* * What are laurels? * *

[SunnyGirl]

AA Big Book
Pages 85

Page 85 starts out with a warning telling us that:

“it is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and
rest on our laurels.”

Webster states that "to rest on your laurels" is to be satisfied
with your success and do nothing to improve on it.

This page goes on to warn us that if we rest on our laurels
we are....

“headed for trouble if we do because alcohol is a subtle foe...”


Being in Al-Anon my foe is myself and the danger
of falling back into my old ways.... The beauty
of 12-step recovery is we have to work on ourselves
each and every day. Not just in the meetings... but
in every aspect of my life.

Is my spiritual life pleasing to my Higher Power?
I need to be doing God’s will not mine, but how
do I know what God’s will is?

It was "my will" that got me in trouble, my selfish
thoughts, that I could fix my broken loved ones
were self-serving. I had to let go of my pride and
humble myself and get back in touch with a loving
God, who I had deserted.

The will of God will never take you, where the comfort
of God cannot dry your tears, where the Word of God
cannot feed you, where the miracles of God cannot be
done for you, where the omnipresence of God cannot
find you. – Author Unknown

God’s will is, for me is to be thinking of how I can be of
service to Him and others.... It's performing unselfish
acts for someone else. (and not bragging about it) It's
doing the right thing, instead of closing my eyes to evil.

No matter what our addiction, with God by our side
we can not fail. His arms are there to help me up
when I stumble and His love is always there to comfort
me in times of trouble.

Nope, when I am tempted to rest on my laurels,
I need to reach out with love and offer others that
hand up. Each day we get another brand new
start on getting it right.....

Peace on the journey, SG

[caressa]

A good one SG, not sure if I have given it much thought before. I look at them as things I have done before, which no longer serve me, because this is a one day at a time program.

What I did at 1, 2, 3 days, weeks, months sober, isn't what I need to do in today. Hopefully, I have worked the Steps, applied them to my life, look at what has gone before and dealt with things to the best of my ability. When things come up in today, either triggered by something in today, or something remembered from my past, I do Steps 4-9 on them and let them go with the other 4-9 work I have done before, in the "Wreckage of our past" bin, which they say won't forget, but we don't have to go there, but we can look in once in a while for reference when needed.

So for me, if I don't rest on my laurels, that mean I work my program in today and they become new laurels. Hopefully over the years, I have learned new tools, I have streamlined my program so that I recognize things a little faster, I don't hold onto things so long, and I know where to go for some answers.

The maintenance steps 10-12 help us to maintain them in good shape, and for me until I have a spiritual awakening or experience which changes my outlooking on things, I just walk each with my Higher Power, walking in the Light, hopefully with a grateful heart and an attitude of gratitude for what has been given to me.

Can't take them for granted. Just because you had them doesn't mean they are still there or that they will appear again. Very interesting, will have to do some more conjutating on this. Not sure if that is the right word but sounds good.

To rely on one's past achievements instead of working to maintain or advance one's status or reputation.

This reminds me of my service sponsor who was in service for many years in Instiutions and as she got ill and her health declined, all she had left was her memories for which she was very proud. It was good for her to remember those good days when she travelled in Canada and U.S. Even if some of it was a bit of ego, it brought her comfort in her final days.