There is a time for everything in this program. For instance, there is a time to give and a time to take. Early on in this program it’s not a time to give, but to take. When we come in we have nothing to give, but a lot we must take, if we want to stay sober.
That lesson was given to me early on. I was told to shut up. That I had nothing to offer. I knew how to drink, but didn’t know how to stay sober. That if I would listen, I would learn. In other words, take.
On the other hand, after I had been sober a few years, I was going to meetings and not sharing. An old timer came up to me at one meeting and asked me what I thought I was doing. I told him that I didn’t have anything to add to meetings. That’s when he told me that I had been sober long enough, had experience working this program and now needed to pass it on to those who needed it. It was time for me to give.
But it’s different today. Everyday, especially during meetings, it is now give and take. No matter how much I’m able to give, I have always become open to take what others give to me. How else am I going to learn what I need to learn in this program of sobriety? There is always something I need each day.
Last night, at an anniversary meeting, I was reminded of this give and take. The group had two great speakers, who gave me exactly what I needed to hear. It took me back down that road to what it was like, what happened, and what it’s like now. A reminder of my own path to sobriety. Made me grateful for what I have been able to take in and give back to others, who come here seeking a solution to their alcoholism.