August 2
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Location: Midwest
Posts: 11,481
August 2
AUGUST 2
You are reading from the book "The Language of Letting Go."
In Between
Sometimes, to get from where we are to where we are going, we have to be willing to be in between.
One of the hardest parts of recovery is the concept of letting go of what is old and familiar, but what we don't want, and being willing to stand with our hands empty while we wait for Higher Power to fill them.
This may apply to feelings. We may have been full of hurt and anger. In some ways, these feelings may have become comfortably familiar. When we finally face and relinquish our grief, we may feel empty for a time. We are in between pain and the joy of serenity and acceptance.
Being in between can apply to relationships. To prepare ourselves for the new, we need to first let go of the old. This can be frightening. We may feel empty and lost for a time. We may feel all alone, wondering what is wrong with us for letting go of the proverbial bird in hand, when there is nothing in the bush.
Being in between can apply to many areas of life and recovery. We can be in between jobs, careers, homes, or goals. We can be in between behaviors as we let go of the old and are not certain what we will replace it with. This can apply to behaviors that have protected and served us well all of our life, such as caretaking and controlling.
We may have many feelings going on when we're in between: spurts of grief about what we have let go of or lost, and feelings of anxiety, fear, and apprehension about what's ahead. These are normal feelings for the in between place. Accept them. Feel them. Release them.
Being in between isn't fun, but it's necessary. It will not last forever. It may feel like we're standing still, but we're not. We're standing at the in between place. it's how we get from here to there. It is not the destination.
We are moving forward, even when we're in between.
Today, I will accept where I am as the ideal place for me to be. If I am in between, I will strive for the faith that this place is not without purpose, that it is moving me toward something good.
©1990, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.
You are reading from the book "The Language of Letting Go."
In Between
Sometimes, to get from where we are to where we are going, we have to be willing to be in between.
One of the hardest parts of recovery is the concept of letting go of what is old and familiar, but what we don't want, and being willing to stand with our hands empty while we wait for Higher Power to fill them.
This may apply to feelings. We may have been full of hurt and anger. In some ways, these feelings may have become comfortably familiar. When we finally face and relinquish our grief, we may feel empty for a time. We are in between pain and the joy of serenity and acceptance.
Being in between can apply to relationships. To prepare ourselves for the new, we need to first let go of the old. This can be frightening. We may feel empty and lost for a time. We may feel all alone, wondering what is wrong with us for letting go of the proverbial bird in hand, when there is nothing in the bush.
Being in between can apply to many areas of life and recovery. We can be in between jobs, careers, homes, or goals. We can be in between behaviors as we let go of the old and are not certain what we will replace it with. This can apply to behaviors that have protected and served us well all of our life, such as caretaking and controlling.
We may have many feelings going on when we're in between: spurts of grief about what we have let go of or lost, and feelings of anxiety, fear, and apprehension about what's ahead. These are normal feelings for the in between place. Accept them. Feel them. Release them.
Being in between isn't fun, but it's necessary. It will not last forever. It may feel like we're standing still, but we're not. We're standing at the in between place. it's how we get from here to there. It is not the destination.
We are moving forward, even when we're in between.
Today, I will accept where I am as the ideal place for me to be. If I am in between, I will strive for the faith that this place is not without purpose, that it is moving me toward something good.
©1990, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Midwest
Posts: 11,481
Kboys, I'm feeling very, very in between also. I miss my old job and haven't really fit into the new one yet. I've made a number of changes in my living space to make it my own but I'm not really comfortable yet. I've gotten a different car, but it doesn't feel the same as my old one and I don't have that level of trust in it yet. My hours for work are erratic, so even though I'm able to give my dogs a walk every AM, something I wasn't able to do before, the hours I'm gone are always different, and I feel bad for causing them distress (I know pets thrive on routine). Everything good that happens seems to have something bad follow right on its tail--not catastrophic, just enough to dim the glow of the good thing.
This was an important reading for me today also, just to remind me that as long as I keep on doing the best thing I know how to do, taking one more step in what I believe to be the right direction, it will all work out the way it's supposed to.
Maybe the point isn't that I need to get to somewhere where I'm comfortable, but to learn to be comfortable wherever I am...and that's also one of the lessons of Turtle, who seems to be my animal guide, at least for now, as some of the wise folks here pointed out to me.
Here's to carrying your home, and your happiness, on your back, right with you wherever you go!
This was an important reading for me today also, just to remind me that as long as I keep on doing the best thing I know how to do, taking one more step in what I believe to be the right direction, it will all work out the way it's supposed to.
Maybe the point isn't that I need to get to somewhere where I'm comfortable, but to learn to be comfortable wherever I am...and that's also one of the lessons of Turtle, who seems to be my animal guide, at least for now, as some of the wise folks here pointed out to me.
Here's to carrying your home, and your happiness, on your back, right with you wherever you go!
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,281
What a wonderful reading! I am very much living in between, and slowly learning to accept this quiet waiting period. Maybe even learning a bit, today, how to enjoy it. My perceptions continue to change.
It seems my Higher Power leads me to these in between times. It's in learning to wait, to be aware, to listen, that changes come within me, and around me. It's a very necessary and useful place to be.
The past couple of weeks I've thought of it as an uncomfortable waiting. Now I'm starting - maybe - to get a bit more comfortable with it.
I'm in between work that I need to do, and work that will be more fulfilling and financially beneficial.
I'm in between my old thoughts and behaviors, and healthier ones that will be more a part of me instead of constantly working at them.
I'm in between years of stress and recently having had an injury, and being fully healthy and well.
I'm in between learning to love myself and letting go of many unhelpful perceptions I've had about myself.
Inspired by this post, I've downloaded a sample of The In Between by Jeff Goins http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BUOMM8S/
It seems my Higher Power leads me to these in between times. It's in learning to wait, to be aware, to listen, that changes come within me, and around me. It's a very necessary and useful place to be.
The past couple of weeks I've thought of it as an uncomfortable waiting. Now I'm starting - maybe - to get a bit more comfortable with it.
I'm in between work that I need to do, and work that will be more fulfilling and financially beneficial.
I'm in between my old thoughts and behaviors, and healthier ones that will be more a part of me instead of constantly working at them.
I'm in between years of stress and recently having had an injury, and being fully healthy and well.
I'm in between learning to love myself and letting go of many unhelpful perceptions I've had about myself.
Inspired by this post, I've downloaded a sample of The In Between by Jeff Goins http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BUOMM8S/
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: My mind wanders a lot, but I try to stay in the present.
Posts: 1,007
That's It!!!!!
I've got a bad case of the "in betweens". Nothing in my life feels permanent right now. My marriage just ended, my daughter should be heading off within the next few years, I don't plan on staying at this job for too long, and I'm in no way wedded to this town I live in.
Everything feels painfully stagnant, yet I still feel like there's something stirring underneath it all. Something that will point me in a new direction.
I love this reading. It put's a name on what I'm feeling, and gives me hope that a direction will show itself at the right time. Maybe this is where I need to be right now.
Thanks for posting Honeypig.
I've got a bad case of the "in betweens". Nothing in my life feels permanent right now. My marriage just ended, my daughter should be heading off within the next few years, I don't plan on staying at this job for too long, and I'm in no way wedded to this town I live in.
Everything feels painfully stagnant, yet I still feel like there's something stirring underneath it all. Something that will point me in a new direction.
I love this reading. It put's a name on what I'm feeling, and gives me hope that a direction will show itself at the right time. Maybe this is where I need to be right now.
Thanks for posting Honeypig.
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 6,780
My periods of In Between have always frustrated me terribly, I'll be honest. It's like an extended lesson on sitting with uncomfortable feelings.
While it feels so "stuck" & passive I actually learned a lot via observation too. I prefer having a direction to go in, but sometimes that's really just a need for control, so this process helps me tackle that issue a bit as well.
Sorry you are feeling so unsettled ((((((honeypig)))))))).
It's like an extended lesson on sitting with uncomfortable feelings. While it feels so "stuck" & passive I actually learned a lot via observation too. I prefer having a direction to go in, but sometimes that's really just a need for control, so this process helps me tackle that issue a bit as well.
Sorry you are feeling so unsettled ((((((honeypig)))))))).
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: UK and Australia
Posts: 447
Thank you....
This is just what I needed to read today.
I took two steps back yesterday and hooked onto his bait.......
Today I am back on track. As long as I keep moving forward mostly ...that's a good thing.
Take care all Phiz
This is just what I needed to read today.
I took two steps back yesterday and hooked onto his bait.......
Today I am back on track. As long as I keep moving forward mostly ...that's a good thing.
Take care all Phiz
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