[nandm]

Admission

"Are you part of the problem--or part of the solution?" anonymous

Did you ever wonder why--although we each have eyes, ears, noses, and mouths---we all look so distinctly different? Of course there are family resemblences, and occassionally we'll meet someone who "looks just like cousin Sally." But isn't it incredible that with the billions of people who inhabit this planet, barring identical twins, no two of us look exactly alike?

This is also true of our personalities, our thought processes, our likes and dislikes, and our beliefs and disbeliefs. We vacillate between wanting to conform and wanting to rebel. Often we view the world with suspicious eyes, feeling we have been treated unfairly. Many of us tend to look at life as a struggle against unreasonable odds.

But there's another way to look at things. We can alter our attitudes and begin to act positively and constructively. We can learn to see value in situations that appear negative, and attempt to come to terms with the world and all its imperfections. These are all worthwhile and attainable goals. But, to achieve them, we must first acknowledge our present dilemma.

It would be handy to have a blueprint for such an undertaking. But because each one of us is unique and special, we can only generalize about the process. We must each plot our own course to fit who we are.

Today's step: I can look past behavior and past programming with new eyes.

Step By Step, meditations for living the 12 Steps. Muriel Zink