June 12

It is a rainy, cold June day in Colorado. So cold I turned on the heat this afternoon, covered myself with a nice hand-knit (by me) mohair afghan, settled on the sofa and watched my first ever televised soccer match. I have watched my kids play soccer, but I have never watched a "real" soccer game. Someone called while I was watching it, and I asked him some questions about how soccer worked - how long does a game last, what happens in the event of a tie (!), etc.

The morning was wonderful. I attended the 6:30 meeting and then group conscience. After that a bunch of us went out for a bagel. We actually talked about AA - traditions, etc. while we ate. It really was wonderful. Such great conversations, such great perspectives, such a great group of people who care about AA. I am considering writing about the traditions here - I was going to start today, but right now I am too lazy. A tradition a day? Maybe I could do that. Not that I am an expert by any means, but I do have some perspective based on some experience.

I stopped by my daughter's on my way home from there because she asked for some help moving furniture while she is painting her new home. I started stripping the wallpaper in the kitchen and ended up finishing that task - much to her delight. She was dreading doing it - and with good reason. After stripping several rooms of wallpaper in my lifetime, I don't think I would EVER paper a room. I always come to wonder what on earth someone was thinking when they made such a permanent decision with a wall. I don't think I have seen wallpaper I have liked since the 1970s. In any event, I am grateful I could do that little thing for my daughter. I know how much a couple of hour's worth of tedious labor can help when you are in the middle of a massive project. And I actually like very tedious labor from time to time.

Now I think I am going to take my laptop and a movie and go to bed. I have the extra blankets that I use in the winter piled on. I have a lovely candle burning beside the bed. Probably no one should like to go to bed alone quite as much as I do. But I do. And it is a good thing.