Complicating

Life on life’s terms. That’s a question a number of members bring up fairly often in a meeting. What does living life on life’s terms mean?

I don’t think the people asking this are getting many answers that satisfy them. But to me it means living a sober life everyday. Practicing these principles in all our affairs. For me it’s a simple answer for a simple person. Myself.

If I am still sober, have done the best I can, (I pause here, because I often stumble and fumble, during any given day) and I end up not taking a drink, that’s a good day. How often I would go to my sponsor, whining and complaining about this or that, and he would say to me, “Did you drink today?” I would say “no”. Then he would say, “What are you complaining about? If you didn’t drink, you had a good day.” Simple. He was right.

My primary purpose is to stay sober and try to help another alcoholic. That primary purpose never changes. It is my life. For this alcoholic it is living life on life’s terms. Sober.

I would guess, that, when Bill W. wrote that sentence in the BB, he never conceived that readers would pick that one sentence out of the book and turn it into a riddle. Though it does prove one thing; they obviously read the book. And it proves something else. That it is a simple program for complicated people.

I know that I have complicated so many simple things in the program. It took me months to untangle the 3rd Step. I often have said I got a metaphysical hernia, trying to heave my will and my life over some kind of wall. Proof positive of insanity. It was only, when I heard a woman say at a meeting, when she asked her sponsor what God’s will was for her, her sponsor said, “The other nine Steps”, that my whole complication process collapsed. That was simple.

I can empathize with those who have asked this question. How often I tend to analyze the hell out of everything. Trying to dig deeper into those things, which really are a mystery. Mysteries cannot be solved. Problems can, but mysteries no. Just go into any library and there are tons of books, which have been written about these things, and few if any have any answers. But this brain, left to its own devices will continue to question what can’t be answered. Surrender and acceptance is an answer for me. But that’s easier said than done.
It’s still a process.

Like I said, if at the end of the day I haven’t taken a drink, then I must have lived life on life’s terms, because I am sober. Oh, yeah, I believe that means I must be trying to work this program in my life, because that’s the only way I know how to live a sober life. Still simple.