Читать книгу Above and Beyond - J.S. Dorian - Страница 35

“Even if it is to be, what end do you serve by running to meet distress?”

SENECA

During my first week of recovery from alcoholism I was befriended by a man who had been sober for many years. He urged me to write out a list of my heart’s deepest desires, and suggested that I not look at it for at least a year. He said that when I eventually did read the list I would discover that I had greatly short-changed myself; he predicted that the rewards of sobriety would be far greater than anything I could have imagined in those shaky early days. I wish I had drawn up a different kind of list in more recent years; one detailing each fear, worry, and dire projection concerning my various illnesses. That list, too, would be dramatically revealing a year or so down the line.

It would highlight my tendency to torment myself unnecessarily. It would show that most of my fears have nothing to do with the reality of the present and have everything to do with anticipation of the future.

The list would further demonstrate that things rarely turn out as badly as I imagine they will. And it would clearly show that negative thoughts about the future bring unnecessary pain into the present.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Fear is the darkroom where all my negatives are developed.