I started celebrating Christmas a little early... I have so much to be grateful for this year for I have conquered 32 years completing my Mission Impossible (Sobriety) this Christmas Day... I spent my time studying & practicing Personal Development, courtesy of Napoleon Hill, Emmett Fox & Robert H. Schuller... In my first year in the program, this older lady told me to sit in the front row, take the cotton out of my ears & put it in my mouth because I didn't have anything worth sharing yet anyway... I was serious about quitting so I committed to attending at least one meeting a day for an entire year...
During the meetings, I focused on a statue of praying hands on a table in the front of the room underneath a lighted sign that read, By The Grace Of God... That became my prayer... At one of my first meetings, it was said we should take what we need & leave the rest... My kind of meeting! That simplified things for me... To this day I have never completely read The Big Book of AA...
I can only tell you what worked for me... I quit smoking cold turkey in 1989 because I got sick & tired of chronic bronchitis... I quit drinking in 1990 because now the drinks tasted awful without the benefit of a cigarette to go with them... I learned the best way to break a bad habit is to replace it with a good one... I studied & became a solo act award-winning clown... I had a fun bike that I decorated & I did all the parades in Pinellas County... As a solo act, I took 1st place for best clown entry in one of the biggest parades in the county beating out all of the clown groups entered... In each parade, I gave thanks to God for the gift of sobriety & my imagination for the gift of recognizing those God Nudges as they occurred...
I had to borrow this from New Orleans & their own Smokey Griswell... I not only enjoy the music but the diversity of the people contributing to the video...
Merry Christmas to All!
Let's make it an awesome year from
my little corner of the world to yours,
Extraordinarily Happy Networker,
Senior Blogger & Mentor in Training
Here ComesThe Boom-Webtalk Style
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727-248-2161
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Comments
Congratulations on your landmark moment and on your sobriety journey!
Thank you, John Cory Jackson, for your support... My journey had the best destination I could ever have imagined... My gratitude is showing again... :D
Thank you, John Michael Shea lll, for your support of the greatest accomplishment in my life... I had no idea in spite of the tough times that sometimes accompanied me how wonderfully satisfying, the entire journey would be... :D
Thank you, John Michael Shea lll
It's so awesome to hear your great news. That is a major accomplishment and God was always with you my friend. God was there to give you the strength to endure, and keep trusting and having faith in him. I know God is so proud and pleased with your accomplishment of your sobriety for so many years.
Thank you for sharing your blog post today here.
Love you Linda.
Allow me to add that you have put together a wonderful post thanks again.
I used to smoke, I quit in 82, also cold turkey. I hate to admit that I enjoyed it but it was one the best decisions that I have ever made. Congrats on your recovery. Sharing your experience may prove helpful to others, and sharing your journey and your joy and growth gives pleasure and I hope benefit as well, Thanks, Linda.
Congratulations on your achievement Linda! It takes the spirit and perseverance which you display to succeed in the pursuit of any objective in life, so yours is a wonderful example for others to follow. Your guidance to replace a bad habit with a good one is a priceless piece of wisdom which readers should particularly note. Within it lies the key to doing those things necessary to advance while casting aside those which hold you back. So no holding you back now, you're a long way down the road of true happiness and zooming into a new year which I hope brings you even greater joy and fulfillment. Thank you for sharing your journey, enjoy a very, very merry Christmas!