SUNDAY GRATITUDE EXTRAVAGANZA
| 5 Things...that you should definitely fear | The "Anyone Anywhere" meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous | "It's Always the Fourth Quarter, Baby" | A Thank You |
I’m grateful for the wild ramps at the Farmers’ Market. I’m grateful the garden is planted. I’m grateful for a rainy evening right on schedule. I’m grateful for the things that actually give me meaning. I’m grateful for cloudy mornings. I’m grateful to be sober today.
This Week:
Five Things… [ that you should definitely fear]
“Anyone Anywhere” Meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous
From the TFLMS Archives: “It’s Always the Fourth Quarter, Baby.”
A Thank You
Five Things… [ that you should definitely fear]
Last time they were here for about 300 million years, do you really want them back?
It might be early to make plans for Valentine’s Day 2046.
I was wondering when someone was finally going to make a movie about Vanilla Ice.
Don’t forget, and to the extent, you’ve never tried to remember, I’m going to help you out:
The “Anyone Anywhere” meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous takes place on Tuesday evenings at 7pm (edt). It is an “Open” meeting, meaning all are welcome and that definitely includes you!
Zoom: 873 5565 4347 secret code: 1234
From the TFLMS Archives:
A Thank You
Just about a year ago, I picked up a new Sponsee. It was someone I had known for a bit and who had a pretty extensive relapse history. I got approached to see if I’d be willing to work with him and I gave a very resigned “sure.” It had nothing to do with personality, I just didn’t think he was serious, or able to be serious yet, is probably the better way to put it.
I had been at the Farmers’ Market, like I was yesterday, and he was calling me and trying to decide if he should go to detox (yes), was it really necessary to tell anyone he was going to detox (yes), was this going to work this time (don’t know). I know relapsers. I lived with one for many, many years. I know the real problem with relapsers—they’re usually too smart for their own good and they believe very deeply in their ability to deceive others (and themselves) about their drinking and using. 1
This does not make them bad people. They do not do this with an intent to injure. They do this in service to a secret that haunts them every day, drives most of their behavior and generates barge-fuls of shame.2 Speaking on behalf of the band, they simply cannot envision a life without drinking or using, it's so woven into the fabric of their lives tearing it out seems impossible--and even if it's technically possible to survive it, who would want to?
Well, Daniel came in and did the work. He has a fantastic, thoughtful Program. He chairs meetings, is always finding interesting and unique ways to broaden and deepen his spiritual life. He’s gone from a life dedicated to the thing that was destroying him to building one that’s dedicated to being of service to the people in his life.
I don’t want to jinx things, and pretty sure I’m not going to, but Daniel will have a year tomorrow. Getting a year is a really, really big deal and getting to watch someone change like Daniel has, well, it’s plain-old wondrous. I don’t think there were any great secrets to the year—just having a sincere desire to change things and doing the work is usually enough. It’s impossible to spend time around someone who is changing their life and not have it rub off. Sometimes it’s hard for me to see changes in my own life, seeing them in others is what sometimes helps me appreciate what’s happened in my own life. Also plain-old wondrous, by the way.
Daniel will have a year tomorrow, he’ll be speaking at a meeting and I’m already excited. It’s going to be a real thrill to hear him say, “I have a year today,” and a big “thank you” is going to be in order—because he wasn’t the only one who got a year of sobriety out of this: I did, too.
Thank You.
One of the first assignments was to do a “no shit” calendar-based inventory: What’s the most amount of time you’ve ever actually had…
Like the ones that float down the East River to the 91st Street Sanitation Facility.
Grateful for the fun hike my fiancée abs I did yesterday 👌👌
Congrats, Daniel--one year!🎉