February 26, 2024
Quote of the Week
"Before you do something stupid, wait twenty-four hours..."
Restraint of pen and tongue was a foreign concept to me before I entered the program. Instead, I was impetuous and acted on feelings of jealousy, fear, anger, or hurt pride. Fueled by resentment, it was easy for me to justify my actions and ignore the repercussions and reactions of others. When I got into the rooms, I was at odds with most people and alienated even from myself. My life had become unmanageable.
When I began working the Steps, I learned to take the focus off what other people were doing to me and look at my own behavior instead. It was hard at first not reacting to the many perceived wrongs I felt people were doing to me, but when I finally learned to put a space between what I felt and how I reacted, my life began to dramatically improve.
Today, I've come to rely on the wisdom and the miracles that can happen in between my thoughts and my actions. Time after time, situations will automatically clear themselves up if I only wait, pray on them, and turn them over. I am much less likely to become excited or agitated, and I'm much less likely to make things worse if I can just pause before I react. Today, I've learned that before I do something stupid, I should wait at least twenty-four hours.
... wait twenty-four hours..."