One day at a time is a way of life for many folks. Maybe it should be the way we all approach life, for who has a clue what tomorrow holds? We lay our heads down each night with the assumption that all will be pretty much the same tomorrow as the day before and for most of us that is a true story. For others? Not so much. Such is life.
“Suppose, just suppose, we were resolved to follow this one idea, expressed by one of AA’s founders in an informal talk:
“Let’s stop throwing blame around.” This one idea could be explored, meditated on, acted upon, from now until the end of our days. What would happen if we stopped blaming anyone for anything? We would experience miracles of tolerance and grace-rich spiritual rewards, reflected in a life of real fulfillment.
I will try not to blame the alcoholic. How can I know what he is going through in his struggle with the bottle, the ever-present escape? What can I know of his strivings to improve after he is sober? I will not blame him. I will not blame anybody. I will not blame myself.
“Who is to blame? Whom have I the right to blame? Let me concentrate on keeping my own conduct from being at fault; more I can not do.” Taken from One Day At A Time in Al-Anon.
Blame…we all do it. It seems as natural as breathing yet I’m not sure how that came to be such a big part of life. Can one live a life without blaming? Is doing so possible?
Do we think that if we let go of blame then we may let someone off the proverbial hook and to do so would mean we have forgotten the wrong done to us, so we carry our blame around, wear it as a badge of survival for the world to see, when in reality all it really does is keep us stuck in a place we never wanted to be in in the first place.
Perhaps living one day at a time means leaving blame behind for good. Not for others but for ourselves. Perhaps that is the only way to find peace and true contentment.
Very thought provoking!