At Jaywalker Lodge, we don’t do anything we don’t believe in. It is following our heart that separates us from the pack and allows us to help so many. We don’t take any of this lightly because it’s the stuff that saved our lives, and we know that it can do the same for others. Not only are we guided by the best of what has worked for us through personal experience, but we have brought these lessons together and put them at our core. Right next to the 12-Steps, we have another set of core values, guiding principles, and philosophies. We thought it was only appropriate that we should also use the number 12, so when we boiled down everything we’ve learned, we got 12 unwavering beliefs. These guide every single thing that happens at Jaywalker Lodge, every single day. They’re what we truly believe in. Let’s look at another one of them now.
Every Day Is a Gift
What We Believe #8 states: We believe that every day matters in a great treatment experience. We start with a daily surrender, we stay strong and finish stronger. We simply do our best every day. This is one motivating belief, as far we’re concerned. Not only does it get us out of bed in the morning, but it also gets us going on the right foot.
Our life in recovery is nothing short of a gift. So many of our fellow sufferers were not lucky enough to survive the disease and find recovery. Because we are among those lucky enough to still be around, we do our best to never lose sight of the gratitude we have for that. And we gladly take on the responsibility that comes with the gift of a second chance at life. Because we’re blessed enough to be living in recovery, it is our purpose every day to do our best to be our best and help as many people as we can, both in and out of the program.
Life in recovery is not a punishment for our past — it is the gift and promise of a bright and happy future. Even though we are in recovery, we are not cured of our alcoholism or addiction. What we have is a daily reprieve contingent upon the growth and maintenance of our spiritual life. This means that every day we must carry the spiritual principles behind the 12-Steps. We must continue to grow and improve our conscious contact with our higher power. Without the 12-Steps, we would go right back to being powerless, and without our higher power, our lives would be unmanageable. So we’ve got to start our day right, just as it’s outlined in the book Alcoholics Anonymous on pages 85-88.
Prayer & Surrender
We first begin with prayer and meditation, and we consider our day with our higher power. We pray that we will be given the guidance and direction we need for the 24 hours ahead. In short, we begin our day with surrender. This might seem backward, but it’s not. Beginning our day with surrender strengthens us, our spiritual connection, and our recovery. We are undisciplined, so we let our higher power discipline us — not like punishment, but discipline as in guidance, strength, clarity, and effectiveness.
We surrender more as we go about our day. When faced with a puzzling situation, we offer it in prayer and meditation to our higher power. Surrender is not weakness, but rather the surest path to strength. By surrendering all that we are able to, all throughout the day, we are able to hear our higher power and better do its will. Starting our day with surrender all but guarantees we will have a day where we can learn, grow, love, and serve.
Staying strong and finishing stronger is meant to be a motivating goal. The literature of recovery urges us to not drift into morbid reflection when we stumble or fail to meet our own expectations. What we hope to instill and what we strive to have ourselves is a mindset that allows us to meet challenges and setbacks with an attitude of pressing forward. When something causes us agitation or diversion, we pause, ask our higher power for what is needed to overcome, and then do our best to press on. Any night where we go to bed sober, having prayed and meditated, is a good day — a day that provides the opportunity to wake up the next morning and try to be even better. We all have moments when we are not our strongest. That is when we lean on our higher power and our recovery community, and we allow their strength to pull us through. We all fall short and we all need rest, but we try to stay connected and this helps us to stay strong. If we remain grounded in spiritual principles, we can almost always finish the day strong.
We simply do our best every day. Simple, but not always easy. Our best isn’t always what we wish it was. We have to let go of our expectations and judgments and aim only at being the best version of ourselves that we believe our higher power would have us be. We keep gratitude close to our mind, we surrender, we pray and meditate, and we connect with our higher power. We carry the message and the spiritual principles with us in all our affairs. Recovery is the gift of a new life and a bright future. That’s why we believe every day matters in recovery, and that’s how we try to honor that here at Jaywalker Lodge.
Recovery from alcoholism and addiction is available to everyone, and recovery is possible for anyone. However, alcoholism and addiction are a serious and potentially fatal disease. Not everyone lives long enough to get the chance to recover. If the chance to recover is offered, it should be taken seriously. If you are reading this and you struggle with alcoholism and addiction, please know there is a way out. There is a solution. It really works. It worked for us, and that’s what Jaywalker Lodge is built on — the desire to help you make it work for yourself, no matter what you’ve struggled with or how many times you’ve stumbled. We were just like you, and we now enjoy life in long-term recovery. The 12-Step program works, and all you need to work the 12-Steps and find recovery for yourself is willingness, honesty, and open-mindedness. Call Jaywalker Lodge now at (866) 529-9255.
As Chief Executive Officer Bill provides leadership and manage all day-to-day operations of Jaywalker Lodge, an extended care residential addiction treatment program for adult men.
