In my recovery from substance abuse &
chaos. I appreciate the guidance & simplicity
of catch phrases & "focus & questions. They
help keep me grounded & mindful of the
most important things. Here are five of
my favorites.

"What can I do do (or say) to maintain
my peace right now/"

Thousands of different factors contribute
to my overall peace. Treating others with
respect & consideration contributes to my
peaceful relationships. Obeying all laws
& regulations (even those that seem silly or
pointless( keeps me "out of the spotlight"
of the authorities. I certainly do not miss
it when I observe others altracting all the
negative attention of prison officials. Avoiding
my triggers keeps me out of risky situations
where relapse is definately an option. Most
times the most appropriate response is the
most obvious one. I exercize the obviously
appropriate option to maintain my peace
moment to moment.

"Live & Let Live."

This one comes straight from the Big
Book of Alcholics Anonymous. I have
been so judgemental of others that my
every thought & word were against them.
Most of the time, I judged people when
I did not know, people whose lives had
absolutely no effect on me save for
the misery I brought upon myself by
judging them. Today, in my recovery,
I am able to tolerate those things I
judged so harshly, accept that we are
a society of individuals, & allow others
to live their live as they see fit while
I do the same. From this perspective, I
see clearly just how ridiculous my old
habit was.

"Easy Does It."

This is another gift from Alcoholics
Anonymous. In my insanity, I tend to
be impulsive, hoisterous, over-opinionated,
& quick to blow things out of proportion.
By telling myself, "Easy does it," I
practive patience, remain calm & rational
(hopefully). It's like the voice of my
Higher Power whispering to my saying,
"Child, be still."

"What is my responsibility in this
situation?"

I ask myself this question countless times
each day. It's not a stretch to say it
is in my head constantly. It keeps
me focused on the important things in my
life: my recovery; my word; my relationships;
my peace.

"Act As If..."

For a long time I never knew what
this meant because I never heard anyone
finish the sentence. The beauty, though,
is that it is mine to finish. So now
I act as if I care, as if this were
important, as if my Higher Power or
children or boss were watching me, as
if I have something to lose, as if I
were the responsible human being that
I want to be.

Noone ever promised that my recovery
from chaos would be easy. On the
contrary, people warned it would require
me to work hard, be diligent & sincere,
& trust a process I knew nothing about.
As simple as these catch phrases &
focus questions are, they do not make my
process any easier. They are only handy
tools which make it possible.

Daniel Womack
May 2013
Soledad, California