Opening New Doors

 The promises are listed on pages 83 and 84 of our ‘Big Book’. They begin “If we are painstaking with this phase of our development…”, and are followed by “They will alway materialize if we work for them.”. The key words here are “painstaking” and “work”. The promises don’t just happen - they are the natural results of the painstaking work required of those of us who desire sobriety, and to know ourselves in the process.

These promises are written about in conjunction with Step 9. I can’t effectively work Step 9 without the background illumination provided by working all the previous steps. As I continue to add to my understanding of myself and my unmanageability, I can more easily see how I have changed since first coming to the rooms of A.A. I heard the promises then, and wondered if I’d ever experience any of them. Being as ‘terminally unique’ as the next guy, I was sure I’d never know the peace they assured.

Fast-forward ten+ years. My life has changed mightily for the better. I feel the truth of those promises every day. I still get pulled back into some of the negative aspects of my personality, but those are mere speed bumps. I have the tools needed to give myself the occasional tune-up. I do daily maintenance, and stay in contact with my sponsor, my sobriety sisters and brothers, and my Higher Power. 

This journey is a stunningly positive one, teaching me daily to relax into being the Being I’m meant to be.

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