Reflections
Today I am grateful for sunshine and sledding.
I am also grateful for two songs with similar titles:
"Reflections" by Diana Ross and the Supremes
and "Reflections of My Life" by The Marmalade.
Both are from the late 1960's/early 1970's. I have always liked both and find myself listening to them on YouTube. They were on my mind today as I did some reflecting on the year that is winding down.
Reflecting tends to lead to randomness, so bear with me.
I am reminded of the late 1980's TV series China Beach (with Dana Delaney and Marg Helgenberger among others) that used "Reflections" for it's opening. I followed that show and I have rarely followed any show on TV. That opening song hooked me. "Reflections of the way life used to be. Reflections of the love you took from me." I got sober in 1989. I could have been singing those words to alcohol.
Neither song has uplifting lyrics. "Reflections of My Life" has the line "The world is a bad place, a bad place, a terrible place to live, oh but I don't wanna die." But there is hope in those final words. More words I could have been singing to alcohol. But hope won out. Thank God!
Speaking of hope, I was reminded today, by a friend who had a tough year, that perception and perspective are everything. He lost his eye in an accident in May and in an instant his life changed. But today he could share his sense of perspective and humor that "he has a new view on life. . .literally." Thanks Dave!
Reflections make me think of mirrors. I used to hate mirrors and my own reflection in them. It was all about perception and perspective. I was full of self-pity and self-hatred. I would look in the mirror and say "You dumb, ugly bitch" and I meant it. I felt it to my core. No wonder I liked the numbing effect of alcohol.
But perception and perspective can change. That is where gratitude comes in for me. No single practice in my recovery has meant more to me than the practice of gratitude. To close out this random post, here are the words I wrote on this blog on June 26, 2012:
“Gratitude in action leads to positive results. Practice does not make perfect in this realm, or any realm. But practice builds a better perception, and that is worth a lot.
I am also grateful for two songs with similar titles:
"Reflections" by Diana Ross and the Supremes
and "Reflections of My Life" by The Marmalade.
Both are from the late 1960's/early 1970's. I have always liked both and find myself listening to them on YouTube. They were on my mind today as I did some reflecting on the year that is winding down.
Reflecting tends to lead to randomness, so bear with me.
I am reminded of the late 1980's TV series China Beach (with Dana Delaney and Marg Helgenberger among others) that used "Reflections" for it's opening. I followed that show and I have rarely followed any show on TV. That opening song hooked me. "Reflections of the way life used to be. Reflections of the love you took from me." I got sober in 1989. I could have been singing those words to alcohol.
Neither song has uplifting lyrics. "Reflections of My Life" has the line "The world is a bad place, a bad place, a terrible place to live, oh but I don't wanna die." But there is hope in those final words. More words I could have been singing to alcohol. But hope won out. Thank God!
Speaking of hope, I was reminded today, by a friend who had a tough year, that perception and perspective are everything. He lost his eye in an accident in May and in an instant his life changed. But today he could share his sense of perspective and humor that "he has a new view on life. . .literally." Thanks Dave!
Reflections make me think of mirrors. I used to hate mirrors and my own reflection in them. It was all about perception and perspective. I was full of self-pity and self-hatred. I would look in the mirror and say "You dumb, ugly bitch" and I meant it. I felt it to my core. No wonder I liked the numbing effect of alcohol.
But perception and perspective can change. That is where gratitude comes in for me. No single practice in my recovery has meant more to me than the practice of gratitude. To close out this random post, here are the words I wrote on this blog on June 26, 2012:
“Gratitude in action leads to positive results. Practice does not make perfect in this realm, or any realm. But practice builds a better perception, and that is worth a lot.
Doing this blog has been an ongoing blessing for me. I feel a
deeper level of gratitude and appreciation for the many gifts in my life. I
have more moments of calm, of peace with life as it is.
Gratitude will never take away all my struggles or make me immune
to difficult emotions, but it helps smooth out the rough spots. It gives me a
better view of the world and of my reflection in the mirror.”
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