The Stream Of Life

I was asked a very interesting question today and I thought I’d keep the asker anonymous but share it with readers – (Both of them) – of this blog.

Paraphrasing the question, “What is your take on packing into the stream of life”?

At the end of the day I review as many of the moments as I can recall of the twenty four hours just passed. It appears in my head as a small “Piece” of a long stream (This is where “one-day-at-a-time” has real meaning.) The stream is not only MY life (Life isn’t all about ME – anymore) but the world around – the events of the day, the people I’ve met and the conversations I’ve had and how I have met the stress of each situation. It doesn’t matter if it was a “Good” stress or “Bad” stress.

When I was required to react in some way, then it was a stress – keeping in mind that all kinds of stress are necessary for human and spiritual growth – the same way a flower in a field grows as it faces natural stresses of wind, rain, sun ect. It grows through all of these – upward and nourished.

I always answer this question truthfully “Was I thinking of myself most of the time or was I thinking of what I could do for others, of what I could pack into the stream of life?” – the piece of stream that is the day just lived.

But “. . . we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to others.” – so I focus more on WHERE WAS I USEFUL.WHERE DID I pack into the stream?

You see, if I reword it incorrectly to mean “Did I pack into the stream.” Then I will never have a “YES” answer – because each day has its own agnostic moments when I HAVE experienced selfishness, self-centeredness, dishonesty and fear and I “forgot” that it is not I who is in charge of those moments but my Creator. Hopefully I have been utilizing the four actions of Step Ten to handle these as they appeared (cropped up)

If I focus solely on where I failed, I would go to bed each night a complete failure in life – and I certainly not.

It is the 12th of 12 nighttime questions when I for me to locate during the day those times “WHERE” I WAS “THINKING” of packing into the stream of life – not “Did I succeed” in packing it full to capacity. I am not God or Jesus or Buddha or a saint.

So by simply “locating” the spots in the day where my thoughts were NOT focused on ME but on others, I get to see two things: 1) just how defective I still am in this world – and just how much I HAVE growth for the time when my thoughts were totally void of ANY thought for others at all. It apparent to me, because such a small percentage of the entire twenty four hour day WAS NOT focused on others but on MYSELF. This gives me INFORMED cause to ask God to show me how to do it better tomorrow.

It is a positive learning and growing exercise when I do this in this fashion.

If you are interested here is a link to my own prayers which maybe you’ll find useful. And the idea just given is incorporated into it – I believe. dans prayers.doc

If you ask others about this subject and receive some other ideas on that you think I may also find useful, please forward them to me. I am always looking for new perspectives too based on the experience of others. If you are not practicing this principle – then please hold off on the opinions. I can go to an “Open Disgusting” meeting if I ever get a hankering for bullshit. Thanks.

“Forgive me, Majesty. I am a vulgar man! But I assure you, my music is not.”

Peace,

Danny S