The Writing is on the Wall

:-) Submitted by Viewers :-)

Just Like You!

I wish I could write on this wall with a purple crayon.

When I was young, things were less than ideal. Are things ever ideal?

When I had grown, I found ways to try to make them more ideal, but they had a downside, that made things FAR less than ideal. I had a crisis, which was VERY bad, but the up side was that the only choice I felt I had was to start over. I felt like a seedling coming up through hard earth, the nights were sometimes very long and I waited for the sun, and the rain.

Actually years latter, I woke up one morning and I wrote down this poem. It was my resolution to my life, like looking in your rear view mirror and feeling good about where you are going and what you are leaving behind. I learned how to own NOW.

The Tides of Time

by B.M.W.
(a.k.a. Betty0018 in the Chat Rm.)

The Tides of Time
In these I trust
They change incessantly
Bringing us always,
While swallowing today
Like a crumb

Patience is my boat
That rides upon
The Tides of Time
Intuition is my sail
My rudder is love
And though I am adrift
On The Tides of Time
And her waters
Seem dark and deep
This thought prevails

Each grain of sand
Was once of rock

Each Cloud
A piece of me
****

I believe there are equal amounts of good and bad in all situations. There were surely times in my life when I would not have been able to see this. My mother always told me I was stubborn. She always said it like it was something bad.
She didn't think there were equal amounts of good and bad in all situations.

Stubborn got me though the nights waiting for the sun and the rain. I made stubborn into a tool. You can pick something up out of the gutter that someone has cast off and make it into something beautiful that is art. You are an artist, as we all are. You can create anything you can dream. So I say dream big, the sky is not the limit. SMART methods are like art school for creating the self you always wanted but were afraid to try to be. (We tend not to try things we are afraid of or believe to be undoable.) Believe it and it will come to be. Let Patience be your boat, even if you have to build the boat.

Love and Light to All,

Betty

P.S.
I live on an island off of the East Coast of New England. I am entering my 18th year free of what was formerly known as my drug of choice. I still consider myself a work in progress. I love evolution and would never settle to get static. As a child I dreamed of becoming a painter, it was one of those dreams that never went away.

So when I was feeling like a seedling, I thought, well, seeing as I am starting over, I may as well take the chance. I painted my way into my new life; I even sold most of what I made for 18 years. They were works that dealt with being alone. Sometimes we can feel like no one can understand where we are, and sometimes we can get to a place where we no longer find it valid to even need that kind of understanding.

Now I want to take a crack at writing, and I can't imagine that it would not have to do with overcoming addiction, as this has become more of who I am, than anything else I am. It is the part of me that I like the best that keeps me feeling free. The part that would like to let all the caged animals all over the world out.

I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...
(Stolen from Anonymous)

DILBERT'S WORDS of WISDOM:

Someday we'll look back on all this
and plow into a parked car.

I have feelings,
what I did wrong
was I mistook
them for thinking.

Richelle

Never do anything against you conscience,

even if the government tells you to. Albert Einstein

Sometimes I feel strong, but I am weak
But other times I am weak, but strong
enough to strive towards my goal of being
clean and sober!

IMZADI

Whispers gently fall:
Calm your mind and clean your heart;
We can love always.

Bury painful thoughts:
Leaves return to soil so quick.
Comfort comes with fall.

Come ahead with me:
think of us together now.
Spring is fresh and new.

Don S

Pitiful Fool

1997 Ronny H. Richards

I was born to push my luck
everybody's tried to warn me
Since a child I've overfilled my cup
cause half a glass has always bored me
And like a gambler always takes his shot
sometimes a hunch without clear reason
Nobody tells me what to do
Pitiful Fool

Everybody makes mistakes
but I don't take no endless harping
Some so grievous that they cause such shakes
I tettered on a bleak escarpment
Lost in the desert where I've lived my life
I have yet to seek direction
Nobody tells me what to do
Pitiful Fool

More than once along came love
but I failed to make connection
With emotions I did shove
away all chance at real affection
There was a woman tried to save my life
I used her body for three seasons
No she can't tell me what to do
Pitiful Fool

Happiness is all mirage
and sometimes dumb luck finds it finally
On horizons it will dodge
into those that stumble blindly
So come on lover now lets roll these dice
and find which road might lie before us
But you can't tell me what to do
Pitiful Fool
Poor Pitiful Fool
Such a Pitiful Fool
I'm just a Pitiful Fool

Thank You Oz !

I have been on a rollercoaster ride in my life for a long time. I am becoming focused and strong now more than ever before. Recovery can be amazing that way. I am not unfallable. I just choose not to give up easily anymore. I'm getting to know myself all over again and I am beginning to like myself. I believe that it's all about opening your mind to change.A good friend of mine wrote this song. He found his niche in life not too long ago. It has been an inspiration for me. I also have a few quotes that I read every day to remind me to keep on keeping on. I want to share them in hopes that they may help everyone the way they help me.

Ever Changing
Jeni

Open Your Mind
written by Kevin P. McCreery

Summer springs winter falls
As I awaken to the calls outside my window
Seasons changed, I have aged
Still I know time is just a frame and we live on.

What will my children do when I'm gone?
What will I leave them standing on?
Will they ever even have a fighting chance?
I just don't know if I'm driving myself insane
with all these questions that remain
and am I ever even gonna feel this way again.

Look at yourself a little longer
And maybe then you can be stronger.
Open your mind
Take everything that is within you
Maybe then you can begin to
Open your mind.

Am I the only one who's not afraid of it?
Am I the only one who's not ashamed of it?
Am I the only one who stands with something to gain from it?

With every day comes a chance
To make it better than the last
The things unseen by the eye
Are always felt down deep inside for my growing

Nobody wants to be abused
Nobody wants to live in lack.
Am I saying anything that's never been said before today?
I don't ever want to be accused of holding something back.
When I'd rather freely give it all away.

What have I learned as I grow older
I am living
I am breathing
There is nothing more to say.
I am opening my mind a little more each day.

"A turn in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn".
--John M. Capozzi

"The only people who never fail are those who never try".
--Ilka Chase

What a Wonderful World
louis Armstrong

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They're really saying I love you.

I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I Once Saw A Beautiful Thing.. .

I once saw a beautiful thing,
it was a reflection in the mirror
of a strong, independent woman
A woman with high ambitions
A woman free of hidden secrets and pain
Yes, I had seen the vision of this woman
many times ,on days now past
But never had her beauty and strengths
beamed through so crystal clear before
The vision I saw in the mirror
on that bright and sunny day,
was a reflection of myself,
A reflection of myself,
I now see each and every day.
Today, I saw something beautiful,
it was my reflection in the mirror,
without appearing in double vision!

Kathy

"Vineyard Horizon"

*In finding my healing, I turned to the land, and learned to trust in its example of erosion, infinitesimal patience, renewal and life.
- c. 1995 B. M. W.

**Neverland**

When The Mind and Heart are one
that special destination you'll have won.
For the mind can take the lead,
the heart can too proceed
but put them together
and you'll fair any weather.

Justin Greer

You Are enough

You are the perfect you. No one can be a better you, no matter how much they so desire. This does not mean that you don't have the potential to become more. It simply means that you are not in competition with anyone. When you truly accept the fact that you have all you need to become fully you, you free yourself from a self-created, artificial identity. To be someone you are not takes inordinate amounts of energy that could better go towards a more productive activity.

Since you are one of a kind, the message here is clear. You have something to offer that will never again be possible. To devalue this is not only a tragedy for you, but, in fact, for the world.

Leo Buscaglia

Left here by : Troy F. Fisher a.k.a. Fred

How do we begin again

How do we begin again,
When life has taught so much?
About staying sane by numbing pain;
About walking with a crutch.

How do we replace the fear
That things won't be the same?
The quest to find the perfect high,
Turned out to be a game.

But it seems somewhere along the line
We began to realize,
As time went on the thrill was gone;
A demon in disguise.

Countless times we fooled ourselves,
Though that was not the goal.
Just normality, just sanity,
Some semblence of control.

Although we knew the consequence
We would risk and fail again.
Eventually we lost too much
Why must we loose to win?

How do we begin again
To turn our lives around?
Like falling from the sky in dreams
We must not hit the ground.

Lizzie

It occured to me...

I sat there and looked at the open door.I sat there for the longest time.Wondering to myself if it was cause I lack the courage or is it simple procrastination.

As I sat there I watched as many came and went through the door.Yet I just sat there.I knew what needed to be done.I had learned well.It was all so simple yet I found ways to make it complicated.

Yet I sat there and watched the open door.Day after day passed.Then that turned into weeks and then months.And yet I just sat there staring at that damn open door.

Then one day as no one was watching,I simply slipped through that open door.

I left the door open behind me.Not so that I could return. It was so I could look back through it.To remind me of the past.I choose to remember all that I can.It also left the door open for others to follow.......

:-) Peace and love:Ken

Patience in Recovery	This is something I wrote down on paper earlier in my recovery.
	Quoting some 'self talk' here.... I'm learning how to not rely on drugs to get through life.... I'm learning a new way of thinking...for me. It's going to take time before I get used to it. It's going to be hard at times. It's going to get easier the more I apply myself. I'm doing it,regardless of how tough it gets - I'll be tougher!!!
		Looking at these statements now, after about a year in time, I can see acceptance. Also,an understanding that it will take Patience,Practice and Persistance. Allan

ONE LIFE

by Steve aka Reason

My life is no rehearsal
There'll be no curtain call encore
So I've tossed my screwed up script away
To ad-lib my life once more
I have but one life
I'll live my one life
Not letting 'should' or 'ought' get in my way
I'll dare have dreams
I don't intend those dreams should die
They will come true, until then life's today
Won't have you thinking
That I can't handle
Any problems, they're just there to solve
I will accept
And like myself for who I am
I'll love my life, with firm resolve
There are still times
When I take things to heart, it's true,
Shattered reflections cut me like a knife
I've borne the scars,
And sometimes I have bared my soul,
But what is past, is past - I'll live my life …
With no resorting
To easy options
I'll feel emotion; I'll even feel the pain
Better to feel
Than simply try to numb the thoughts,
The ache will ease, the longer I abstain
I have but one life
I choose to live it
Hour by hour, in hope, confronting fear
I'll dare have dreams
I'll try to make those dreams come true
Each day, each week, each month, each passing year
There'll still be times
When lured by a silken voice.
I'll look to ease my way through life again,
Remind me then,
To think and balance up the costs
Of what's to lose, and benefits to gain…
The rest of my life
Is just beginning
Each passing moment is another start
I'll grasp each second
Like it is my last, my first,
That's not profound, just merely being Smart
We have but one life
It's no rehearsal
There'll be no curtain call and no applause
Any reprise, we have to take
Right here and now
One life, it's mine, it's yours.
One life, a chance to seize each day,
And make it whole,
One gift of life is mine – is yours

one choice made
soon one smooth stone
rough like coral
fine as silk
soon one tiny splashing
soon infinite rippling
one wave and then another
we befriend each other
alone and all together
sailing seas so freely
fearlessly becoming
waves of water rolling
rocking rolling gliding
as leaping dolphins dancing
sailing out to sea
we the new-freed changlings
rough like coral
fine as silk
now glowing with each sunrise
enjoying every full moon
I and we and you
creating new tides splashing
soon infinite rippling
waves of water sliding
rocking rolling gliding
as leaping dolphins dancing
I and we and you

Kate Chadwick ~ (aka K8Sunlight)
On the power and beauty of
SMART friendship with self & others

A River....
The River Can Rage
The River Can Be Calm
The River Holds Life,
Its Current Moves On and On
The River Is Constantly Flowing
With A Goal That It Seeks
It Journeys Towards The Oceans
Where Its Waters Find Peace

First poem written after quitting - TeNova

SUDDENLY

Everything in my life is coming clear
Every road that I've travelled
Has led me here
I was running from things I could not see
Living life with a shadow cast over me

Suddenly, through the storm
There's a rainbow
No one knows how I feel

Letting go of the past
Watching the future unfold
Looking over the rainbow
Is a shining pot of gold
Come take my hand together we will
Cross the river (I can see the magic in your eyes)
Come take my heart
Together we will fly
And we'll live inside this dream forever

Suddenly through the storm
There's a rainbow
No one knows how I feel

Every dream in my life
Is coming true
Looking out of my window now
It's all brand new
I was running from demons
I could not see
Standing back in the shadows
When suddenly, it was standing
Right in front of me

Suddenly, through the storm
There's a rainbow
No one knows how I feel

I believe that a "listening" place is there still,
within each one of us there is a place we can & do turn to,
where we "listen" to the stream as it flows across table size rocks,
flowing,
crooning,
murmuring an echo of a chuckle as it fills and empties.

Ours to recognize and reflect as we "listen",
to learn what is filling and emptying.

Closed eyes,

Hear it?

Randy :-)

I believe this is originally a message from the Dalai Lama
(or maybe Ann Landers) - I especially like #19:

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R's:
     Respect for self;
     Respect for others, and;
     Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Stay SMART
Derek

" We all carry within us: supreme strenght, fullness of wisdom and
unquenchable joy.

It can never be thwarted and cannot be destroyed, but it
is buried deep and this makes life a problem"

-Huston Smith-

Use... You Lose!
A PowerPoint Presentation by HelenWheels	click here to get a Free PowerPoint Viewer

Lately, writing seems to keep my mind occupied and I am feeling really creative! Let’s plan a busy streak for me too…! ~Todd
		Would you like a beer in a can? I do not like it, Sam-I-Am. I do not like beer in a can. I would not like it here or there. I would not like it anywhere. I do not like beer in a can. I do not like it, Sam-I-Am. Would you like it at your house? Would you like it with your spouse? I do not like it at my house. I do not like it with my spouse. I would not like it here or there. I would not like it anywhere. Would you drink it at a bar? Would you drink it with a czar? Not at a bar. Not with a czar. Not at my house. Not with my spouse. I would not like it here or there. I would not like it anywhere. Would you? Could you? In a car? Drink them! Drink them! Here they are. I would not, could not, in a car. You may like it. You will see. You may like them in a tree! I would not, could not, in a tree. Not in a car! You let me be. I do not like beer in a can. I do not like it, Sam-I-Am. A train! A train! A train! A train! Could you, would you, on a train? Not on a train, not in a tree. Not in a car! Sam! Let me be! I do not like beer in a can. I do not like it, Sam I Am. Say! In the dark? Here in the dark! Would you, could you, in the dark? I would not, could not, in the dark. Would you, could you, in the rain? I would not, could not, in the rain. Not in the dark. Not on a train. I will not drink it here or there. I do not like it anywhere! Could you, would you, with a goat? I would not, could not, with a goat. You do not like it. So you say. Try it! Try it! And you may. Try it and you may, I say. Sam! If you will let me be, I will try it. You will see. Say! I like beer in a can! I do! I like it, Sam I Am! And I would drink it in a boat. And I would drink it with a goat. And I would drink it in the rain. And I would drink it in the dark. And I would drink it on a train. And I would drink it in a car. And I would drink it in a tree. It is so good, so good, you see! And I would drink it in a bar. And I would drink it with a czar. And I would drink it in my house. And I would drink it with my spouse. And I would drink it here and there. Say! I would drink it everywhere! I do so like beer in a can! And that appears to be my problem, Sam!

	Tonight, the moon is beautiful. Nestled beneath the whisper clouds. Radiant in the purple sky. The last time I saw this moon I was getting high. Tonight, the moon looks different. Tonight, the moon is mine. And every night when I see the moon I’ll be thankful for another day gone by. Because every night, the moon is beautiful. ~ Todd I Am

"Learn To Fly" SHANNON NOLL LYRICS

When you feel the dream is over,
Feel the world is on your shoulders,
and you've lost the strength to carry on.
Even though the walls may crumble,
And you find you always stumble through,
Remember never to surrender to the dark.
Cos if you turn another page,
You will see that's not the way, The story has to end.

[CHORUS:]
If you need to find a way back,
Feel you're on the wrong track,
Give it time, Learn to fly,
Tomorrow is a new day,
You will find you're own way,
You'll be stronger with each day that you cry,
Then you'll learn to fly.

In you're head so many questions,
The truth is your possession,
The answer lies within your heart.
You will see the doors are open,
If you only dare to hope and you,
Will find the way to fight the fears that kept you down.
Cos if you turn another page,
You will see that's not the way,
The story has to end.

[CHORUS]

Looking at your situation,
There's so much that you can do,
Now's the time to make your stand.
This is just an observation,
In the end it's up to you,
The future's in your hands.

[CHORUS]

submitted with thanks from Helen

The Wall of Fame

A Tribute to the Volunteers of SMART Online

back in 2003

AlexMBJ
Barbara
Betty
Brian aka ezb
Charley aka andcom
Charlie aka U-Animal
Chris
Dan
DeeDee
Dennis
Derick
Garth
Fred aka BritishFred
Jason aka BlueJay
Joe B
Joe Milon
JV
Kate aka K8Sunlight
Lee2
Linda aka smartspy
Marky
Patrick aka Skywiz
Randy aka Arby
TJ

and this was just the beginning, let us express our gratitude to all those that continue to volunteer!

To Write on this Wall

Self-Acceptance	Stages of Progress	Core Issues	Irrationality	Feelings	Think Reality	The Tricks	The Traps
Biology	Actualization	Spirituality	Philosophy	Far East Wisdom	Anger	Boundaries	Frustration Tolerance
Fear	Guilt	Rules	Semantics	How it Works	Quotations	Perspective	Depressed
Anxious	Emotions	Understanding	Believing	Relationships	Coping Statements	Problem ?	SMART
	Reading List	Links and Books	Chat	Family Album	The Wall

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