Narcotics Anonymous

Just For Today - Daily Email Service

   February 12                                           Living in the moment

    "We regretted the past, dreaded the future, and weren't too thrilled
                             about the present."

                                                             Basic Text, p. 7

                           ----=----

   Until we experience the healing that happens when we work the Twelve
   Steps, it is doubtful that we can find a statement more true than the
   quote above.  Most of us come to NA hanging our heads in shame, thinking
   about the past and wishing we could go back and change it.  Our fantasies
   and expectations about the future may be so extreme that, on our first
   date with someone, we find ourselves wondering which lawyer we'll use
   for the divorce.  Almost every experience causes us to remember something
   from the past or begin projecting into the future.

   At first, it's difficult to stay in the moment.  It seems as though our
   minds won't stop.  We have a hard time just enjoying ourselves.   Each
   time we realize that our thoughts are not focused on what's happening
   right now, we can pray and ask a loving God to help us get out of
   ourselves.  If we regret the past, we make amends by living differently
   today; if we dread the future, we work on living responsibly today.

   When we work the steps and pray each time we discover we're not living
   in the present, we'll notice that those times aren't occurring as
   often as they used to.   Our faith will help us live just for today.
   We'll have hours, even days, when our full attention is focused on the
   current moment in time, not the regrettable past or fearful future.

                           ----=----

   Just for today:  When I live fully in each moment, I open myself to joys
   that might otherwise escape me.   If I am having trouble, I  will ask a
   loving God for help.