor to hold the flashlight, our hands are free to dig deep. They help us figure out who we are and who we’re not. As one member described it, “This process taught me not to fear the truth about myself. It turns out that I’m not as good or as bad as I thought I was.” We can learn a lot about recovery by talking to more experienced members. To find what’s true for ourselves, however, it’s helpful to have someone to question our ideas. As one member put it, “Instead of telling me what to do, my sponsor helped me figure out my own answers about who I am.” We may aspire to be like our sponsors at first, but few sponsors are looking to mold a mini-me. Instead, they help us to be ourselves. ––––=–––– Spiritual Principle: My sponsor’s love and acceptance helped me discover who I am, who I’m not, and who I want to be. Today I’ll try to practice those same principles and help someone else on their recovery journey. ––––=–––– © NA World Services This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom

May 29: Just for Today meditation, read by Craig

Just for Today meditation for May 29, read by Craig Donations via PayPal and questions may be directed to: voicesofrecoverypod@gmail.com May 29 Carry me "We believe that our Higher Power will take care of us." Basic Text, p.55 ––––=–––– We all have times when it seems as though our lives are falling apart. There are days, or even weeks, when it seems that everything that can go wrong is going wrong. Whether it's the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, or the end of a relationship, we doubt that we'll survive the changes taking place in our lives. It's during the times when the world is crashing down around our ears that we find our greatest faith in a loving Higher Power. No human being could relieve our suffering; we know that only God's care can provide the comfort we seek. We feel broken but we go on, knowing that our lives will be repaired. As we progress in our recovery and our faith in our Higher Power grows, we are sure to greet the difficult times with a sense of hope, despite the pain we may be in. We need not despair, for we know that our Higher Power's care will carry us through when we can't walk on our own. ––––=–––– Just for today: I will rely on God's care through the painful times, knowing that my Higher Power will always be there. ––––=–––– © NA World Services This podcast is not affiliated with Narcotics Anonymous, and is an independent production of the Works of Wisdom