Post by Susan Peabody on Jul 9, 2023 15:39:04 GMT -8
Follow Your Bliss
Susan Peabody
Many people have had such miserable and difficult lives that it is hard for them to be happy. They feel they do not deserve it. They feel it will soon disappear. They dismiss it or feel anxious about it. It seems strange and certainly fleeting. At least this was true for me. In early recovery, I was on what AA calls a "pink cloud," and I remember that sometimes I was so anxious about things that my hands trembled.
Eventually, some of my problems did come back, but because of the promise of the steps, I handled them better than I had before. And I learned how to enjoy the happiness and blessings that had come into my life whether they were fleeting or not.
I always write in my journal when difficult things come along, like my recent cancer treatment, but today I want to share how happy I am. Why on this particular day? Because I wrote an article that is going to help people. Writing about self-help articles and books is what Joseph Campbell calls my "bliss"; the thing I was born to do; the thing that makes me happier than anything else.
Before recovery, my bliss was a romantic relationship. Because I was so unsuccessful for so many years, I never thought about anything else. I ended up taking people hostage or trying to buy their attention. I did not feel worthy or capable of anything else.
In early recovery, when I surrendered to God, I gave up my dreams. My son Karl laughed at me and said, "Mom, it is okay to dream, as long as you "let go and let go."
So, I put my quest for finding a man aside and tried my hand at writing. I got an article published in an AA magazine called the Grapevine. Then I got a book published. Today, I still write. I enjoy helping people in a non-codependent way. How did this happen? With the guidance of God, and the support of my son.
So, on this day, July 8, 2023, I am "happy, joyous, and free." I am so grateful, and I am so blessed with more than I ever could have dreamed of. You, too, can find and follow your bliss. Just turn your will and your life over to God--one day at a time. Move forward. Take action to change. Love yourself. Love God. Reach out to others. Enjoy the ride.