It was funny what I was thinking about this morning. I thought about a friend of mine, who was in a store one day at the cash register to pay his bill. He pulled out some change and his AA chip fell out on the counter. My friend immediately picked it up and put it back in his pocket. The owner said, “Are you a friend of Bill W.?” Of course, so was the owner. And an instant meeting took place.
I don’t know why that came to mind, but it reminded me of all kinds of things that have happened over my time in here. A couple of them related to traveling and not knowing where a meeting was. In two instances I was in sparsely populated areas. Small villages. In one I had just settled my family into a motel. I felt I needed a meeting, as did my wife. There was nothing in the small telephone directory, so I took a chance and called the local operator.
I asked the operator how I could get in touch with AA. She paused and then asked me where I was located. I told her I was in a motel. She asked for my room number and then told me to wait for about 15 mins. Sure enough in that short time a knock came on the door and two men asked me if I was a friend of Bill W. Turned out the only meeting that night in that area was already in progress at least 50 miles away. So, we went out and had coffee and had our own little meeting.
Another state in a small village, the same thing. It was night and I found a telephone booth and called the local operator and asked the same question. She chuckled and asked if I was a friend of Bill’s. She was too and told me how to get to a meeting.
Now why all this came up this morning, I have no idea. I was just sitting and beginning my day, when all this started. It did however remind me of what my sponsor once asked me early on in the program. To what lengths was I willing to go to stay sober? And meetings and talking to another alcoholic is part of that. To me anyway. Especially, when traveling to unfamiliar areas.
I know from experience and listening to others, who have done the same thing, especially on vacations, but also on business, how easy it is to let a week or more go by, because it is “inconvenient” to attempt to find a meeting(s). And, in a couple of cases, it almost led to a drink. Reminds me of what a lot of us have. “Quick forgetters.”
Anyway, I think the reason all of this popped into mind was because I knew I was going to miss the meeting today. At least that’s what just came to mind. Meetings are important to me. I attend them regularly for a number of reasons. The first is gratitude. Gratitude for what was freely given to me. My sobriety. And my Primary Purpose, to stay sober and carry the message to another alcoholic. And of course, to be reminded of what I often tend to forget. What’s that? Almost anything I need to know to stay sober.