Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Wednesday Morning

I am debating riding my bike to the meeting this morning. I have about 4 minutes to make up my mind. It is only 41 degrees outside, and it is very wet, due to soaking rainstorms yesterday. Doesn't sound very appealing, does it?

I had a wonderful day of vacation yesterday. Went to a meeting first thing, then had a visitor, then mowed my lawn, fired up my sprinkler system for summer, and took a 10 and a half mile run. The run was good, but very difficult. At least 5 miles of it is uphill, seriously uphill. I am sure I will be glad of these training runs when I am running the half-marathon in 18 days (eeeek!) Today I get to go pick up my wrist watch! It has been getting a new watchband installed for the last 4 weeks. At Tiffany's, it is a major event to get a new watchband.

At the meeting yesterday, a man who has recently returned to AA after a year and a half spell of drinking went on a tirade about the quality of sharing in AA meetings. He didn't like something someone said to someone else. Someone COULD tell him that his knowing it all might have been what led him to leave AA before, but no one did. Personally, I believe we kill people with kindness... it would have been a far kinder thing to tell him to mind his own business than to smile indulgently as we listened to him. It is more satisfying to me to smile indulgently, but it is not helpful to anyone. I just told him there was no waste in God's economy, and if someone said something that he thought was unkind, it was probably just the thing SOMEONE else needed to hear. (and I have, by spending 15 minutes writing this, made my decision NOT to ride my bike to the meeting today!)

"Though many theologians hold that sudden spiritual experiences amount to a special distinction, if not a divine appointment of some sort, I question this view. Every human being, no matter what his attributes for good or evil, is a part of the divine spriritual economy. Therefore, each of us has his place, and I cannot see that God intends to exalt one over another." -- As Bill Sees It, p. 168

15 comments:

Scott W said...

Ah. There must be a good reason today for you to leave the bike at home.

Mama Dukes said...

My thought was like Scott's--reason to leave the bike at home.

Enjoy vacation days!

lushgurl said...

Funny, you would mention the raving alkie at the meeting. I know for me, I would have a hard time just smiling and "loving them to death"... but then I have a big mouth sometimes!
Glad you still have some time all to self!
love you MC

Anonymous said...

Welcome home!

Kill people with kindness... literally some times, by keeping our mouth shut.

I am like that more often than I care to admit. I rarely speak up.
Maybe I need to work on that.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like he has lots of work to do. When someone upsets me usually it is because it has something to do with myself. It forces me to look within and grow. Sucks at the time however :)

I like Scott's reason too!

Glad your vacation time was joyful.

Syd said...

As I'm reading this, I'm thinking about acceptance. I would probably not have said anything to him either but I don't think that I would have come up with such a good answer as you did.

Unknown said...

You reminded me to visit the light blue box store before my wife's upcoming bday. Elsa Peretti will be getting richer.

Meg Moran said...

glad you took the extra minutes I needed to read about your patience. Mine is pitifully short!

Trudging said...

I know what you mean about killing people with kindness. I tend to let the men deal with the men however. I have enough trouble with the women

Anonymous said...

Mary Christine - do you ever run half of your miles sometimes and feel too tired to run back? Or do you walk back part of the way? Or do you never feel too tired to run it all?

440 days sober today.

Willa

Mary Christine said...

Good to hear from you Willa! I often run half way and don't know how I can get back, I think of making a phone call and getting someone to pick me up, but I just keep going - and usually by the time I get home I think - Wow! What a great run! But I NEVER walk - it would take too long.

lash505 said...

Ha take a look at the planters where we ate dinner. Mine and problem..

dAAve said...

4 weeks for a watchband?

Anonymous said...

someone wrote someting about not liking what someone said in a meeting about not liking what someone else said in a meeting. Love and patience to all!

Gary M. Knowles said...

It is fortunate to me that I had meeting where it was understood that crosstalk was not good.

I recall, especially early on when I received well meaning advice from someone I did not seek it from.

Today, more than ever I try to keep my advice to others to a minimum, and certainly to stick with my experience.