Every once in a while, before attending meetings, and then attending, and finally after the meetings, I get a wake up call. We were talking about that after the meeting today. It reminded me of my way of life living in a program, where I am once again awakened to what is going on inside of me.
This is nothing new, but seems that way, until I am able to sit down and talk about this with a couple of members in the program. We were at a meeting today in which one of the attendees did not stay with what was announced at the beginning of the meeting. And that was the purpose of the meeting. It struck me, and that got a thought in my head, which didn’t really take over, but I was very conscious of it, right up to the end.
After the meeting three of us got together and decided to go to a place where we could talk. When we got there all of a sudden something struck me. Somehow I needed to stop and put my thinking back where it really belonged. I had to suddenly remember why I am here and what it is I need to do to stay focused on my being in the program of AA.
Slowly we talked and went back over why we are here and what it is we are supposed to do. Each of us are here to stay sober, but have different thoughts on things from time to time. That’s because of our time in here. One of us has been in the program a “medium time”, another a kind of “short time”, so to speak, and the third, myself, has been in here for decades.
The amazing thing was that we were able to talk about where we were and we didn’t get into arguments about what it is we believe and where we are today. What we were able to accept is that we are always changeable over time. However time takes time. That is because we have to be able to stay sober and live the time in here and come to realize that what we once didn’t believe is real. I think, despite the differences, this was agreeable, because it has happened in the past to all of us.
And what was funny to me today is what just happened. And that was as I was writing these thoughts, the phone rang and a member friend and I got talking and all of this came up, as we did. Even he had to chuckle, because it hit him also. So, I’ll stop and give thanks to my Higher Power, and all those who have helped me through my time in here.