Doing the Next Right Thing
First I want to thank my online sponsor for graciously offering to let me Chair the meeting this week, she had been scheduled and I had not requested the date early enough. February 18 will be, God willing the 14th Anniversary of my sobriety. What a blessing, what a gift that I need to keep treasuring.
“Doing the next right thing” is an excellent piece of advice that my online sponsor shared with me in the very early days of my sobriety. The “next right thing” lines up our tasks so that we are not overwhelmed with lots of demands that can confuse us. We only deal with one at a time, which is much more manageable.
I find that the “next right thing” is often small. It may be as simple as taking a deep refreshing breath or doing something caring for a friend. My action
grounds me with the principles of the beautiful program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Or it may just as easily be some small chore. Whatever it turns out to be, the act of asking the question, helps me decide the appropriate response, and I am not as likely to make a poorly considered choice that I will most likely, later regret. Think of “Doing the next right thing” as a compass that always points in the right direction.
When I found myself totally dependent on others, after having my leg broken during knee replacement surgery last August, “Doing the next right thing” became particularly important. Doing deep breathing, trying to get out of myself by helping someone else, taking little steps which eventually added up to actual steps was such an important part of my staying sober & sane!
I would like to hear how you have used this principle in your sobriety. Wishing you all another 24 hours of sobriety.