Howdy, I was three years clean and sober . We gave out medallions the last Sunday of the month. Were asked to share from the podium. My Turn came up. As I was getting a good roll going on my version of recovery an Old Timer stood up (and bless her heart) says very loudly "My dog is sober too". My lovely roll of myself crashed. What could I do ?? What could I say??. I shut up and sat down. Took a bit of time to figure out what had just happened. And so it goes, Love Recovery, Toad
I had a similar thing happen on my anni this summer. Our group gives out silver dollars with holes drilled for the number of years. You bring it back each year and they drill you another hole. So I hand my coin to this crusty old timer who's manning the portable drill press (an alcoholic can complicate a ham sandwich) and another guy asked me how many years was I celebrating and I told him XX. Right about then the old timer says loudly "IS THAT ALL?" I tried to ignore him and he said it again. so I asked him "Ok, how many years do you have?" and he said thirty something. And then said "It not a big deal, all that you have to do is don't drink and don't die". I told him "Gee thanks, next year I'll just stay home then lol"
Funny, Dean! My sponsor is a 30+ and when people start getting a bit cocky about longevity he says "One day at a time. Whichever of us woke up earliest this morning has the most sobriety today."
Tis true. Time feels good & my ego loves a competition but I am understanding more & more it is just for today. I have 24hrs to stay sober. I don't want my pride to kill me if I accumulate some time, take a drink for whatever reason & then feel so humiliated my ego won't let me back. I am sober today. Thanks to God's grace, the work I put into my steps & my loving fellowship, Danielle x
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Progress not perfection.. & Practice makes Progress!
I do believe our shares are just as helpful for us as they are for others. I had shared in a meeting that I felt good to be standing on my own two feet now, paying my own bills, and taking care of myself. Someone commented that nobody deserves congratulations for doing all the things that a normal adult does anyhow. Well...at first that got me angry...and I still feel it was insensitive and stupid thing to say in a beginner's meeting for that person. BUT.. I was only sharing my journey and dang...I do congratulate myself on this and I don't give a rats ass if anyone else sees it as my "ego" or whatever. If there was not part of me that was rooting me on and clapping for me inside myself...this wouldn't be working. As time goes by, I do require a little less encouragement, clapping, and pats on the back from others. It's still nice sometimes though because only in AA is where you will get that. In the real world people do not give me medallions and cheer when I stay sober.
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Keep coming back. It works if you work it. So work it. You're worth it!
Yep the world, and in our meetings too, people will always say some inappropriate something. And when it is directed at someone new, a sort of put down, that gets my attention, like what that jerk said to Mark, when he was describing how wonderful it was to pay his bills on time and be responsible for his life.
Getting Sober, using the Steps that go up, we are learning to walk up, not down, like people that did not have the capacity to stand and walk, sometimes literally, and sometimes just figuratively. only we know on the insides how the Disease crippled us from doing anything resembling responsibilty. We stand and walk this Sober Journey together....never Judging others, only emotion that comes up always is compassion for all of us on this walk, and for those that dont want to participate in that compassion, well my heart goes out to them, they are surely missing out on some of the greatest gifts of getting and staying sober.
That's all I got
Funny, Dean! My sponsor is a 30+ and when people start getting a bit cocky about longevity he says "One day at a time. Whichever of us woke up earliest this morning has the most sobriety today."