“Our program is not easy, but it is simple.”

– How It Works, Life with Hope, third edition, page 193

I have a tendency to make things more complicated than they have to be. I like complicated. I find it interesting, and exciting, and it keeps my overactive brain entertained. When I came to MA meetings, and we read “How it Works,” I heard the above quote over and over. Eventually, after a few months, the words started to sink in. Apparently, if I wanted to stay clean from marijuana, I would have to keep it simple. I didn’t like this, but I knew what I’d been doing the whole time when I was using wasn’t working for me. I needed to be willing to try something new. I tried to remember to keep things simple.

Talk about not easy; it was hard for someone who had been overcomplicating things her whole life to try to simplify life! I started avoiding disagreements with people. If someone had a different opinion, I didn’t bother to state mine if they didn’t ask. I just let it go. I knew I needed to prioritize self-care, so I made it a priority to eat and exercise and bathe each day. It was boring, and I still bristle against simplicity. Every time I see myself adding new complications into my life, I ask my Higher Power to help me be willing to keep it simple.

Final thought: Today, I will ask my Higher Power to help me to keep things simple so that I have room in my life to do the hard work of recovering.