Touch Of Light Health LLC

02/01/2026

A New thought One Day at a Time – Jan 31

Day 31

From powerless to empowered . . . that’s the intention. . .

Earlier we talked a bit about how traditional recovery holds fast to the idea that we need to keep telling the so called “war stories” so we can “keep it green”. We’re told that we must keep in mind the memories of how bad things really were in order to prevent relapse into using. Sort of a self-imposed scared straight thing.

I get it . . . addicts have an amazing ability to forget how hard things had become and to be able to talk ourselves into a romanticized version of our past. The illusionary comfort of the “it really wasn’t so bad” syndrome.

Let’s review some things here . . .

No one . . . and I mean no one, ever comes to seek out any sort of recovery program or writings like this unless they found themselves and their lives in several flavors of pickle.

When I set out to write this New Thought version of a one day at a time daily reading, I by no means sought to minimize how any form of addiction wreaks havoc on our inner and outer lives. We do harm to our minds, our bodies, our work lives and our relationships. . .
Especially our relationship with ourselves!

No not at all! I lived through it and I’m here to tell you what you should already know . . . that s**t is HARD! Making this kind of a change in life, getting whatever you call sober, however you see it. It just ain’t easy.

I’m not here to minimize the pain and difficulty at all . . .

No. I’m here to tell you, and to remind myself, that what lies behind us and what lies ahead of us is in no way stronger that what lives within us!

We BECAME powerless because we gave our power away. . . usually because we never realized we had power to begin with.

Our past was, is and will always be, a part of who we are. . . but we are not bound by it.
Who we really are is the powerful one creating our lives.

And don’t you ever let anyone try and tell you that addiction is a weakness! There are no stronger bad asses walkin the face of the Earth than addicts. Cause that life is HARD!

But, if we’re lucky, we come to a place where we no longer want the pain and difficulty.

We want a happier, easier life!

I’m not here to deny any of that,
The New Thought part is that we CAN have that happier life!

That we are not held captive by our past.

As a guy named Earnest Holmes once said, past is not precedent!
We are not doomed to repeat the patterns of our past, and we are not cursed by our mistakes.

That said it is incumbent upon us to make the effort to change our patterns and our habits. To create new neural pathways in our brains and get out of the ruts that held us down and kept us limited.

In the last 30 days we talked about some new habits we can develop. That will begin or further our growth and movement towards a happier and more empowered life.

So let me ask you . . .

Have you joined a group of people supporting each other in this quest for a better life?
Have you been learning from others who have traveled the road before you?
Have you taken to taking deep breaths?
To daily meditation?
To slowing down and taking notice of how you feel?
Or taking moments of gratitude?
Maybe even making gratitude lists?

It’s ok . . . Whatever you have been doing along these lines is great!
Go easy on yourself!
it takes time to develop new habits.

But that is the way to go from powerless to empowered.

That’s the how of it all.

Don’t worry . . . we’ll be reviewing these and other simple ways to ease ourselves into a better life! No matter where you are on your journey as you are reading this . . .
You can have it even better than that!

Yes! Be excited about it! It’s a good thing!

Affirmation – Today I allow myself to ease into new habits. Better habits. Healthier habits.
I will look to have fun, love and joy in these days of ease and grace. I will seek out positive and friendly fellows and we will join hands and walk this path together. I am so blessed! I am!

02/01/2026

A New thought One Day at a Time – Jan 30

Day 30

From powerless to empowered . . . that’s the intention. . .

Yesterday we were talking about the word WE in the beginning of the first step.

Today we’re going to spend a little more time on the concept. Mainly because of the tendency most of us have for trying to go it alone. Especially when it comes to our inner life.

We brought up the idea of shame . . . how it blocks our progress on this road to happy destiny.

I know that’s an uncomfortable subject. But it’s one that is essential if we are ever to get to live the freedom of being more empowered than powerless . . . especially when it comes to those substances and activities we’ve allowed ourselves to be powerless over.

So how do we know if we are dealing with resistance to change that is due to shame?

Tricky business that . . .

Notice how we’ve asked you to check in on how you feel?
Especially earlier in the month . . . (This will be a continuing theme)
And how we keep reminding you to take deep breaths?
These are practices that help get us in touch with ourselves in a more meaningful way.
In a more honest way.

It takes practice and repetition to develop the clarity. To be able to notice what we’re feeling and what we’re dealing with on our inner journey. I can be really difficult on our own.

Which brings us back to the WE part.

Maybe you aren’t in a group. Maybe you haven’t joined a 12-step or other form of group support.

Again, I’m here to tell you that there is more than one way to go from powerless to empowered when it comes to our addictions.

However . . .

One of the great benefits of being in a group of people. One where the idea is folks aiming in the same direction and holding the intention for that being its unifying purpose, is the WE.
The not being in it alone thing.

When we allow ourselves to join in with others on this journey, we can get to places where we allow ourselves to be a bit more vulnerable. And more honest.

The AA big book talks about how many of us are dealing with other issues besides the substances and activities we came to see as problematic.

There is a line where it talks about people who have other serious difficulties, even mental illness. It says definitively that even these folks can get sober . . . IF they have the capacity to be honest. My experience and my observation is that’s true.

Having some folks with us along the path helps immensely when it comes to getting honest and getting to know what’s really been going on inside of us.

It makes the difficulties much less difficult!

For many if not most of us, being isolated and feeling alone are some of the reasons those substances and activities seemed helpful in the first place!

If we are ever going to get to a place where we live more in the freedom of empowerment and less in the powerlessness, honesty is a must.

But what if you THINK you’re being honest and you’re not?
Remember, this addiction thing is tricky. Cunning, baffling and powerful.
(Mainly cause we gave it so much of our power)
They say Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt! And that’s true.

This is where the company of others can be so very helpful.
Being accepted for who we are and where we are on our path is an amazing salve
for the pain of admitting the truth to ourselves.

Frankly, I don’t think we can do it totally on our own.

And notice that the WE comes before the admitted?

Yeah, it’s like that.

So if you have a group that is helping you, be it a 12-step group, or a church or a therapy group or what have you. . . be sure to find the willingness to get honest with them.

One of the great blessings of finding ourselves in this predicament. Of finding ourselves in some form of addiction, is that we get to enter into relationships in a totally new and amazing way.

We get to learn how to be vulnerable and honest! At first about our shared difficulties. But as time goes on, this newfound way of relationship becomes the way we do relationship!

Affirmation – Today I see that it’s safe to be honest and vulnerable with my fellow travelers!
I enjoy the closeness I’m developing with them, and I’m feeling some of the relief I was told is there for me! I’m loving this feeling of optimism I’m getting! Feeling better is a real GAS!

02/01/2026

A New thought One Day at a Time – Jan 29

Day 29

From powerless to empowered . . . that’s the intention. . .

Let’s go back to the beginning for a moment, shall we?

That first step.

“We admitted we were powerless over (whatever), that our lives had become unmanageable.”

Let’s look at that first word. “We” . . .

We’ve talked about admitting. Powerlessness and unmanageability. But we’ve hardly touched on that first word. . . we.

It’s really very simple . . . WE . . . We do not ever grow in a vacuum. We cannot traverse this long and winding road alone. . . (all props to Sir Paul McCartney.)

If you are anything like me, and the countless others I have seen, known, read about, heard about or listened to . . . folks on this happy road trip from a place we want to leave, to a place where we want to live. If you are anything like all the rest of us, you’re pretty good at isolating.

Oh you might not see yourself this way, but are you sure?

Are you a DIY guy?
Are you a, don’t bother, I can handle it gal?

In many ways that’s cool . . . it’s good to be self-sufficient in much of life.

Provided you have a good feel for when it’s not best to be going it alone.
That you have a good feel for when you might need to ask for help.

A common trait of us folks, is a lack of this self-awareness.

If you are like most of us, we came to realize we needed to change only after a good measure of pain. Usually, a long period of life, where life was being a whole lot of what we don’t want.

There’s often some measure of shame to this. Remember how we talked about resistance?
Shame is one of the huge boulders in the pathway blocking our freedom.

As a people, we don’t talk much about shame. The only times I remember hearing that word was in the context of some sort of a “you should be ashamed of yourself!” kind of a punitive proclamation. Usually accompanied by a wagging finger. Most times what we were supposed to be ashamed about had more to do with the other person’s deal than ours.

The very nature of the word. Shame. It’s got the strong need for hiding built right into whatever comes along with it.

Whew doggies! We got a bit dark there, didn’t we?

Some of you might be thinking, I thought we were doing a New Thought one day at a time journey here?

We are . . . but we cannot in any way, shape or form, break free into the life we want without dealing with this stuff. . . that’s just the way it is.

But don’t forget. Today’s musing is about that word “We”.

It’s a huge deal, that We.

It means we don’t have to do this alone.

If you’ve ever been a part of a group that does meetings and such, you probably remember having had one of those moments when someone allowed you to feel less alone.
Perhaps it was something like . . . They welcomed you to join them for dinner. . . right after you shared at that meeting.
Shared something that you felt shame about. You did want to share it, but you felt the need and so you did. And you were asked to join for dinner anyway. Amazing!

You took a chance and did what the guys were suggesting you do . . . get honest. You shared the horrible thing from your past thinking, “maybe I can go to a different meeting on Thursdays.” I’ll just try this honest sharing thing out here, then go to meetings across town from now on.

But what did you hear as you shared? Some knowing chuckles. Some nodding heads. A few knowing smiles. Not derisive at all . . . no. It was the laughter of those who understand.
And then they invited you to dinner.

And you left there feeling a little less isolated. Less alone. That’s the power of “We”.

Affirmation – I am here for this! I am showing up to share myself with the others I find along my path. I’m here to be honest and I accept myself, even if I don’t feel accepted by the others right away.

However . . . surprise surprise surprise! Sometimes I DO feel accepted by the others!
Fancy that!
Yabadaba DO!

02/01/2026

A New thought One Day at a Time – Jan 28

Day 28

From powerless to empowered . . . that’s the intention . . .

Let me tell you a story.

Back in my younger days when I was still goin full tilt, I worked at a small print shop running a small press. They had a very old letter press there, used it for special small runs like wedding invitations and such. There was an old guy named Joe who would come in a couple days a week to run it. He was in his mid 80’s. Seemed positively ancient from my 20 something place.

One day I’m in there sporting a tremendous hangover. Probably running on the fumes of only having had a short nap instead of I nights worth of sleep. I musta looked a sight cause old Joe was eyeballin me with contempt from first thing as he arrived. Staring over at me from across the shop with a full-on scowl.
Then he stared shuffling over to me. Joe didn’t walk, he shuffled. Slowly.

He’s on his way over and I’m thinking, now what the hell does this old coot want from me! I’m not up for this crap whatever it is.

He gets to me looks up at me (He was very short) and says with full blown disgust . . .
“IT’S A LOAF!” and I’m like . . . What the?
He starts to shuffle away, and I should have been happy he was leaving. But I had to ask what he was talking about. . . He turns and repeats . . . “IT’S JUST A LOAF!” To which I say, “What is?”

Joe stops, turns and shuffles back over to me . . .
“Life! Life! It’s just a loaf of bread! . . . You’re cutting some pretty thick slices my boy!”

Took me years to figure out what he was trying to tell me.

I get it now. And yeah, I was.

Now as I am on the journey from powerless to empowered, I recognize more and more the importance of observation. Now I know the value in taking smaller slices.

Joe was talking about my health, and I get that.

But even having long since stopped the use of the things that had me up all night partying, I need to keep taking the smaller slices in mind.

I’ve practiced living one day at a time for quite a while now, and that’s good! It takes practice!
In fact, one of my sayings in life has become,
“Good times to have practiced living one day at a time!”

So let me ask you, how thick are your slices?

Are you allowing yourself to stay in the day’s journey?
Taking just the steps that need to be taken today?

By taking the journey in smaller slices, we give ourselves so much more power!
By not trying to solve the whole thing all at once, we see more. We feel more of the good in life, even as things may be going in a way that we hadn’t planned or wanted.
We can see the gifts even in the midst of the trudging.

We may have started out doing one day at a time to stay away from the substances or activities that we were trying to let go of. But the very same practices and skills we develop in order to get and stay sober, can become a way of life! And a good one at that.

So, are you taking that breath?
Holding that beat and allowing a moment to come to you rather than chasing it?

As you begin to notice the feeling of powerlessness in any given situation, you will see how taking small slices has you feeling so much better! That feeling of lacking power in a situation seems to fade when we’re not trying to force things. When we let it come to us.

This has to do with so much more than the substances and activities that became such a problem. Of course, we must start there, if we need to. If we’re still using the booze, drugs or other stuff. Wer need to start with learning to live without those things.
That stands to reason, doesn’t it? Because we gave so much of our power to those things.

It might take a bit to get some distance from that power struggle. . . and that’s ok.
Cause we only need to take a small slice today. Just today.

Wherever you are on the road trip is fine . . . whatever we are facing will be easier by taking it one slice at a time . . . be that slice a day, an hour, or a moment.

Take that breath and take that slice. You can do it!

Affirmation – I take small slices today, knowing this allows me to let go of, or at least accept that sense of powerlessness. By taking a deep breath and taking just a small slice, I feel more able to accomplish . . . whatever is on my plate today.
I feel much more in touch with who I truly am!

Now . . . Ain’t THAT a rush!

01/29/2026

A New thought One Day at a Time – Jan 27

Day 27

From powerless to empowered . . . that’s the intention . . .

It’s just a road trip, right?

Most of us came to a need for change because of a weariness of spirit.

It was feeling like we were stuck.

If not stuck in time, stuck in a pattern then. Or in a few patterns. Or many patterns.

After feeling stuck for some time, doesn’t the idea of movement feel freeing?

Remember I’m saying it’s all directional.
And whatever direction you’re heading in, that’s where you’re going!
Whatever direction you’re heading . . . you’ll surely get there.
If you keep going.

The AA book contains the phrase “. . . Trudge the road to happy destiny”
I found that a bit confusing when I first started hearing it.

It’s often quoted in meetings and writings about the process of getting sober.

But what does it mean?

I mean . . . trudge?

You trudge through the mud, or deep snow, right?
Or very difficult times . . . they feel like trudging too.

That didn’t sound very appealing to me.

Actually, the fuller quote is ‘We shall be with you in the fellowship of spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the road of happy destiny.’

That sounds better, doesn’t it? At least I liked the part about having friendly folks along the path with us . . . in the fellowship of spirit. I didn’t much know what that meant either, but it sure sounded better.

But let’s go back to that word trudge . . .

What if we say that trudge means moving forward with purpose?

What do you think?

I mean there’s still effort involved . . . but I like the idea of moving forward with purpose.
A whole lot better than the idea of trudging through the mud . . . that’s for sure!
Don’t you think?

This brings us back to admitting we have a need for change.

Who’s going to be up for any trudging unless it’s needed?
And . . .will lead to something great, am I right?
Elsewise why go through the trudging? Why put forth the effort?

How many of us have felt the need for change but we kinda like the rut we’ve carved out for ourselves . . . or more accurately . . . we’ve become comfortable in that rut.
Have you ever noticed times you felt this way?

Maybe you did but weren’t able or willing to look at it that bluntly?
To face the fact that you’ve settled into a rut that’s no good. For you or for anybody.

There’s an old saying . . .
that any of us can find ourselves in some kind of a rut from time to time.
But when addicts find themselves in a rut, we furnish.

I’m here to remind you that we don’t have to settle for our ruts. . . for our old patterns.

But . . . we must be willing to go through the pain of change.

That’s why we take it down to smaller slices!
That’s why we break it down to one day at a time!
Or one hour . . . or one minute . . .

Take a breath . . .

Remember there is only now . . . this minute . . .

Take a breath . . . we’re on a journey!

Affirmation – Today I remind myself that I am on an exciting journey!
I allow myself to feel the excitement of a road trip, even when I wind up doing a bit of trudging. I’m good with moving with a sense of purpose today!
I’m digging on the happy part of the road trip!
I’m lookin for some fellows of spirit and enjoying the gift of my road companions!

Tally Ho!

01/29/2026

A New thought One Day at a Time – Jan 26

Day 26

From powerless to empowered . . . that’s the intention . . .

For the last few entries, I have been starting off with the statement above. .
So let me ask you . . . is that your intention?

Are ya sure?
I mean . . . Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

But as we’ve mentioned it’s not easy.
The path can be seen as long and arduous.

I’d like it not to be. Difficult I mean. And I’m sure you’d like it not to be as well.

But as almost anyone who’s at least started on the journey can attest, it can be very difficult. Especially at the beginning. That admitting thing. Seems to be a real sticky wicket.

What makes it hard? Why does it feel difficult so much of the time?

I think it’s difficult for us to admit the powerlessness, and the unmanageability because it’s painful. And most of us have been engaged in the habit of avoiding pain.

Isn’t that one of the biggest payoffs of doing the things in the first place?
Relief from some sort of pain?

Look . . .

I believe that things are directional.

You could think of the word direction as similar to the word intention . . .
But there is a difference . . . the word direction indicates a sense of movement.

A sense of movement gives us a greater awareness that this really is a journey.

That’s part of why I’ve been reiterating that statement, from powerless to empowered.
Emphasis on the words from and to. Again, we’re talking about movement . . . a journey.

You can say that you share my intention of moving from powerless to empowered, and you can mean it. . . but have you fully accepted the need for change?

Have you accepted it enough to go through some pain?

Have you admitted the powerlessness when using?

Have you admitted the unmanageability?

The reason I am I bringing up this idea of direction is to make it a little bit easier.

Have you ever heard the phrase a journey of ten thousand miles begins with the first step?

That’s what the one day at a time practice is all about . . . We’re saying let’s not focus on the ten thousand. . . let’s just focus on the first step . . . on today’s first step!

Now we’re movin’!

And journeys like this can even be fun!

I know when I was still in my drinking days, one of the best things ever was when one of the gang would come up with an idea of a place to go and we’d all get so excited and someone would call out “ROAD TRIP!” Of course, we rarely went anywhere, but there are few things more exciting than a road trip idea!

What if we entertained the idea that instead of be engaged in a difficult task, we’re entering into on a glorious road trip instead?

A journey towards greater health and happiness!

A journey back to our authentic selves!

So . . .

Did you take some time and reflect on where you are in your process?
Were you able to see some of the unmanageability in your life?

That’s where we’re going to begin again. . . to take todays, just the next first step.

Start today and be excited! . . . it’s just a road trip after all.

Affirmation – Today I am willing to take my next first step. Today I accept that my starting point is right where I am and wherever that is, is OK. I’m excited to find inner adventures as I walk this path with purpose and intention. I let go and take the next step. And away we go! Hazzzzaaa!

01/29/2026

A New thought One Day at a Time – Jan 25

Day 25

From powerless to empowered . . . that’s the intention . . .

Yesterday we talked about how, in order to move from one place to another, we must have at least a pretty good idea about where we are to begin with.

Do you agree?

This is the “We admitted” part. . .

In the traditional literature they ask the question. . .
Who wants to admit complete defeat? No one, right? No one does.

Then they tell us to surrender to win . . . we talked about this earlier.
Many of us have the same or similar reaction . . .
“Surrender to win? Are these people crazy or what?” I feel ya!
It’s one of the most difficult things a person can figure out and do!
Take a beat . . . take a breath . . .
What we’re saying is . . . surrender the fight! Not give up. Especially not give up on yourself.

Ya see, if you’re like most of the folks I’ve seen dealing with this transition from addiction to freedom, you very likely have found yourself fighting to keep the very things that have been causing you harm. The very things causing your life to be unmanageable.

The addiction not only tells us we don’t have it, as soon as we get even an inkling that we might have a problem, something kicks in that tells us to fight for it. . . to fight to keep what causing the unmanageability in the first place!

Let me tell you a little story of my past. One that I think illustrates this phenomenon well. . .

When I was fifteen, I was hit by a car. It was Thanksgiving night, 1972. It was very cold and pouring rain. The person who hit me was young, Unlicensed, and Drunk. The story goes, after he hit me, he flipped out and went to get help. I was lying in the cold rain for an unknown period before I was brought into the ER.

In the ER I was in shock, and I was freezing. The heath care workers in the hospital were trying to cut the soaking wet clothes off me, so they could put me in warm blankets and begin to help we with my injuries. The problem was I was fighting them. Fighting them HARD to keep my clothes on.
In my mind I was freezing so I NEEDED my clothes!! I was unable to understand the wet clothes were the reason I was still cold . . . I was fighting to keep the very thing that was causing the problem I wanted to change!

Any of this sound familiar?

I think all addicts do this. We fight to keep the things we really need to Let go of.

This is why admitting powerlessness is so important in turning any sort of a corner, and in allowing any hope for a happy life.

This is the surrender we need to make. To surrender THAT fight.

I couldn’t manage my injuries or my feeling cold . . .
My life was completely unmanageable at that time.

I don’t remember much at all about that night, but I do remember a moment when I recognized my mom. . .
I remember looking up at her and saying, “Mom, I’m F’d up” That was my surrender. That was my admitting my powerlessness.
Next thing I remember was waking up the next morning.
Then my recovery began.

Not all of us come to a place of so much damage. Some seem to have more damage than we do. Some less.
There’s no value in comparison.

If you have come to the point where you realize YOU need to change, the process is going to be kinda the same as any other addict.

To whatever degree you feel a sense of powerlessness . . . that can be the very thing that frees you and sends you along into your most amazing journey towards empowerment.

Come on . . . You KNOW that’s cool!

Affirmation – Today I look at my life, really look. And wherever I see myself clinging to the cold wet clothes of the things that are keeping me down, I soften. I let go of the fight and just relax. I breathe and ease into the morning’s light . . . and I let the healing begin!

01/26/2026

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Email from Touch of Light Health llc Call me to feel better! We Survived The SNOWMAGEDDON! Now it's time to dig out How's your BODY feelin? Lets face it . . . Snow clearing can be a real stress on the

01/25/2026

A New thought One Day at a Time – Jan 24

Day 24

From powerless to empowered . . . that’s the intention . . .

In order to go from one place to some other place, you must start where you are.

So, I have to ask you . . . do you know where you are?

Let’s go back to an earlier question . . . what have you been able to admit to yourself?

Have you seen how your life had become unmanageable?

Can you see where it might be unmanageable now?

What does it look like? And how do you know?

In order to go from one place to the better place, you must get in the habit of noticing how you feel! So . . . How ya feelin? I mean really . . . and deeply. How do you feel?

No matter if you are newly sober or been clean a while. Or maybe you don’t identify yourself as addicted. . . if you want to move from where you are to a more empowered place. A more empowered version of you . . . you must develop the habit of noticing how you feel!

Most of us who wound up in a life of using substances or activities were doing so in order not to feel how we feel. To dissociate. After practicing dissociation for so long, it’s going to be a bit of a chore to reverse that habit and tune back in.

Babies need no coaching in this. In knowing how they feel.

They know EXACTLY how they feel in any given moment. . . they live nowhere else BUT in the present moment! As a result, this information is readily available to them. You and I might not be able to know exactly what they’re unhappy about . . . but we sure as heck know when they are unhappy! Everyone in the room or on the entire PLANE knows when they are unhappy!

Then as we get older, we learn to mask how we feel. Depending on how much disfunction we grow up with, we get very good at not only masking how we feel, but we also get well versed in the fine art of avoiding the thought that we’re feeling anything at all!

This is a big problem if we want to take back our power . . . to become empowered.

The path to empowerment and leaving our old life of victim to the hither and yon winds of our helplessness, is to be able to know what it is that we are experiencing. . . for reals.

The truth . . . ya see there’s no power and there is no progress unless there is honesty. And there can be no honesty without being able to know what our personal truth is.
And we can never know our truth unless we can know what we are feeling.

It’s sort of an archaeological dig.
Ya know where the archaeologists have to be so gentle . . . and use those special soft brushes to dust away the years of dirt piled on top of the precious thing that will be displayed in the museum later? Yeah. It’s like that.

So, we must start where we are . . . get as clear as possible on how we’re feeling. See what those feelings are telling us. And then use that information to determine what the next right thing for us is.

Whew! That’s a lot ain’t it?

So just like that archologist, we must be patient and gentle with our precious selves.

Get it back to simple.

Taking a deep breath . . . ahhhhhha . . . that’s better.

Now what was I feeling?
Oh. . . that.

The reason we look at where life had become unmanageable is to be able to get back to center.

To be able to get a grip on what’s really afoot and what we’re feeling about it all.

Practicing the process of noticing how we feel is the foundation of becoming reacquainted with our personal power.

Affirmation – Today I take the time to be on my most important archaeological dig. I use gentle but sure breath strokes to unearth my true feelings in any given moment. I do this with complete trust that the real me is underneath and these digs will be revealing my power back to me. And yes! I’m gonna have fun doin it too!

Whoooooooo Boy!

This is FUN!