Monday, March 02, 2009

Mission

Yesterday I spent many hours on the phone.  It was nice.  I talked with a sponsee, with my sponsor, with my brother, with an old beau, and with a blogger.  It was in talking with another blogger that I got some perspective on my problems here on my blog.  I said maybe a month ago that I needed to have a mission statement.  Well, maybe I won't have a mission statement, but I am going to tell you all who I am.  

I am a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous.  
I have been sober since July 24, 1984.
I am not here to debate that.  
If you have found an easier, softer way, that's nice, but I really don't care.

I am a big book thumper.  
If it is not in there, I think it is your opinion.  
Your (and my) opinion may be interesting, but I prefer evidence based recovery.
I am not here to debate the big book.

I go to meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous.
It is there that I get to be with people like me.  
It is there that I met my sponsor and my sponsees.  
Meetings keep me on an even keel.
I am not here to debate the merit of AA meetings. 
 
I love the people of Alcoholics Anonymous.
They are some of the most wonderful and awful people on earth.
They are people like me.
I am not here to debate or defend the behavior of myself or other AA members.

And now, not AA related, but who I am as a human being:
I am a Roman Catholic.
I love my Church, all of it, good and bad.
I thank God and AA for bringing me back to it (at 7 years sober).
I am not here to debate that.  

I am a citizen of the United States of America.
I love my country with my life.
My family has defended this country (and some of them died doing it) for hundreds of years.
If you don't like the US of A, fine, but I am not here to debate that with you.

I am 57 years old.  
I have lived through lots of stuff in my life.
If you are young and have great ideas that is fine, but 
I am not here to debate them with you.

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What am I here to do?  I am here to share my experience, strength, and hope with you.  I made a commitment to do that on a daily basis, and on an honest basis.  I am a fully alive human being, living life on life's terms.  Sometimes it isn't pretty.  Sometimes I can get into a snit.  But I don't have to stay there.  I have a program that keeps me out of festering resentments and other crippling attitudes.  

I write about living sober, which is mostly not about sobriety at all.  But without sobriety, I would not have any of the other stuff to write about, I can assure you.  I write about the joys and pains of living life.  I think the underlying message of my blog is that I am living my life sober.  I fully intend (one day at a time) to stay sober for the rest of my life.  

I got a comment from a woman named Willa over the weekend.  She just celebrated 3 years of sobriety in February.  When she started commenting on the blog, she would give me the count of days that she had been sober. I am so thrilled to know that there are people like Willa out there and that is reason enough for me to share my experience, strength, and hope.

I know this post is kind of self-indulgent, but I felt I needed to say this stuff.  Thank you kind readers, as always.

13 comments:

Scott W said...

Congratulations Willa!

I, too, am one who has resigned from the debating society.

steveroni said...

WOW! Mary, I neede to hear all of that. Thank you.

I still L.O.V.E. carrot cake , ummmm (muffins or whatever). And I am NOT HERE TO DEBATE THAT, EITHER!! -grin

And I LIKE to sign my name on comments, and I 'pure' LOVE loving bloggers. No debating, please!
Steve E.

Syd said...

I'm of the belief that everyone has a right to express themselves. I just don't always have to agree with their opinions. I'm glad that you are all of those things that you wrote about. And no doubt you are a lot more as well. The complexity of who we are is something that is difficult to express.

dAAve said...

Cool.
I want cupcake.

Trailboss said...

I think that there was one fine post. Really. I enjoyed it and it is full of honesty. What more can a blogger reader want?

Maainerevgal said...

Thanks so much for your post today! We are snowed in up here, everthing is closed, so I'll have to miss my meeting tonight (sigh). Reading your ESH for the day helps me stay focused, and its much appreciated.

Anonymous said...

I am a regular reader but I don't comment often because, well, I don't know that I have much to share. If I commented more regularly I'd be inclined to ask questions. I find it remarkable how much I can relate to what you share here though.

And here is the other reason why I don't comment often...because I stray from my point way too quickly. So, unrelated to your post, I'm reading Thomas Merton's biography and it makes me think of your blog and the religious aspects of your life that you do share here.

Hope you are having a good day.

One Prayer Girl said...

Love it! Love it! Love it!
You tell it just like it is.

I tell my sponsees and anyone else who cares to listen how I see things as I learned them in AA 23 years ago.

IF they want to try a different and usually easier, softer way, fine! But don't complain if things end up in the dump.

I then repeat what I said in the first place. And pray!

Thanks Mary,
PG

GG said...

I enjoy your thoughtful and positive sharing. Thank you.

Scott M. Frey said...

I like who you are MC... we're not so far apart, you and me :-)

Banana Girl said...

Self indulgent: Phooey! I will debate that with you. You give and prod and scream the truth! You light up my life and it is that sunlight that I need every single blessed day! Thank you is so inadequate. But right now it is all I have, oh, and staying sober through God's help who sent you to me. Love you, J.

Pammie said...

This is a perfect misson statement.
I will debate you though on how many pairs of shoes you think you need.
Living life sober is the intereting part of our stories. When we all lived life drunk, our stories were so similar.
Thank you Mary for posting how you feel.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Mary Christine, and Scott W. With all that is going on in the world today, I thank God I'm sober. I am useless at politics and debating. and I'm sick of them both.

I am glad I'm an American citizen and I live in the United States.

I'm here for the sobriety. The experience, strength and hope. Anyone is welcomed to have voted for whomever they did.

In these times I can't say it enough: THANK GOD TODAY I'M SOBER.

Willa