Normally my sponsor would recommend a gratitude list when I felt low, but one day, when I complained about a family situation, he suggested that I list all of the things that I am unhappy about.
Several days later my depression had passed, and when I told my sponsor about the terrirfic day that I was having, he suggested a gratitude list. He thought it might help me to refer back to it the next time I felt blue. That made sense to me so I complied.
When I went to put the list in the drawer where I keep my papers, I noticed the earliest list and read it once more. To my surprise, my list of grievances was almost identical to my gratitude list--the same people, same house, same life. Nothing about my circumstances had changed except the way that I felt about them. For the very first time I truly understood how much my Attitude dictates the way I experience the world.
Today's Reminder:
Today I recognize how powerful my mind can be. I can't always feel good, and I have no interest in whtewashing my difficulties by pasting a smile a smile on my face. But I can recognize that I am constantly making choices about how I perceive my world. With the help of Al-Anon and my friends in the fellowship, I can make those choices more consciously and more actively than ever before.
"Change your thoughts and you change your world." Norman Vincent Peale
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