Posts Tagged: good 12-step sponsors

“CAN I MOVE?”

On March 21, 2018 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

 “Can I move?” (Sundance to Percy Garris, in the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”  Sundance and Butch Cassidy were being interviewed for the position of payroll guards.  Percy had thrown a large gold coin a few yards away from Sundance.  However, Sundance had missed his first shot, with both the shooter and the target stationary.  After asking, “Can I move?” he moved, and hit the target—not once, but twice. After reholstering his revolver, Sundance said, “I’m better when I move.”  He got the job.)

I was reading a 12-step meditation this morning.  The author started off with a familiar Mother Goose rhyme.

“Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.”

And then, the author made a wonderful interpretive move on this very familiar rhyme.  The author suggested that, maybe, Humpty Dumpty just sat too long in one place.

I had never thought of that before.  It is amazing how much wisdom there is in apparently nonsensical (or at least simple) children’s rhymes.

We have a saying in addiction recovery meetings, “Move a muscle, change a thought.”  The idea is that if we are engaging in unhealthy, unhelpful thinking, the best thing we can do often is to move.  I have found this to be very helpful.

I am prone to blood clots, and the blood clots are prone to go to my lungs, heart, and brain.  One of these days, it is possible that, despite Warfarin (a.k.a. “rat poison”), one of these clots is going to do me in.  However, one of the ways in which I try to prevent clots from forming in the first place is to move around.  For example, I use the Promodoro Technique.  It is very simple.  I set an alarm clock to go off every twenty-five minutes.  Then, I take either a five-minute or a fifteen-minute break, and move around.  When the break is over, I reset the alarm for another twenty-five minutes.  This also helps my back and hip not to hurt so much.

So, if you’re struggling with unhelpful, unhealthy thoughts, you might want to try moving a bit.  It probably won’t hurt, and it might help.

This morning, I am having (or being had by??) by some unhealthy thoughts.  They, of course, lead to depressing thoughts, which are also unhealthy for me.  I sent a rather self-pitying email report to my sponsor, and he fired back a very unsympathetic (but very helpful) reply.

“No pity party allowed. You are in control of your own happiness.

God has given us a beautiful day. This could be the last snowfall of the season. How are you going to embrace it?”

Man, is my sponsor ever a good one!

Here is my reply.

“Thanks for the cold water.  No, really!  Thanks!

I will go for a walk in the snow, and make a snow man.  (I also need to clean off the driveway, but I think I’ll do the fun stuff first.)”

Excuse the abrupt ending to this post.  I need to go outside and play in the snow.  I’m better when I move.

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