July 24, 2013 - Step by Step

Step by Step
Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Today, I take to heart that the necessary ingredient of gratitude is attitude. Gratitude for even the smallest of gains as opposed to complaining that the gains aren’t bigger is powered by attitude, and my attitude is a reflection of the quality of my sobriety and integrity of my Program. Even in the most demanding of days when most things seem to go wrong and few of them right, I must pause before reacting in a way I will likely regret later and remember my attitude in my drinking days. Then, my attitude was based on feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, fear, anger, regret, revenge, apathy and self-centeredness. They are the character defects as confessed in my Fourth Step, and confession alone does not mean those defects are gone forever. They remain; my Program is to improve on them day by day until that day when they exist no more. Today, my attitude is not to rekindle the sins of my character but to disempower them with humility, empathy, answering a call to service and remembering, always, that my attitude defines me as either sober or as a dry drunk. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2013