Category: Words To Live By

Pretty soon, most people alive aren’t going to remember the days when texting, Facebook messaging, and tweeting didn’t exist. While each of these things have on some level made life a lot simpler to communicate for so many, I’m saddened because they have also been the sole reason why people are becoming more and more impersonal with each other these days.

I say all this because of a recent incident where I called my former alcohol and drug counselor from my alma mater. She was the first on my path to guiding me towards a life of sobriety and will forever hold a place in my heart. I left her a nice message on her voicemail the other day and asked her to ring me when she could, as I really wanted to hear her voice again. Days later, I finally received a response via text message saying not much more than how busy she was and how she hoped that I was well. When I responded to the text and asked her the best time to talk over the phone, I never got a reply.

This isn’t an isolated incident either with the impersonal side that social media brings nowadays. There are plenty of past Happy Birthday greetings I’ve received on Facebook or in a text message where when I’ve called the majority of them to hear their voice, I got voicemail recordings instead. Then there are also the times I’ve been sick or ailing from a health issue that have resulted in similar results. And I can’t forget all the Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and various other holiday greetings that come in the form of two words in the same fashion.

I know I can’t speak for the rest of the population, but I sure can speak for myself in saying that I treasure actually hearing someone’s voice on my birthday wishing me a happy one. I treasure actually hearing a person’s voice telling me they’re praying for me and hoping I feel better when I’m not doing so well. I treasure actually hearing a loved one’s voice over the phone that I haven’t spoken with in ages. I honestly just really treasure actually hearing a voice rather than receiving a text or some other type of social media message no matter what the occasion.

Society is truly becoming more and more impersonal, and selfish and self-centered because of this trend. Almost gone now are those days when most people took the time to pick up a phone and connect with a loved one, a friend, or anyone for that matter. Actions likes this are now considered to be an inconvenience for a vast amount of the population it seems. And in all honesty, every time I’ve ever resorted to using social media to connect with someone on their birthday, a holiday, whether they were sick, or for some other reason was generally because I cared more about myself, and my selfish needs, then actually taking a few moments of my time to do a selfless action like calling someone.

So with Christmas looming around the corner just a few days from now, the best thing I know I can do to counteract this downward spiral in personal communication is to pick up the phone and call each of those I care about. I truly believe that action will be far more spiritual, selfless, and connecting than any of the ones that would involve me sending a few bits and bytes across the digital realm. And hopefully each of you will also join me this holiday season in trying to reverse this growing impersonal trend before we all forget the importance of close human interaction.

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson

There are still moments when I occasionally get caught up in seeing only the negative side of something. Sadly, that was about all I saw for the longest of time. But thankfully, my spiritual teacher helped me to shift that tide to being more positive over the past few years. Now I find myself doing an exercise whenever I find my thinking sliding even slightly back towards the negative. It’s really a simple one actually and the more I practice it, the more I’m able to keep myself on the positive side of things. All it entails is taking each negative comment that comes out of my mouth, finding something positive in it, and then verbalizing/writing it. Given how I’ve felt and been recently, I think this exercise is probably well overdue and is going to be a great way to practice having even more gratitude in life.

• I can’t believe how bad the pain in my left leg has felt lately.
• I am grateful that I still have my entire left leg and foot and can still stand and walk.

• I am tired of not feeling well enough to hold a paying job.
• I am grateful that I still have enough financial resources to get by until I can work again.

• It really bothers me that most of my former friends in Massachusetts never reach out.
• I am grateful for those friends in Massachusetts like Kim who still regularly contact me.

• It angers me that many of the people I called on Thanksgiving never returned my call.
• I am grateful for those who did contact me on Thanksgiving and wished me a happy one.

• I hardly get time to be with my partner because he’s so busy with his work and school.
• I am grateful I even have a partner who’s willing to provide for the majority of our household.

• Why does it have to take so long to heal and be rid of all my health issues?
• I am grateful for how much I’ve already healed and all the lessons in patience I’ve been learning along the way.

• Those freaking squirrels keep digging up the grass in my yard!
• I am grateful for all the areas of my yard that are still so lush and green.

• Ugh, the yard is full of leaves again; I’m so tired of picking them up!
• I am grateful for the meditation I get to practice each time I clear my yard of leaves.

• There always seems to be heavy traffic when I need to get somewhere by a certain time.
• I am grateful for being able to drive, for having a reliable car, and for these important reminders to take life a little more slowly.

• No one ever seems to call me and ask me to hang out with them!
• I am grateful for my partner and the few friends in recovery who do spend time with me.

And how about one more for good measure…

• My life seems pointless; I feel that God has totally abandoned me!!!
• I am grateful for each of my sponsees, my spiritual teacher, and my partner, as each are signs my life has meaning and God is still with me.

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson

“We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for the latest coverage on…” These were the words spoken by a news anchor on Fox recently just after the words “Breaking News” flashed before my eyes on my television screen. At the precise moment that transpired, I was also quite deeply enthralled in the latest episode of Sleepy Hollow. But for the next 10 to 15 minutes, my show was preempted to visual images of riots and violence in Ferguson, MO that had erupted all over again. The police officer that shot Michael Brown had not been indicted for his actions and people were retaliating. While my prayers have been going out regularly to all those in Ferguson, especially the family and friends of Michael Brown, I wondered why must everyone be subjected to seeing breaking news such as this?

Before I go any further though, I think it’s important to say that I don’t watch the news at all, on any given day, because I don’t like how it makes me feel when I do. It’s usually extremely gloomy, dreary, negative, and often biased. It also consistently paints the portrayal of a doomed society where everything seems to be falling apart. So while I may occasionally glance at USA Today’s headlines on the Internet to see if there is anything I can add to my daily prayers, I generally do what I can to steer clear of watching or reading the news anywhere. I should also add that television for me is nothing more than a temporary healthy escape to enjoy a number of science fiction and/or fantasy-based fictionalized shows. But when one or all of the major networks and many other channels start flashing the words “Breaking News” on my screen and then preempting whatever it is I’m watching, I’m left with only two choices: watch their coverage or turn my television off.

So when this latest wave of breaking news about the escalating violence in Ferguson occurred, I momentarily chose to remain tuned in to until I suddenly began to feel like I did during those dark days and weeks when I kept seeing images of the World Trade Towers crumbling down or the smoldering planes sitting in the side of the Pentagon and in that field in Pennsylvania. In other words, I didn’t feel good at all inside. With where I’m at in my spirituality today, I honestly don’t want to see things like this on my television screen, not one single bit. I don’t want to view any civil unrests or violent aggressions. I don’t want to look at bleak pictures of wars raging on or anything of the sort. And that’s not because I want to hide from it or pretend it’s not happening. I just choose to not spend any of my free time nowadays tuning into things that are only going to make me feel anger, rage, irritability, and many unwanted emotions that might warp my ability to be spiritual.

The bottom line is that I’m trying to live a total life of peace and serenity these days. That was virtually impossible for me to do so in years past when I continually subjected myself to the depressing imagery on the news, especially when those breaking reports came across my television set. I truly hope that someday technology will advance enough to give all of us the ability on our television screens to choose whether we want to tune into those breaking news reports or continue watching our shows. Until then, I prefer to just turn my set off and avoid any of them because I know in doing so, I’ll feel a whole heck of a lot better spiritually then if I didn’t.

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson