Recovery Meditations ~ Regret ~ One Day at a Time ~ December 28, 2010

~ REGRET ~

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"Regret is an appalling waste of energy;

you can't build on it; it's only good for wallowing in."

Katherine Mansfield

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Before I came into the program, I

allowed fear to rule my life and prevent

me from trying new things. I was absent

from my own life. I was emotionally

unavailable to my children and I stayed

stuck in a deep hole of self-pity. I

never really heard beautiful music or

gloried in the miracles of nature.

Although I had what people might

perceive as a pretty normal life, it was

actually an empty shell and I merely

existed. I feel so saddened now at the

thought of all the wasted years. I

cannot bring them back, but I can learn

from them.

When I came into the program and read

the Promises in the Big Book of

Alcoholics Anonymous, I realized that it

was futile to regret the past or to shut

the door on it. Those years and all the

pain I went through are what made me the

person I am today. I need to always

remember where I came from, because if I

don't, I can just as easily go back

there. I can also use my experience to

help others on this wonderful road to

recovery. I am able to give away what

has been given to me so freely, because

it¢s only then that I can keep what I

have.


ONE DAY AT A TIME . . .

I must always remember where I came from so that I can help others in this program of recovery and keep myself from going back into the patterns of my past.