~ A NEW WORLD ~
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A new world is not made simply by trying
to forget the old. A new world is made
with a new spirit, with new values.
Henry Miller
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When I was four or five years old, I was
falling off a cliff and I grabbed a
piece of rope called food. I held on to
it for the longest time; it didn't fray,
it was my strength, my comforter, and it
kept me from falling down into the abyss
below. My health was the price, but
without the rope I was dead.
In program, they ask us to let go of
that rope that we've been holding on to
for decades! They give us a few thin,
weak-looking ropes called the Steps,
Traditions, slogans and tools. Surely
they won't hold me! I'll fall into the
abyss!
Others had taken the smaller ropes and
were doing fine. It didn't seem they
were having to hold on as hard as I did
to the food rope. I decided to
try. Keeping a toehold on the food rope,
I tested the strength of the other
ropes... first the slogans rope, then
the tools rope, eventually the Steps
rope and Traditions rope. I saw the
food rope nearby, and I have reached out
to it from time to time, but I let it go
again. These other ropes are supporting
me just fine without burning my hand or
cutting my fingers or killing me
slowly. The program ropes are more
comfortable.
I can swing from the program ropes,
climb them, have fun, laugh. I can weave
them together into a nice hammock where
I can rest and relax. I can look up and
focus on the new day instead of having
to constantly worry about the abyss
below.
ONE DAY AT A TIME . . .
I will remember to turn to the program to help maintain my peace and serenity, especially through the bad times.