Give it away, give it away, give it away now..” Those words were sung by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, singing about there own ways of recovering, and how they dealt with recovery. Of course, this concept originates from the program of AA/NA with the idea that you must give what you have gained and learned by passing it on to others. In other words, by passing it forward, passing it on, it gets a person out of self.
I have learned in my own life that this is absolutely true, and it actually feels pretty good to do this. Even in this place, a person can do this by offering help to someone that is struggling; whether it is in their personal life, spelling a word, maybe they are hungry, or just need someone to talk to. It can be done by simply reaching out. Sometimes these such simple tasks, listening to someone or talking with somebody who needs it is priceless. It doesn’t cost any money, just a little time and an open ear, it can make a tremendous difference for the person that needs it. In this place their is so much suffering amongst so many individuals and their ability to mask their feeling so well, but once a person can see through that mask it opens a window to understanding and feeling things otherwise not felt about that person.
I speak from my own experience, as I have continued to change in here, by having gratitude and compassion for my fellow man. It has opened my eyes to a whole other world which allows me to express and feel such different feelings that have probably been frozen or numb for so long. I chose a lifestyle that created my own prison, even though I had all the luxuries of life, lived in a nice home, I became a prisoner in my own house. Because of that I wasn’t able to feel the things that I now feel and experience. Of course, being free within my feelings now doesn’t make everything okay, but it makes things better and it allows me to move forward and have the opportunity to make things right. That is the freedom that I experience now. My friend’s please appreciate and be grateful for your life. As my dad use to say to me, “Bill, there are no do-overs in life.” Such a great statement and so true. If your struggling out there, don’t give up, make the right choices, appreciate each other and your lives. Remember, there are no do-overs.
Giving it away is an opportunity to make life better, and to make the world a better place! Try it!
William Kragthorpe
4/4/2024
