Tuesday, January 13, 2009

DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING

"I TOOK A LONG, DEEP BREATH AND WONDERED AS USUAL, WHERE TO START.
YOU START WHERE YOU ARE, IS THE SECRET OF LIFE.
YOU DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING YOU CAN SEE.
THEN THE NEXT."
anne lamott

I don't know who she is. That is to say, I had never heard of her. it seems there may be a lot of people that don't like her.

At the meetings I go to I started to notice a term they were using...
"Do the next right thing"
So I Googled it and found Anne's Quotation.
And also I read Angelas post today, which seemed like it was related.

There is something almost relaxing thinking about doing the next right thing.
I don't have to do everything right.
I don't have to choose the best thing to do.
I don't have to see what I cannot see.
It may be a while before the next thing comes along that I see how to do right.
I may have it all wrong, everything up till now, but there will be an opprtunity to do the next right thing.
You can depend on it.

Hello, Ya'll!
Have a Shrimp Gut day!

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

What is it they say that you cannot change what happen yesterday but what we do today and tomorrow is what is important.

Anonymous said...

Just wondering Bulletholes is can you give me a link on your site? I would love that and honoured at the same time.

bulletholes said...

yeah, i tell my kids that. in part of the literature I'm doing they also say that "Calamities will just have to go along without me."
I don't know how Calamity will get along without me, i've been its sidekick for so long.

Yeah, you are due for a link, and I will induct you at the next Swearing in Ceremony.
Hows Inauguration Day sound?
I have several to add to I think.
Hey, where did Mike thew Waiter go?

Angela said...

I think that sounds good, Steve Bulletholes (I like your "last name", must use it sometimes), doing the next right thing. Very simple and easy to do, not asking too much of your time or energy. Very good.
And, do you follow her advice?
Thanks for always showing up at my place! I like your comments!

laughing said...

We had to read Anne Lamott's book on writing. I don't remember, but it seems like there wasn't much writing instructions in it. It was more about her trying to find humor in unpleasant stuff like people dying of cancer.

I liked Stephen King's book better, though again it was a little short on the writing instructions.

For writing instructions I liked Orson Scott Card, who instructs us not to have our characters say "Wow! A dilating door!"

I promise that (unless I am writing a comedy) I will never write that a character says "Wow! A dilating door!"

Barbara said...

There would be an amazing amount of energy if you and Angela ended up in the same room together. You are both so completely extroverted!

My guess is you always KNOW the right thing to do and 90% of the time you DO it. Does that seem about right?

e said...

Thanks for your note to me on B's blog. You are an inspiration and I enjoy your blog. One day, I'll get around to my own blog, story, etc.
FYI--Anne Lamott is an author and recovering person. Check out her books when you have time.You can also go here:http://www.barclayagency.com/lamott.html/

Anonymous said...

Very entertaining/inspirational postings again. Gut bless you!

You may think my English is not that bad, but there's a big difference between doing okay and really reaching the finer um... thingies of this language that I love. For instance, I have this friend from Chicago and he explained to me how the famous Blues Brothers' line "we're on a mission from God" was especially funny due to the strong Chicago accent. (I first wanted to write "we're on a mission from Gut" when I realised that would sound all wrong. Bare with me... that's the point.)

martijn

Anonymous said...

I like to make fun of inspirational stuff like that, but as a co-member of the recovery team stuff like that helps. The serenity prayer's a good one. I don't like "Let go and let god" because the last time I did that I was in traction for 6 months. Guess he was getting a glass of water or something.

UF Mike

bulletholes said...

Angie, i don't know if I'm following her advice, but I am ding my best to do something more rightly than I have been doing.

Laffin'- How bout "The door wants an Epidural"? Say, or not?

barb, you are right about me and Angie...but you have to understand that (and I hate to get this serious) that i have been steeped in a lot of Self-Deception and Self-Centered stuff for many a year. Thanks for thinking so much of me, but I am in a mode right now where I must question everything about myself.
A "searching and fearless Moral Inventory" of myself includes some pretty deceptive and distorted things I've done.

E- I always enjoy your comments at Barbs. Ain't she the greatest?

Martijn! Down here we say "Got-dangit" a lot. And i used to teach elocution to a Swiss guy named Fritz.
The word "Bullshit"
"I make it easy for you, Fritz, just say "Boool" and then "She-it"...Boool-she-it"
and he would and he said the shit out of it.
I also liked the way he would say
"Hydrogen Humvee"!

Yeah, Mike, I've always worn my cynicism like a crown, but i'm going to try things another way here. like you say, it do help...helps a lot. I finally got a sponsor this week...good guy.

laughing said...

The door is unlikely to ask for an epidural.

Unless maybe the door is on the spaceship Moya.

bulletholes said...

What about a book? Would a book ask for an Epidural?

laughing said...

Is the book from Hogwart's?

red dirt girl said...

i love anne lamott -

she's an extremely cool writer who lives on the cheap side of the San Francisco Bay with her son (who must be close to graduation time at this point). She writes a column for Salon magazine; books; tours and lectures.

She is one of the coolest Christians I've read because she is soooo not the stereo-type with her dreadlocks (white girl dreads) and the multi-ethnic small church she attends ...

You should try reading Traveling Mercies or Plan B ... she is soooo far to the left, and she truly struggles with faith at times.

You see, whenever Anne takes off on a trip, all the women at church tell her: "travelin' mercies' anne - and old southern term ... i love it and use it all the time.

so, my friend, travelin' mercies - you're doing good.

xxx
rdm