Stepping Outside – Step Nine

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All of the action steps can certainly be used in our daily routines. Step nine is the last of the action steps. Step nine is: “I made direct amends to such persons wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others”.

I hate to admit it but, yes, I am human! During the day, (actually, quite often during the day), I say or do things that might be egocentric, with little regard for how they might affect others. It’s not enough that I might, during my daily inventory, recognize these things and be sorry that I said or did them. That, of course, is a start, but it does nothing to repair the damage done by what I did or said. It is important that I confront these folks as soon as possible, in order to make direct amends. I have learned in my years of practicing this way of life, that to catch myself as soon as these things might happen, and say I’m sorry, is the best possible practice of this step. I have found that sometimes, the longer I wait to make amends for something I have said or done, the more my little friend, rationalization has a chance to do its thing. As time goes on I might tell myself the incident has probably been forgotten, was not that big a deal, or that it never even happened. Yes, believe it or not, some things that I may be ashamed of, or just do not want to admit to, have a way of magically disappearing into the land of Eagleville, never to be seen again. This, while it might be convenient and easier for me, it turns into that stuff I’ve mentioned many times, “baggage”. I hate baggage! I am doing as much as I can, each and every day, to get rid of my old baggage. The last thing I need is to create more of it. That is why I need to try to deal with any of these incidents as soon as possible.