Savor It All

Alright, here we are. It is the fourth Saturday of August and the theme has been "Saver," right? And you know, even in knowledge, when I first heard that theme, I was kind of like, hmm, interesting. But you know, I'm going to work with it. Let's just kind of see what happens. And I've been just quite interested in how that theme, kind of, you know, as I 've worked with that theme, how it's shown up. And so it's like, what's the, you know, the fourth Saturday for me is always thinking about conscious living, right?

So it's conscious masculinity, conscious fatherhood, conscious coupling. And then the fourth Saturday is conscious living. And so as I've been reflecting on that, it's like, oh yeah, "Saver," right? Saver life, like, "Saver each breath," because like, you never know where it's going. You never know, like, where it's leading. And I'm about to sneeze. And you know what? Saver that, and maybe by saying that, I got rid of it. I don't know. But you know, this idea of savoring, and it's, I think, what I wanted to talk about today and as I think about for me, it's so easy to be like, oh yeah, life is amazing.

And I love God and I love, you know, recovery. And I love all this stuff. And things are going well, right? But what we're really taught, like, what true emotional sobriety is about, is about savoring it all, that we're grateful for it all in the moment, right? Like, I was just talking to my wife and, you know, I'm 53, I play volleyball on Saturdays and Sundays, pretty intense, not high level by any means, but pretty intense that I don't know how long I'm going to be able to do it. So I savor, like, every day that I have to do it.

And I honestly believe while I'll be disappointed and sad, when I can't do it, I will be like, wow, I really, I participated, right? Like, I really engaged and I think it's also like, I think it's a really deep spiritual practice when we're able to be grateful. And I'm not going to say necessarily happy, but maybe even happy, like, when things aren't going well. And even like when things aren't going well, what does that even mean? You know, it only means that things aren't going the way I want them to, the way I think they were supposed to.

They're just going, right? They're just going the way they're going, but it's really not personal. It's just, it's not in alignment with what I want and how I think things are supposed to be. And so this idea of savoring each day, savoring each moment, that's like really powerful for me. And that's a really powerful practice. My life is better than it's ever been. And I've worked really, really hard to get to this place where I can say that things are not where I would have them. And I think if I had the exact same life that I have now five or ten years ago, I'd have a completely different attitude about it, because I'd be focused on what's not working, what's not going well, the money I'm not making, the this, the that, the changes in my relationship, whatever it is, and instead, right, there is that idea that life is 10% of what happens and 90% of our attitude about it.

So people who know me and kind of know me well know that one of my favorite say ings is all is well, right? That's my right there. Can't see it's backwards, whatever, but all is well, right? It's everywhere in my life. And you know, and I'll have sponsors sometimes who will ask me like, well, like , do you really think all is well, like, you know, you've got this happening and that happening or I, you know, they're speaking and they're thinking like, well, I just, you know, we just had a miscarriage.

We just had this. All is well is that. And I'm like, but it's a, it's, it's a phrase that you have to live into. It's it there's never a time in life where things go the whole way you want. So either you believe all is well, always or you pick and choose, right? You could say, Oh, well, yeah, I guess all is well today because, you know, it 's really kind of going things are going my way, but you know, not really tomorrow because, you know, ABC D, you know, it was not happening. And I've just learned over the years, like I either have to believe in my heart that idea that all is well, right?

And I always say all is well, always and in all ways. And it's a challenge, right? It's a challenge for me because it helps me to really shift my mind, right? Oh, right. When I'm getting negative in my relationship, when I'm feeling sorry for myself because this is happening or that is happening underneath that, even like, look, there are people freaking out about politics right now and there are people freaking out about the world and what's happening. But I understand looking at the facts and saying like, Oh, there may be cause for concern or even more than just cause for concern, but freaking out is a choice.

And frankly, I don't want to be off my game when I really need to take action. I want to be grounded, I want to be clear, and I don't want to be lost in some narrative of drama that just kind of is tons of hyperbolic, right? And that's the key, right? That's the key. The key is if I can, I think I'll end on this, right? This idea of savoring the day, you don't, you're, there's no way you're going to savor every day. You're never going to savor every moment. But the key is, can you catch yourself?

The key is, can you say, Oh, I'm off right now. I need to step back. I need to breathe. I need to meditate. I need to call somebody because I'm off. My lens is seeing the world differently. There's a guy named Anthony DiMello, who I love very much. And he's like, you know, the world never changes. It's just your view of the world. The feelings are in you, not in the world. The world has never changed. And I like that. I like that a lot because then it comes back to me and it's like, Oh, if the world, if all of a sudden I'm seeing the world as a horrible place, chances are it's not the world.

It's me. And again, that doesn't mean that there can't be some really significantly negative things happening or significant injustice or significant, you know, all of that. It's just my ability to act and to truly act, you know, righteously is only going to be allowed if I truly pause and I'm grounded and aligned within my body, within all four areas, right? All four areas of my life, my mental, my physical, my spiritual, and my emotional. All four have to be in alignment for me to have true clarity in my life.

So savoring is an act, it's an act of courage, savoring is an act of intention and intentionality and savoring is a decision to say that this is an amazing life, this gift that I've been given and I want the most of it and I want to help others to have the most of it. But if you don't want the most of it, that's your choice, but I'm not going to let you affect my ability to truly savor this amazing life. So on that, I simply say all is well, happy Saturday, good luck with the moving .