Step Eight

Step Eight:

"Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all."

I've been waiting for this one. Steps Eight and Nine go together. I think I like them so well because they remind me of one of my favorite television shows "My Name Is Earl". You know; Earl Hickey got his karma so bad that he made a list of all the people he's hurt in his sordid life, and each episode he goes around trying to make a wrong....well....a right.

If you know me, you know I'm a firm believer in karma and that our thoughts and actions directly affect what happens in our lives every day. This isn't really about karma, but it is about righting our wrongs.

The goal of this Step is to be honest with ourselves, not unduly hard on ourselves. For many of us, being too hard on ourselves is a trait we closely associate with our codependency. After thinking through and taking this Step many of us find that much of our guilt has been unearned. Often we come up with a few behaviors we do not feel good about; sometimes more. But this Step is here to help us. It helps us clarify exactly what we have or have not done and sets us on the path to taking care of ourselves. The purpose of this Step is to restore us to right relationships-with ourselves and other people.

I haven't formally taken this Step, but I've thought about it. Pretty soon I'll start my list. Except for those who may have found this blog by accident, chances are most of my readers' names will be on it.