Putting pen to paper can reveal unpleasant truths
inventories
Inventories and Beyond
You cannot address defects without first identifying and examining them
Taking time to save time
Time alone will cure many defects: With time, we eventually see the problems. But removing defects takes time if all we have to work with is time. For example, the first defect we saw was drinking. For most of us, connecting our issues to drinking took a long time, years of evidence and thousands of episodes. In the Rooms of AA, we call this denial.Â
Inadequate Clothing
My wife and I recently holidayed in Scotland.
If you are visiting Scotland, you are interested in history or have a family connection; you are not there because of the weather. Scottish weather is notoriously bad. It can involve a phenomenon known as ‘horizontal rain,’ which is pretty much as it sounds. And there is a good reason Scotland is famous for thick wool sweaters. You need thick wool sweaters to keep warm in the damp cold.
The confessional conversation
The inventory is now complete. While it is still fresh in my mind, I book time with my spiritual coach, Father Kevin. We have been working together for almost 30 years. When we meet, we have our annual ‘confessional conversation.’ The Step #5 process has evolved to become a confession and a conversation
What was my role?
The best is last; the fourth column is the best.
In Column #3, I saw patterns emerge in the free flow of words describing the way the facts of my life affected me. With the free flow brain dump onto paper, I could not deny the repeated words and phrases that bubbled up from my subconscious mind. This unveiling of patterns continues and is deepened in Column #4.