Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey

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Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey

LIVING LONG, LIVING PASSIONATELY incorporates the 12 Steps of AA, A course in Miracles and a daily practice of meditation and prayer.

LIVING LONG, LIVING PASSIONATELY is a book of personal stories and essays that are imbued with Casey's own understanding of peaceful living as guided by her 12-step practice, A Course In Miracles and a daily practice of meditation and prayer. These 75 essays help us make room for everything in our peaceful, vibrant well-lived life. Each brief nugget invites contemplation and action as she helps us explore fear and love, resistance and acceptance, willpower and discernment. Each essay ends with additional questions and prompts for you to explore your own life. Savor each of the essays and practices and choose the ones that speak to you.

30/08/2025

Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey

13. AN INVENTORY
It is said that if we don't learn from our history, we will repeat it. This is true on the world stage and for us as individuals, I think. Let's take an inventory of our lives and check this out.
Probably everyone reading this essay has made a lot of mistakes over the years. Life isn't always pretty, at least mine wasn't. It's not expected to be, in fact, but far too many of us never quit blaming ourselves for mistakes of the past.
I know I let folks down in the past, my parent in particular. And even though I made amends, both verbally and by changing my behavior quite dramatically, I still have moments of remorse for the embarrassment I caused them. I think this is partly due to my age now.
Whatever your age right now, it's time to move on.
Perhaps we should begin here making a list of those things we know we have learned and need no reminders about. Let me name a few so you can get the idea.
1. I have learned that fear wears many faces and one of them is anger.
2. I have learned that letting other people be in charge of their own journey through life is the only way to ensure my peace of mind....
Now it's your turn. What do you know to be true?....

09/08/2025

Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey

12. I CAN CHOOSE PEACE INSTEAD OF THIS
I've mentioned in other essays how important A COURSE OF MIRACLES has been to my spiritual development. Because the Course complements the twelve steps of AA and Al-Anon, I feel many moments of actual joy nearly every day, a payoff I had never expected. These three pathways have grounded me.
Perhaps some of you can relate. A book such as this probably wouldn't have drawn you in if you had never traveled the rocky roads of life.
The title of this essay is "I can choose peace instead of this..." You might be wondering what that means. Here's my take: no one is in charge of my thoughts but me. NO ONE! No one is in charge of my actions either...Knowing that we have the power, the total power, to decide who we will be every instant, makes choosing to be peaceful, rather than controlled by the ugliness of others, a delicious choice.
When I choose to sit on the sidelines, watching a drama rather than trying to manage it, particularly one that doesn't concern me, my heart isn't elevated. My mind doesn't race. I experience a sense of warm, loving detachment and know immediately that I want more of that feeling. And now I know where to get it.
Enough about my feelings, my choices, and my development. It's time to explore who you are, what you feel, how you choose what you will do or say or think or feel in the myriad circumstances that fly in your direction.
Is there anything we have talked about here that you'd like to share with a spouse or a friend? I hope so.,,,,write a note to a loved one about what you have learned from this particular essay.
What do you do when you take a time out from the activities that call to you. Do you meditate?
1. What's the most recent time you felt agitation? Can you honestly assess whether you were sticking your nose into something that didn't concern you? If yes, let's revisit this scenario in your mind and choose another response to the situation.

02/08/2025

11. REMEMBRANCES
"Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there." RAY BRADBURY
I have lost a number of very good friends over the past couple of years. And I have mementos from three of the women in my study. A rock from one friend, a book from another, and a pin from the third.
i think of these women, and my mother too, as the angels who however around my shoulders at good times, as wells as at difficult time. Actually, I have very few difficult times anymore.
Arriving at the threshold of seventy-five, nearly takes my breath away. How could the years have passed so quickly? Death may well be twenty years from now, and I hope it is (if my health holds), but most of my life has already been lived
All things have their end, in one respect. Experiences. People. Sometimes relationships too. I don't mean for this essay to be maudlin. On the contrary, I think that what lies ahead in this life, or the next will be greater than my heart or mind can currently imagine.
What are your thoughts about dying or the dead who have passed already?
Whom do you remember clearly? And why?
And whom do you hope will keep your spirit alive? What?

26/07/2025

Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey

10. FORGIVE YOURSELF COMPLETELY
Is there really a need to forgive ourselves? Some may think not, and it's an individual decision, certainly. The trajectory of my life, however, has clearly shown me that forgiveness is necessary. I walked myself into many dark alleys....from ages sixteen to thirty-six when I finally got sober. That I lived to tell my story is due to the presence of "hovering angels."
As a child I never considered the possibility that SOMEONE was watching over me.That idea wasn't ever addressed in my family around the supper table or at bedtime...Nor was grace spoken when we gathered to eat....I simply never considered (God's) presence.
How different my life might have been if I had lived as though God were my daily companion, available for consultations on a regular basis....The interesting thing, however, is that I believe wholeheartedly that whatever any one of us needs to learn will make its way home to us. In time. Absolutely.
One of the things I had to undertakes, since becoming sober, is to create a list of opportunities, for forgiveness, whether of myself or someone else.
I had to forgive myself for abusing my body with alcohol and drugs. ........I dangled for many years over the abyss, a choice that I made with eyes opened. That there was a presence watching over me, an unacknowledged one for sure, made it possible for me to eventually get back on track and become the woman I had been charted to be so long ago.
A good exercise for all of us is to take an inventory, however, brief, and begin the process of seeing ourselves as we are, not how we pretend to be. Dig deep.
"The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward." --Steve Maraboli

19/07/2025

Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey

9, WHAT'S NEXT?
"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." Carl Bard
What do we do now that life as we knew it is over? ....Is there any place we are needed? Or are we finished, simply finished? Not at all.
These are good questions, I think, for us to consider as we round this corner of life. The big job has been packed away. Now we are searching for activities that will keep us vibrant, engaged, fulfilled and happy.
For many, the journey to this stage of life has been meaningful, profitable, and fulfilling. The fear about getting out of bed on day one of the next stage of life will be traumatic for some, because there is no office to go to, no letters to dictate....many never realized that involvement with others was the key that opened the door to one's heart. So don't tarry in the "what's next" stage too long.
I'm offering this idea to you because so much remains to be done to make life even tolerable for millions of people.
What joy this new part of our journey can bring if we decide to show up for it.

05/07/2025

7. FEAR AND ANGER
"Any expression that is not loving is a call for healing and help that is initiated by fear." A Course in Miracles.
More that thirty years ago I was introduced to A Course in Miracles and discovered that it satisfied my yearning for an additional spiritual pathway, one that complemented my 12-step journey. One of its primary concepts astounded me: any expression, verbal or physical, that isn't loving has been triggered by fear and it's simply a call for help.
Meeting fear/anger with an expression of love is the shift that little by little changes the universe we share with seven billion other souls. And then, adopting another of the Course's principles, I could decide to love them anyway, all of them.
I have found that it simplifies my life to categorize, as either love or fear, the actions and expressions of the people I live among.
What does your present look like"
Do you go into your experiences with a sense of well being?

28/06/2025

Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey

6, THE JOURNEY IS PERFECT, THE STUMBLES AS WELL AS THE STRIDES
I don't know about you, but I have stumbled many times getting to where I am now. I began stumbling, literally, when I took my first drink at 13.
What I could have learned then was that alcohol had the capacity to trip a person up in more ways than one. However, what I learned instead over the next couple of months was that with every drink I took, I felt a bit less fear......Over time, the continued use of alcohol gave me the courage to stand apart, to move forward, even to eventually set many highfalutin goals....
As an example, I'm convinced that I would not have tackled graduate school following the demise of my twelve-year old marriage if I had not fueled up on alcohol....and one of the areas I was fearless about was writing.
The fortunate news is that I didn't have to keep drinking to accomplish it.
Think about your own journey from your teen years to now.
What do you see and feel?
What could have deterred your journey but didn't?

21/06/2025

Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey

5. SAY SOMETHING KIND OR NOTHING AT ALL
Mother Teresa says be kind to everyone, and start with the person standing next to you. I love the simplicity of that suggestion.
As I age I appreciate Mother Teresa' words even more. I think we all want meaningful lives. We all want to look back as well as forward with a sense of peace about how we have lived and how we intend to live as the days ahead turn into weeks and years....mothers used to tell us as children:" If you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all.....Adopting this philosophy as one's guidepost for living will have a major impact not only on your own sense of well being and what you can contribute to the to the others in your circle, but also on men and women, children and young adults around the globe.
Looking at the Recent Past:
1. What instances can you recall when you could have shown a kinder hand to the people or person you were having an exchange with?

07/06/2025

Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey

4. Rapt Attention
Rapt attention is the greatest gift we can give to one another...Being fully present to all is how we acknowledge and honor God.
One of the beauties of this gift is its simplicity. We do not need any special gifts to do it.
Before going a step further, close your eyes and remember one of your "lessons" that has helped you be who you are today.
Forgiveness was my lesson. A profound expression of forgiveness that only came after I was drawn to offer it to the perpetrator of my abuse in the silence of my mind.
I know I was forever changed. And the rapt attention everyone is deserving of can now be expressed. Completely.

31/05/2025

Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey

3. A Faith-Filled Life
"Faith is not about everything turning out okay. It's about being okay no matter how everything turns out." Anonymous
I didn't grow up in a faith-filled home. I never observed anyone at 827 being quietly peaceful, trusting that the experiences we were sharing would work out okay. The days and night were generally very tense, undergirded with the expectation that an outburst over something, large or small, imagined even, might occur at any moment.....it took [a lot] before I was solidly awakened to a better choice, a saner perspective, a softer, kinder feeling within. What brought me to this new experience of faith, this place of wellbeing, was two decades of near constant alcohol and drug use that could have ended my life.
We can get here following any number of paths. But that's what I had to do. But I reached that new place.
It's funny, really. I don't even ponder my faith any longer. I simply live it.
Are you at peace:
Has your life measured up in the way you had hoped it would?
Do you long for a more faith-filled life?

24/05/2025

Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey

Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey
2.HEAR THE SILENCE, REST THE MIND, LET GOD SPEAK
Being at one with the quiet spaces within gently clears the mind, allows the solution to a nagging problem to surface, and draws us close to God and one another. In that closeness, our healing lies. All our answers reside there too. We simply need to do nothing to initiate the healing we seek. The healing everyone seeks. It waits for us. It waits for all of us. And when we are ready, it will come. It will come freely.
Let’s consider some truth before moving ahead:
1. The desire to know God is required to experience God.
2. The wish to experience stillness requires that we let our mind step away from chaos for a spell.
3. Our woundedness is a pathway to seeking connections with others

10/05/2025

Excerpts from Living LONG, Living Passionately by Karen Casey

1. Step Aside and Experience a Miracle in the Making
I began the practice of “stepping aside” only after years of stepping into business that was clearly not my own. I had mistakenly assumed that helping others make their decisions was an important calling…..
You may be wondering what stepping aside looks like. It looks like peace. It feels like peace. It initiates peace. It is utilizing the innate ability to observe a situation rather than getting personally involved.
___________________________________________________
Before proceeding on to the next essay, the next shift in thinking, let’s stop, truly pause, and breath in this idea if it’s new to you.

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