Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul Daily Inspirations Read online

  Chicken Soup for the

  Recovering Soul

  Daily

  Inspirations

  Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen,

  Peter Vegso, Gary Seidler, Theresa Peluso,

  Tian Dayton, Rokelle Lerner, and

  Robert Ackerman

  Backlist, LLC, a unit of

  Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC

  Cos Cob, CT

  www.chickensoup.com

  When you come to the edge of all the light you have and must take a step into the darkness of the unknown, believe that one of two things will happen to you: Either there will be something solid for you to stand on, or, you will be taught how to fly.

  Patrick Overton

  JANUARY IV

  Footnotes for Life

  Contents

  JANUARY 1

  JANUARY 2

  JANUARY 3

  JANUARY 4

  JANUARY 5

  JANUARY 6

  JANUARY 7

  JANUARY 8

  JANUARY 9

  JANUARY 10

  JANUARY 11

  JANUARY 12

  JANUARY 13

  JANUARY 14

  JANUARY 15

  JANUARY 16

  JANUARY 17

  JANUARY 18

  JANUARY 19

  JANUARY 20

  JANUARY 21

  JANUARY 22

  JANUARY 23

  JANUARY 24

  JANUARY 25

  JANUARY 26

  JANUARY 27

  JANUARY 28

  JANUARY 29

  JANUARY 30

  JANUARY 31

  FEBRUARY 1

  FEBRUARY 2

  FEBRUARY 3

  FEBRUARY 4

  FEBRUARY 5

  FEBRUARY 6

  FEBRUARY 7

  FEBRUARY 8

  FEBRUARY 9

  FEBRUARY 10

  FEBRUARY 11

  FEBRUARY 12

  FEBRUARY 13

  FEBRUARY 14

  FEBRUARY 15

  FEBRUARY 16

  FEBRUARY 17

  FEBRUARY 18

  FEBRUARY 19

  FEBRUARY 20

  FEBRUARY 21

  FEBRUARY 22

  FEBRUARY 23

  FEBRUARY 24

  FEBRUARY 25

  FEBRUARY 26

  FEBRUARY 27

  FEBRUARY 28

  MARCH 1

  MARCH 2

  MARCH 3

  MARCH 4

  MARCH 5

  MARCH 6

  MARCH 7

  MARCH 8

  MARCH 9

  MARCH 10

  MARCH 11

  MARCH 12

  MARCH 13

  MARCH 14

  MARCH 15

  MARCH 16

  MARCH 17

  MARCH 18

  MARCH 19

  MARCH 20

  MARCH 21

  MARCH 22

  MARCH 23

  MARCH 24

  MARCH 25

  MARCH 26

  MARCH 27

  MARCH 28

  MARCH 29

  MARCH 30

  MARCH 31

  APRIL 1

  APRIL 2

  APRIL 3

  APRIL 4

  APRIL 5

  APRIL 6

  APRIL 7

  APRIL 8

  APRIL 9

  APRIL 10

  APRIL 11

  APRIL 12

  APRIL 13

  APRIL 14

  APRIL 15

  APRIL 16

  APRIL 17

  APRIL 18

  APRIL 19

  APRIL 20

  APRIL 21

  APRIL 22

  APRIL 23

  APRIL 24

  APRIL 25

  APRIL 26

  APRIL 27

  APRIL 28

  APRIL 29

  APRIL 30

  MAY 1

  MAY 2

  MAY 3

  MAY 4

  MAY 5

  MAY 6

  MAY 7

  MAY 8

  MAY 9

  MAY 10

  MAY 11

  MAY 12

  MAY 13

  MAY 14

  MAY 15

  MAY 16

  MAY 17

  MAY 18

  MAY 19

  MAY 20

  MAY 21

  MAY 22

  MAY 23

  MAY 24

  MAY 25

  MAY 26

  MAY 27

  MAY 28

  MAY 29

  MAY 30

  MAY 31

  JUNE 1

  JUNE 2

  JUNE 3

  JUNE 4

  JUNE 5

  JUNE 6

  JUNE 7

  JUNE 8

  JUNE 9

  JUNE 10

  JUNE 11

  JUNE 12

  JUNE 13

  JUNE 14

  JUNE 15

  JUNE 16

  JUNE 17

  JUNE 18

  JUNE 19

  JUNE 20

  JUNE 21

  JUNE 22

  JUNE 23

  JUNE 24

  JUNE 25

  JUNE 26

  JUNE 27

  JUNE 28

  JUNE 29

  JUNE 30

  JULY 1

  JULY 2

  JULY 3

  JULY 4

  JULY 5

  JULY 6

  JULY 7

  JULY 8

  JULY 9

  JULY 10

  JULY 11

  JULY 12

  JULY 13

  JULY 14

  JULY 15

  JULY 16

  JULY 17

  JULY 18

  JULY 19

  JULY 20

  JULY 21

  JULY 22

  JULY 23

  JULY 24

  JULY 25

  JULY 26

  JULY 27

  JULY 28

  JULY 29

  JULY 30

  JULY 31

  AUGUST 1

  AUGUST 2

  AUGUST 3

  AUGUST 4

  AUGUST 5

  AUGUST 6

  AUGUST 7

  AUGUST 8

  AUGUST 9

  AUGUST 10

  AUGUST 11

  AUGUST 12

  AUGUST 13

  AUGUST 14

  AUGUST 15

  AUGUST 16

  AUGUST 17

  AUGUST 18

  AUGUST 19

  AUGUST 20

  AUGUST 21

  AUGUST 22

  AUGUST 23

  AUGUST 24

  AUGUST 25

  AUGUST 26

  AUGUST 27

  AUGUST 28

  AUGUST 29

  AUGUST 30

  AUGUST 31

  SEPTEMBER 1

  SEPTEMBER 2

  SEPTEMBER 3

  SEPTEMBER 4

  SEPTEMBER 5

  SEPTEMBER 6

  SEPTEMBER 7

  SEPTEMBER 8

  SEPTEMBER 9

  SEPTEMBER 10

  SEPTEMBER 11

  SEPTEMBER 12

  SEPTEMBER 13

  SEPTEMBER 14

  SEPTEMBER 15

  SEPTEMBER 16

  SEPTEMBER 17

  SEPTEMBER 18

  SEPTEMBER 19

  SEPTEMBER 20

  SEPTEMBER 21

  SEPTEMBER 22

  SEPTEMBER 23

  SEPTEMBER 24

  SEPTEMBER 25

  SEPTEMBER 26

  SEPTEMBER 27

  SEPTEMBER
28

  SEPTEMBER 29

  SEPTEMBER 30

  OCTOBER 1

  OCTOBER 2

  OCTOBER 3

  OCTOBER 4

  OCTOBER 5

  OCTOBER 6

  OCTOBER 7

  OCTOBER 8

  OCTOBER 9

  OCTOBER 10

  OCTOBER 11

  OCTOBER 12

  OCTOBER 13

  OCTOBER 14

  OCTOBER 15

  OCTOBER 16

  OCTOBER 17

  OCTOBER 18

  OCTOBER 19

  OCTOBER 20

  OCTOBER 21

  OCTOBER 22

  OCTOBER 23

  OCTOBER 24

  OCTOBER 25

  OCTOBER 26

  OCTOBER 27

  OCTOBER 28

  OCTOBER 29

  OCTOBER 30

  OCTOBER 31

  NOVEMBER 1

  NOVEMBER 2

  NOVEMBER 3

  NOVEMBER 4

  NOVEMBER 5

  NOVEMBER 6

  NOVEMBER 7

  NOVEMBER 8

  NOVEMBER 9

  NOVEMBER 10

  NOVEMBER 11

  NOVEMBER 12

  NOVEMBER 13

  NOVEMBER 14

  NOVEMBER 15

  NOVEMBER 16

  NOVEMBER 17

  NOVEMBER 18

  NOVEMBER 19

  NOVEMBER 20

  NOVEMBER 21

  NOVEMBER 22

  NOVEMBER 23

  NOVEMBER 24

  NOVEMBER 25

  NOVEMBER 26

  NOVEMBER 27

  NOVEMBER 28

  NOVEMBER 29

  NOVEMBER 30

  DECEMBER 1

  DECEMBER 2

  DECEMBER 3

  DECEMBER 4

  DECEMBER 5

  DECEMBER 6

  DECEMBER 7

  DECEMBER 8

  DECEMBER 9

  DECEMBER 10

  DECEMBER 11

  DECEMBER 12

  DECEMBER 13

  DECEMBER 14

  DECEMBER 15

  DECEMBER 16

  DECEMBER 17

  DECEMBER 18

  DECEMBER 19

  DECEMBER 20

  DECEMBER 21

  DECEMBER 22

  DECEMBER 23

  DECEMBER 24

  DECEMBER 25

  DECEMBER 26

  DECEMBER 27

  DECEMBER 28

  DECEMBER 29

  DECEMBER 30

  DECEMBER 31

  REPRINTS

  JANUARY 1

  Today I have a fresh start. I choose to begin letting go of unhealthy thoughts, feelings and attitudes that have stifled my growth. Today I choose to think new thoughts, to look at new values and to find new ways of expressing my God-given gifts. I now choose to deepen my understanding of others and myself. I will look at my relationships with family and my friends in a new light. I choose to have vital, healthy interactions with others. I truly welcome this new day, this new year and this new me. I welcome the wonderful possibilities open to me.

  Rokelle Lerner

  Be like a sponge when it comes to each new experience. If you want to be able to express it well, you must first be able to absorb it well.

  Jim Rohn

  Footnotes for Life

  JANUARY 2

  When I grew up, I learned not to rock the boat; asserting my own opinions and desires could get me in trouble. Sometimes I carry this over in my parenting; I don’t take a stand or set limits. When my children push or threaten to get angry, the fear I felt as a child comes up and my reaction is to placate them and keep the peace. This is not healthy. I need to feel those fears I felt as a child along with the sense of helplessness that overwhelmed me. I need to separatemyself as a child from myself as an adult. I also need to separate my inner child from the child I am raising.

  Tian Dayton

  Loving a child doesn’t mean giving in to all his whims; to love him is to bring out the best in him, to teach him to love what is difficult.

  Nadia Boulanger

  Footnotes for Life

  JANUARY 3

  When I was a teen, my grandmother taught me how to cross-stitch. I was apprehensive at first, sure that my disability would interfere. It always did. My grandmother reassured me that I could do simple patterns at my own pace. There were curses; there were smiles. There were times I quit and times I began again. But when I completed my first pattern I realized the mistakes and curses were twined with perfect stitches and smiles to create something brand new. Just like life.

  It’s a lesson I re-learn every time I thread a needle.

  Christyna Hunter

  Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.

  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

  Footnotes for Life

  JANUARY 4

  Spend a few minutes, a few hours, or an entire day unconcerned about what others will think, or what’s in it for you, or whether something offends you or not.

  Feel the freedom, delight in the ability to accomplish, and explore possibilities that you may never before have even known about.

  Once you decide to let go of your ego, it’s a very simple thing to do. And it will truly change your world for the better.

  Brahma Kumaris

  World Spiritual University

  Detachment is being close to what you most want to be free from and using it to make you grow.

  Brahma Kumaris

  Footnotes for Life

  JANUARY 5

  Just for today, I will not hate.

  Just for today, I will forgive the one who hurt me. I will remember that I am a child of God, and I will take the child out to play.

  Just for today I will ask God to forgive me, and just for today, I will let Him.

  Jaye Lewis

  Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.

  Suzanne Somers

  Footnotes for Life

  JANUARY 6

  Within every human being there is an inherent sense of dignity and self-respect. Circumstances in life might cause it to be buried under layers of grime but sooner or later, this sense of dignity pushes its way up for recognition and one day breaks through the surface. That’s the day a person becomes aware that “I am too good for this.” At that moment, the miracle of recovery can begin.

  Abraham J. Twerski

  The best solution for little problems is to help people with big problems.

  Rabbi Kalman Packouz

  Footnotes for Life

  JANUARY 7

  Embrace life and all it has to offer, then you can live with an appreciation for all it’s worth. When you embrace life there is a sense of satisfaction and contentment that comes over you, helping you to live each moment with acceptance and gratitude. Not always longing to be someplace else or wishing for something different. Instead you are taking what comes your way and turning it into the best it can be. You can live with a purpose, enjoying every moment, and with a thankfulness that stirs in you a deeper commitment to embrace life even more.

  Peggy Reeves

  There’s only us, there’s only this, forget regret, or life is yours to miss. No other road, no other way, no day but today.

  Jonathan Larson

  Footnotes for Life

  JANUARY 8

  When I was alone and hope seemed so far away, I met a soul who changed my life-myself. I began to learn, to love, to be responsible for my future and to accept that the past cannot be changed.

  Rather than walk without direction, lost inside my tormented mind, I learn and accept that if I feel pain, I can feel joy as well. I can enjoy the present and cherish a sunset, a lake, a tear, a smile, a friend.

  Isa Traverso-Burger

  I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.

  Unknown

  Footnotes for Life

  JANUARY 9

  The more I recognize abundan
ce as being meant for me, the more it will be true. An unconscious attitude of limitation and scarcity will find its way into my life if I allow it to. When I can see the prosperity in this world as a boundless supply, one in which I partake along with others, I open the channels for it to enter into my life. I will think positively about other people’s prosperity, knowing that what I believe to be true for someone else, I also believe to be true for me. I accept the abundance in my life.

  Tian Dayton

  The moon belongs to everyone; the best things in life are free.

  B.G. DeSylva

  Footnotes for Life

  JANUARY 10

  Dreams are surprisingly durable. Though forgotten, they will lie like dry seeds buried in desert sands, waiting. A dream may appear fragile and lifeless, but inside the parched husk waits lush creative potential. We sometimes forget these old dreams of ours, but they do not forget us. Spring rains arrive at last, following the hard years of drought, and our “dead” dreams sprout most unexpectedly. We are filled with delight to see their long-forgotten shape, to breathe their fragrance again, and we wonder at our carelessness in forgetting. Today, I will visit my garden of forgotten dreams . . and bring a watering can.

  Rhonda Brunea

  All our dreams can come true . . . if we have the courage to pursue them.

  Walt Disney

  Footnotes for Life

  JANUARY 11

  The harsh winter winds call attention to themselves, and I am mindful of all the unpleasant aspects of the unfriendliest of seasons. Some memories of my unhappy childhood still linger within me, blowing icy blasts through my soul. I am aware of these, just as I am aware of the chill in the world around me. There is no need to struggle against these elements. I am as unique and important to life’s scheme as each snowflake. I have a new and abiding warmth in my soul as I patiently await the coming of spring with its warmth, sunshine and fresh breezes to rejuvenateme.

  Rokelle Lerner

  What life means to us is determined not so much by what happens to us as by our reaction to what happens.

  Lewis L. Dunnington