A Day at a Time
Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023
Reflection for the Day
Adversity introduces man to himself, a poet once said. For me, the same is true of even imagined adversity. If I expect another person to react in a certain way in a given situation — and he or she fails to meet my expectation — well, then I hardly have the right to be disappointed or angry. Yet I occasionally still experience feelings of frustration when people don’t act or react as I think they should. Through such imagined — or, better yet, self-inflicted – adversity, I come face to face again with my old self — the one who wanted to run the whole show.
Is it time for me to finally stop expecting and to start accepting?
Today I Pray
May I stop putting words in people’s mouths, programming them — in my own mind — to react as I expect them to. Expectations have fooled me before: I expected unbounded love and protection from those close to me, perfection from myself, undivided attention from casual acquaintances. On the adverse side, I expected failure from myself, and rejection from others. May I stop borrowing trouble — or triumph either — from the future.
Today I Will Remember
Accept. Don’t expect.
Hazelden Foundation
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