The Daily Llama brings you short, one-word meditations and a corresponding quote for your complete wool-being (#seewhatwedidthere?) for Monday, January 4th through Friday, January 8th, 2021. Channel your inner zen as you tackle Dry January.
MONDAY, JANUARY 4th
WORD OF THE DAY: INITIATE
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
THE DAILY LLAMA SAYS TO MEDITATE ON THIS:
In recovery, we must learn to stop blaming others for our problems and our pain. This can be an incredible challenge for those who have gone through real (not imagined) trauma and victimization. To stop blaming others does not mean that we take on the blame. We are not sacrificial lambs to alleviate others’ guilt for their wrongdoing. It only means we initiate our healing by refusing to remain a victim.
We stop playing the victim when we start to recognize what we are responsible for: loving ourselves, setting healthy boundaries, saying no to what’s not good for us. If we do not like certain things in our lives, we have to accept that those things are there to the degree that we allow them to remain.
If we want our relationships to be more authentic and loving, we have to be more authentic and loving. If we desire our lives to be better, we have to initiate change.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 5th
WORD OF THE DAY: DESIGN
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
THE DAILY LLAMA SAYS TO MEDITATE ON THIS:
Much of the American way of life is geared toward achievement, increase and gain. We see messages everywhere reinforcing the belief that “more is better.” We are told to be more, do more, have more. And it has not given us happiness.
Recovery promises us peace from not having more. We learn to keep it simple. We stop consuming things that end up consuming us. We work to peel away all that is not essential to focus on what truly matters. It is a lifestyle of abstinence and restraint. It is a life of less.
We design our lives around not having, not doing, and not being. Not having alcohol and drugs. Not gambling. Not eating in disordered ways. Not gossiping and causing drama. Not being abusive or vindictive.
The irony is we end up having way more. More time. More money. More dignity. More friendships. More peace. We become more as well: more whole, more trustworthy, more loving.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6th
WORD OF THE DAY: ESTABLISH
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
THE DAILY LLAMA SAYS TO MEDITATE ON THIS:
If you are not happy before you get (insert whatever), then you will not be happy once you have (insert the same whatever). It is as simple as that. Things and people cannot bring us happiness because happiness is only ever experienced through our actions: looking at a sunset, eating a meal, conversing with a good friend.
All of these actions require our active involvement to some degree. The mere presence of a sunset, a meal, or a friend is not where the happiness resides. It is in the quality of our engagement with those things.
The sunset will only bring me joy if I choose to spend time savoring it with appreciation and wonder. The meal will only satisfy me if I eat it, and it meets my expectations (or if I lowered my expectations). The conversation with a good friend will only occur if I participate, and the joy it brings me is a joint effort.
We cannot establish happiness without enacting behaviors that bring us joy, and we diminish our joy exponentially when we engage in actions that harm ourselves or others.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7th
WORD OF THE DAY: HARMONIZE
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
THE DAILY LLAMA SAYS TO MEDITATE ON THIS:
Peace and harmony. We often hear these words thrown together. Peace can sometimes mean “silence,” such as “to keep one’s peace.” But harmony is about making noise. Harmony involves different notes coming together in agreement but without giving up the individuality of each note. Harmony is not silence.
Recovery is not just about making peace with the people in our lives. It is about creating harmony in our relationships. Anybody can get along with someone when nobody is talking. It takes work to live in harmony with people who speak (ourselves included).
While silence can be beneficial for healing in the short term, healing discord in our relationships requires that we talk about it with other people who may have a different perspective from ours. Recovery asks us to listen to them and consider another way of doing things. One of two things will happen: we will find the correction we need, or we will clarify our truth. Either way, we become closer to living in harmony.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8th
WORD OF THE DAY: SAVOR
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
THE DAILY LLAMA SAYS TO MEDITATE ON THIS:
One of the best habits we can begin to develop is the habit of savoring the moments throughout our day. This simple action can ground or motivate, depending on your need. It is Mindfulness 101.
You do not need to backpack up a mountain in Nepal and spend weeks in a yoga retreat to deepen your spirituality or create radical change in your life. You can deepen your sense of wonder and joy when you start appreciating your life exactly as it is in the present moment. Unless at that moment you are being chased by zombies. In that case, run.
Otherwise, savor the moment.
Speaking of savor…Move More, Eat Better with tips from Niki the Wellness Warrior
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Resources are available
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
