On Fear, Being Stuck and Possibility

Hi All,

My sister in law Flora (Thanks Flora!!!) sent me a very interesting article on Fear today, and I wanted to share a couple of quotes from it with you:

"When we stop going for it—when we step back, play it safe, or say we can’t do something—we might avoid the experience of fear for the moment, but at the same time we are reinforcing where we’re stuck. We’re limiting our freedom, and cutting off possibility. Being alive includes risks, threats, and danger—the possibility of “bad” things happening is always there. But in planning our life to avoid those things, we’re essentially avoiding life—obviously not the wisest way to be alive.

(...)

There’s a big difference between being realistic about what happened once, and being resigned or stuck that things have to continue to be some way now or that they just are some way or they’ll be that way again. Instead of wishing we could change our past experience—a futile exercise—we have the freedom to choose our relationship to whatever it was, and that’s the beginning of building power. That’s the beginning of creating possibility."

~ Nancy Zapolski / Fear, Survival and the Courage to Be

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Is fear of "what was", "what is" or "what might be" keeping you stuck and unable to move forward?

Remember, we cannot change our past, what happened to us will always be what happened to us but we have the power to change what it mean to us. Learn from your past, forgive yourself and others and move on....Your future does not have to be an extension of your past.

Today is a brand new day. The past is no more...

peace, hope and love,

Lily

We Are All Practicing Something...

Hi All,
I was just flipping through Joel Osteen's Become a Better You Calendar and found an amazing quote.

I often say in group, on this blog, and to those that ask me...there is no mystery or magic bullet in recovery...it is a process.

The following concept, amazingly powerful, yet amazingly simple has been a very big part of my recovery and growth...

In Joel's words:

"Truth is,we are all practicing something...and the way to develop good habits is by practicing the right things. You might be good at loosing your temper because you practice it a couple of times a week. Some people are good at being impatient because they practice it every morning on the way to work. I know people who are good at negative thinking because they constantly practice negative thinking. Remember, repetition is what forms a habit. That's what puts us on autopilot. So we have to make sure we are practicing the right things."

~ Joel Osteen, Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving You Life Every Day

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So what are you practicing? What new habits do you need to practice in order to begin, continue or get back on your road to recovery?

peace, hope and love,

Lily

Through Their Eyes

In times when we doubt ourselves, may we always remember to see ourselves through the eyes of those that care about us and can remind us of our potential...



peace, hope and love,

Lily

The Train Station and The Windmill Stairs

Hi All,
I spent 10 days in Europe recently and had the opportunity to visit Spain and The Netherlands. Here are two pictures that got me thinking...

This first one is inside the Memorial to the 3/1/04 terrorist attack at the Atocha train station in Madrid, Spain. It is an empty room, completely sound proof, with blue walls and a clear white cylinder that goes up to the street, filled with messages left by visitors in the days after the tragedy. It is very touching.



It made me think...despite the suffering, the emptiness and the silence that might surround us, there is always a way out...



This second picture is of a set of stairs inside a windmill in the village of Kinderdijk in The Netherlands.

Have you ever felt like you are on the edge? Like just one more step will take you back to a place where you should not be? If you find your recovery challenged and are on the edge, please remember to reach out to your support system and what you know works before you fall...

peace, hope and love,

Lily

Quote for Today

Life is not the way it's supposed to be, it's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.
~ Virginia Satir

Support Group Meeting This Weekend

Hi All,

There will be a meeting this Sunday, July 20th, 2008 at 7:00 PM at our regular meeting place:

Flamingo Road Church - on the north west corner of Flamingo Road and Stirling Road in Cooper City, FL (Room 127 - Volunteer Central) on the 1st floor of the main auditorium building.

Join us for an hour of support, education and encouragement.

peace, hope and love,

Lily

Note: Nikki Kramer and Sarah Greene will be at the meeting this weekend! :-)

The Train Station

Hi all,

I have been out of the country for the last several days. Just getting to a computer tonight for the first time since last week. Greetings from Madrid, Spain. Today I visited El Museo Nacional del Prado . In order to reach the museum, we traveled by train.

Looking at the train station and maps, I noticed there were several different ways to get to the same place amd some routes that looked like the way, but could potentially lead us in the opposite direction of where we needed to go. We were very fortunate to have my cousin Gaby (she lives in Spain) leading the way and helping us reach our destination.

This just got me thinking...in recovery, there is more than one way to get to were you want to go. Some paths might seem like the way can lead you in the oposite direction. Were are you today? Are you on the right train? Do you know where it is taking you? Are you heading in the right direction?

peace, hope and love,

Lily

It's Only Life

Thought this was a great song and wanted to share with you all...I heard music by Kate Voegele on Jaime's blog, and looked up more Kate Voegele songs on iTunes. Thought "It's Only Life" was awesome!!! You can read Jaime's blog by clicking HERE. Thanks for sharing your favorite tunes Jaime!!!

So here is "It's Only Life" by Kate Voegele...Enjoy!



peace, hope and love,

Lily

Quote for Today

The art of living lies less in eliminating our troubles than in growing with them.
-- Bernard M. Baruch

Now Playing

I love TiVo. Since I bought it, I do not have to run home to watch a show...When I first got it, my intention was to make "prime time" hours, "my time"....and have more time for other things....but if I am being completely honest, I watch more TV now than before I had Tivo.

I am not going to blame TiVo. It is the choices I have made about Tivo and how I spend my time that have gotten me to where I am with it....I am going to be away for the next twelve days. no access to TiVo or American TV...that's got me thinking...What are 5 things I could do if I was not spending so much time with my friend TiVo? I intend to spend the next twelve days figuring that out...

How about you? Is there something in your life that is taking up too much of your time...are you blaming that "something" instead of owning up to the choices you have made up to this point? What are the top five things you would like to make time for? It is all about the choices we make. It is never too late to start making better ones...

peace, hope and love,

Lily

Quote for Today

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Celebrating Freedom

According to Dictionary.com, Freedom is the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination.

One of the gifts of recovery is the possibility of living in freedom from the chains of addiction, fear, anxiety and obsession.

The purpose of treatment, and working towards recovery, is so you can one day, be FREE!

Today, in the United States, we celebrate Independence Day.

Whether you are just starting or well on your way to recovery...take the time today and everyday to be thankful, remember and celebrate that you are on your way to freedom!

Happy Fourth of July!

Recovery is possible. You can be free!

peace, hope and love,

Lily

On The Corner

I was standing across this street today (on a sidewalk) with a group of people, waiting to cross a street.

All of a sudden, I felt a hand pull me back. A pick-up truck had turned in front of us and drove onto the sidewalk. Its tires passed by very close to our feet. The hand was that of a stranger. Someone I did not know. The lady pulled me back along with her right before the truck got on the sidewalk.

I didn't get a chance to thank her. It was so fast. As soon as the truck passed, the whole group of us crossed the street and the stranger's hand was lost in the crowd. Like an angel.
What a God-send!

Is there someone in your life that is leading you towards safety? People like this come into our lives sometimes. Don't resist, don't ignore them, accept the help, and be thankful they came into your life at just the right time...

Thank you so much to the lady in Coral Gables today. You came into my life at just the right time.

peace, hope and love,

Lily

The Glass of Water and The Ambulance

I receive a daily motivational quote/story email, and the following was one that made me stop and think. The author is unknown. The analogy so true and powerful. Here it is:

"A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, 'How heavy is this glass of water?' Answers called out ranged from four ounces up to twelve. The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.

"'If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden, if we feel we must.

"'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment. Relax. Pick them up later after you've rested.'"


— Author Unknown

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I know there have been times, even recently, when I have held onto something for too long until it becomes unhealthy for me and I have to remember to let go...how about you? have you been holding on to something for so long that you might have to call a figurative or literal ambulance soon? Let it go and ask for help if you need to...

peace, hope and love,

Lily