Daily Reflection

OCTOBER 15
MY CHECKLIST, NOT YOURS
Gossip barbed with our anger, a polite form of murder by
character assassination, has its satisfactions for us, too.
Here we are not trying to help those we criticize; we are
trying to proclaim our own righteousness.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 67
Sometimes I don't realize that I gossiped about someone
until the end of the day, when I take an inventory of the
day's activities, and then, my gossiping appears like a
blemish in my beautiful day. How could I have said
something like that? Gossip shows its ugly head during a
coffee break or lunch with business associates, or I may
gossip during the evening, when I'm tired from the day's
activities, and feel justified in bolstering my ego at the
expense of someone else.
Character defects like gossip sneak into my life when I
am not making a constant effort to work the Twelve Steps of
recovery. I need to remind myself that my uniqueness is the
blessing of my being, and that applies equally to everyone
who crosses my path in life's journey. Today the only
inventory I need to take is my own. I'll leave judgment of
others to the Final Judge—Divine Providence.