Acceptance, etc.

[Guest guest]

Thanks to Gretchen for the great capsule view of the 12 steps.

Some of you know that I'm a 12-stepper too - different problem, same

solution - the 12 steps!

This support group for CMT is great and I have learned so much from

you folks. I appreciate you!

Some thoughts: Do the 12 steps relate, then, to CMT? IMO, absolutely!

Because a primary key to living a better life is Acceptance! (Just

one of many ways the Steps can apply to CMT.)

Acceptance, for me, means that I accept others as they are and don't

keep trying to change them. People change when they want to change,

if they see that change will assist them towards a better life. For

years, I tried to force my opinions on just about everybody - it

never worked.

Having said that, I must also say that Acceptance does NOT mean that

I continue to " accept unacceptable behavior. " I will not and cannot

any longer do that, and that applies to family, friends, and doctors!

Acceptance does not mean passivity. I must take care of myself, and

sometimes that means that I must move away from friends, family, or

doctors who behave unacceptably. Does that mean I physically go away

from little children, leaving them to fend for themselves? In No

Way! I am called upon to be sensible in this life, after all.

There is great freedom in Acceptance. I don't necessarily have to

Like those things which I Accept. But I have stopped fighting. And,

for me, that's the freedom.

Acceptance also does NOT mean that I just sit on my backside and

observe all kinds of unacceptable behavior, no matter the source. It

means, simply, that I have found other ways of dealing with my life -

ways that, before the 12 Steps, I did not know or understand.

After years in the Program, what has changed? Well, not a whole lot,

in some ways. My family is still just as goofy as they've always

been. I still encounter ridiculous behavior on the highways. The

universe is still too violent and weird. But I have changed! I don't

have to be Queen of the Universe any longer! I'm not running the

show! There is great freedom in that!

Enough for now. As always, take what you wish, if anything, and

discard the rest. If this helps anyone, great. If not, that's okay

too, because it helped me.

Regards to all, Carolyn