Helping Others

 In this life, we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. Mother Teresa

I used to think in absolutes. Go big or go home! Do it perfectly, or not at all! Staying home and doing nothing is no longer an option. I feel a deep contentment when I know I’ve lifted someone’s spirits or have done something as simple as look them in the eye and smile.

I still deal with my selfishness and self-centeredness, but I’m learning to recognize that ugliness when it shows up. Did I just snarl at that driver? Did I just mouth those words? Did that make me feel better somehow? Compare those moments to when I make no assumptions about someone’s parentage, and allow for another human to be having a bad day without taking it personally. There are no shortages of lessons!

One of the best things about our program, a by-product of simply seeking sobriety, is the fact of the necessity to help others. It all starts with willingness. If I can be a helper in life, if I can do many “small things with great love”, then I am on the right path. When I start to feel like I’m somehow missing out, it’s time to purposefully do something for another. It’s time to pull out my gratitude journal and reread my entries. It’s time to look at all the sober sisters and brothers, and recognize their small or great acts of kindness toward me. 

The time to pay it forward is now.

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