[nandm]

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Today we open the door to a new and positive outlook on life. This "letting in" process expands our horizons and allows us to accept ourselves more fully.

For most of us it is painful to admit our powerlessness. It forces us to confront the fact that our lives are not working as we had hoped, and that in all probability, our own behavior is the cause.

Because each of us is the product of our past, we have been programmed into mind-sets and attitudes we've never thought to question.

We're like the young bride whose husband asked why she cut off the end piece of ham before she baked it. "Mother taught me to fix it this way," she replied. But, suddenly curious about it, she asked her mother why she made ham this way. "Because," replied her mother, "your granny did hers this way." More determined than ever to get to the bottom of the puzzle, the bride went to her grandmother to solve the mystery. "Well, child," said granny, "I did it because a whole ham wouldn't fit into my oven."

Just like that young bride and her mother, it rarely occurs to us to wonder why we do a thing. We're as conditioned by habit as Pavlov's dog---the bell rings and we perform.

The initial step, then, is for us to admit that it is soley up to us to discover why we have continued to behave in a way that brings up negative feelings and causes us great discomfort.

Today's Step: To admit that I am powerless is both a relief and a source of new hope.

Step By Step, Daily meditations for living the Twelve Steps, by Muriel Zink