Whip

April 12

WHIP

I have been to the meeting where they play 'whip', the meeting where the members are gotten in line.  The tempo increases constantly in an attempt to flick each other off into the land of shame and slips and less-than.  This game is invisible to the participants, though the stress on their bodies is surely felt.  Spectators often misunderstand the meaning of the activity and wrongly interpret it as strength training and endurance building.  I think of it as a backward step, throwing me to my initial desire for a drink; living in other peoples skewed lines sent me running for a bottle.  These same lines, placed around me in sobriety, will measure me up for a box.

Turn your plants and your mind so every aspect has an opportunity to get some sun.

*

Who to Ask

“You ask good questions

and you ask the right people,” said my sponsor.

“I ask questions because I need answers,” my reply.

“Do you know how many people need answers

and never ask?” she quipped.

“I ask my friends, no stroke of genius there,” I continue.

“You ask your playmates,

you ask the people you trust enough to have fun with.

You don’t realize how clever that is.

You know lots of folks who work hard

and you could ask your questions of these

But instead you save them for those diligent ones

who still know how to play and that, Sweetie Pie

is proof that you are no dummy.”

You are reading selections from Sober on the Way to Sane and More Lines From My Life by Sherrie Theriault

http://www.amazon.com/Sober-On-The-Way-Sane/dp/1440417342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388576888&sr=8-1&keywords=sober+on+the+way+to+sane

http://www.amazon.com/More-Lines-From-My-Life/dp/1448677203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388576956&sr=8-1&keywords=More+Lines+From+My+Life

Ground Floor

April 19

Ground Floor

Step 10 is the place where the doors slide open and I discover I am out of the basement.  I have to pay close attention to where my feet are; it is so easy to stumble here in the light of day.  Oblivious limitations and universally accepted interpretations are pried from installation and put on trial.  Never is it acceptable to allow my alcoholic thinking to make decisions for my sober life. The road to my door must be kept clear so I can get out to do my part and so G-d can come home to me.

Spin heads, spin tales, spin dry

*

CHAPTER & VERSE

I remember being trained and rehearsed for finding the words

Which would release my soul from bondage

The scrupulous concern for detail pointed me to heaven

And yet I drank.

Inside these rooms the path is wide

Judgment is suspended and I have the right to be wrong

The penalties for error can be great

But the privilege and risk are mine

As in all things, the extremists come

They have come to this place too

Thumpers hound and belittle

Threaten and cajole

They tell page numbers like punch lines

And narrow the field at every opportunity

I can't stay sober sitting on my old stool

I can't maintain desire by their chapter and their verse.

Whip

April 12

WHIP

I have been to the meeting where they play 'whip', the meeting where the members are gotten in line. The tempo increases constantly in an attempt to flick each other off into the land of shame and slips and less-than. This game is invisible to the participants, though the stress on their bodies is surely felt. Spectators often misunderstand the meaning of the activity and wrongly interpret it as strength training and endurance building. I think of it as a backward step, throwing me to my initial desire for a drink; living in other peoples skewed lines sent me running for a bottle. These same lines, placed around me in sobriety, will measure me up for a box.

Turn your plants and your mind so every aspect has an opportunity to get some sun.

*

Who to Ask

“You ask good questions

and you ask the right people,” said my sponsor.

“I ask questions because I need answers,” my reply.

“Do you know how many people need answers

and never ask?” she quipped.

“I ask my friends, no stroke of genius there,” I continue.

“You ask your playmates,

you ask the people you trust enough to have fun with.

You don’t realize how clever that is.

You know lots of folks who work hard

and you could ask your questions of these

But instead you save them for those diligent ones

who still know how to play and that, Sweetie Pie

is proof that you are no dummy.”