DAY IN THE LIFE OF STEVE E.

WONDERFUL SATURDAY

Yesterday's happenings happened to coincide with what I needed. Usual daily ("bestest") meeting at 6 AM. Maybe I like it so much because everything at that hour looks blurred? Surrealistic? Truth is, that group is so small in number, like between twelve and twenty people--and we get to really REALLY know each other. One lady said, when talking about our 'astute' judgment(!) of other's defects, " If I spot it, I got it". How well that describes us all in this life raft of Alcoholics Anonymous!

But I digress (so what's new about that?). Four of us "bikers" rode the forty miles up the road, along the beautiful blue Gulf of Mexico, to Ft Myers beach, from Naples, FL. We enjoyed a great Men's Meeting. I heard very few words which concerned the topic "Willingness", but a LOT of good old fashioned AA. It surprised me how many of the men I knew (of course, I've lived here 43 years!) and had been wondering for a long time, "Where do they all go on Saturday morning?" Well, now I know finally their secret, a secret no more. And no, all forty of them did not ride motorized two-wheelers. Some road in those four-wheeled boxes which use a gallon of gasoline for every 18-25 miles they drive.

But I the best part of the morning was the "RIDE" there and back, and the breakfast at a tiny spot, where 19 of us ate and BS'd for about an hour. Back home at 11 AM, the whole day was left unplanned for whatever God might send.

It has been many moons since I've been "out with the boys"...sometimes I think the longer we've been sober, the lonelier we become in AA. But I've been working myself OUT of that for about four months. It's all to do with how they'd say (back when?) "Be a PART OF, not APART FROM..." Somehow I've grow away from those seemingly trite sayings, believing that as long as I have meetings and the Steps, I'm gonna be OK. Well, there IS the fellowship, don't I remember? YES! The fellowship now has become as important as a sponsor was 34 years ago. YES! Last night Carolyn asked me to speak at an October Saturday night--GREAT! (Be a part OF?)

After practicing,my violin and reading my "list of blogs" and another AA meeting at 5:30 PM (and I stayed on for the 8 PM Speaker!) I got to thinking that hey, AA IS my life today. Sleep? Well, I thought old people needed only about four hours per night. Got news for them...I must not be there yet.

Today is Triathlon Day! I'm prayin'!