Steps Traditions The Springboard I never destroy my Fourth Step work, so I can quickly make an Eighth Step amends list using the folks I mentioned in Step Four. But my Eighth Step list often includes more names than I’d written before. There are always more people I have harmed, even people toward whom I hold no negative feelings whatsoever, not even resentment. I … Read More
Recovery Relationships Apply Love “What we do have to offer is . . . a Fellowship in which we find and share the healing power of love” (The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition, p. 1). I recently shared my experience, strength, and hope regarding responding to someone who pushes my buttons. I shared how I literally apply love. When … Read More
Gratitude Recovery Gratitude Building For as long as I can remember, I carried so many of the world’s burdens on my shoulders. I worried about gas prices, nuke attacks, and the stupid things the men in my life did. I worried that I was ugly and couldn’t wear stylish clothes because they didn’t come in size “triple-Z.” I felt the need to share these … Read More
Gratitude Recovery Gifts I Have “Have I been thankful for what I have, or have I ignored my blessings and focused on what I lack?” (Twelve and Twelve, Second Edition, pp. 33–34). In the past, I sometimes wasn’t thankful for what I had. I often longed for a better car, a better house, more money, and other things. Now that I’m in program, I am … Read More
Gratitude Recovery Blessings Count As a child, I was taught that if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all. Now that I’m a member of Overeaters Anonymous, that axiom takes a different slant: if I have nothing nice to say, it’s time to count my blessings. So here is today’s gratitude list: I am grateful for the people in my life. … Read More
Uncategorized Reframing the Puzzle Some of my worst character defects come out when I’m at work. As a perfectionist, I worry that I’ll make a mistake, but I also worry that I work too slowly. So I end up anxiously trying to find that perfect balance between checking everything again and again and finishing quickly. When asked to review the work of others, my … Read More