What will I do?

 

I saw a cartoon of two Al-Anon members talking. The one is saying “But if he starts taking care of himself, what will I do?”

Many of us have defined and shaped our lives around taking care of other people. What would our lives be like if we took care of ourselves first? Can we separate the concept of “care-taking” from “being of service”, seeing the first as a problematic behavior (a “character defect”) and the second as healthy?

Just for today, I will take care of my own needs.
Just for today, I will not do for others what they can do for themselves.
Just for today, I will let my loved ones follow their own paths, even when I think I know a better way.
Just for today, I will let them fail, so that they may learn and grow.
Just for today, I will make commitments only when I have the time, energy, and expertise to follow through on them.
Just for today, I will view service to others as a gift, not an obligation.

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