Stone Soup in 2021 … I can’t eat the soup because it has gluten! I can’t eat the soup because it has meat! I can’t eat the soup because it has sugar – We would rather starve to death then come together and find our COMMON WELFARE.
A friend invited me to a Book Study up north. I was told they are doing The Game of Life and How To Play It from 9am to 11am and then the AA Big Book from 11am to noon.
They are doing a Tradition before the Big Book.
I thought this was odd that they are devoting 2 hours to non-AA literature, but it’s none of my business what they are doing – I was looking forward to simply sitting, maskless, with friends, reading and discussing spiritual principles… Originally I was going to show up at 11 for the Tradition and the Big Book only, but then I was going to get a ride from someone who was going for the whole thing…
That night, one of the co-founders of the group, Jenny, called me up and told me “this is NOT AA”. This person has been in AA, quit AA several times, and is torn between the church and AA. She believes that the Traditions are for everyone. This is what her life’s work is about – to bring the Traditions to the world. She doesn’t realize that even AA members are not desperate enough for the Traditions, the rest of the world isn’t ready for them either –
In the phone call, I joked with her that I am not going to AA down here either since the group I attend is open to alcoholics and addicts and they talk openly about weed and kratom as well as alcohol, but later, after I got off the phone, I had a bad taste in my mouth, so I called the other co-founder and told him that she said it’s not AA – what does he make of that?
He told me that he thinks of it as AA – but there are people there from church who are not alcoholic who have no relationship with God, there are alcoholics from church who hate AA, and there are Alcoholics also. He also told me that “you 3 have unfinished business.” “We 3? What do you mean?” I asked. “You, Jenny and Nikki”.
Jenny is never happy with me because I sponsored her at one time and because I don’t speak using the exact words that she uses.
When it’s AA – we have the 10th Tradition – to keep us in our separate corners. Who cares about this shit? We have a solution for alcoholics dying of alcoholism. My God! Why are we here? To get out of our selves and try to help OTHERS.
When I talked to Jenny yesterday she and I got into a semantical argument about Natural Law because she asked me to do one of my creations for her – that she would pay me for it… I knew right away this was a bad idea – I try never to get involved with Jenny about much – and now she wants one of my special creations which is certainly not going to go along with her idea of the Bible. I tried to explain to her that what I do is based upon Natural Law – and she will need to read my booklet before she receives one of my creations – and she did not like that “term” – even though it is all the same thing – so we already were not seeing eye-to-eye…
She did not like this term because it didn’t sound biblical or Godly enough – it is simply not a term she has heard before and she always jumps to judgement whenever I am involved suspecting that I am not Godly enough for her.
Nikki on the other hand is simply someone who fights with and opposes everyone who has access to any Power – so she and I have gone around and around in the past but it’s not just me now – now I hear she is fighting with everyone. Both of them? In a place that is NOT AA? Not thanks.
It took a day or so for me – I asked God on my walk today to fill me with His spirit so that I am not so lonely that I seek lower companionship to simply not be alone.
I also realized that my extremely balanced and happy sobriety and program are not to be taken for granted! I have worked hard to craft my amazing balanced God-centered life… and it is not inherent and it could go away in an instant if I get in with some very sick people.
After I had been walking outside for half an hour I realized NO! I am not going to a Big Book Study that one of the co-founders thinks is NOT AA, where I do not feel welcome, and where I was asked by a co-founder to part my hair on the side instead of down the middle, just to attend their group.
I went to the business meeting of the group I have been attending – the one with no primary purpose – to see about having a time slot to do my own Big Book Workshop. I went there knowing that the group already has what they call a Big Book Study, where what they do at that meeting is take a paragraph from the book, dissect it until it is unintelligible and then do what they want…
but unfortunately, the women were there from the women’s meeting that I do not attend – one particular woman and all her sponsees who are also in charge of that Big Book meeting….
The topic on the menu was to send cards out to all the old-timers who have not been attending because of COVID.
Wow, I thought it was anonymous. My leg started to hurt so bad that I could not sit there… so I left.
No AA in sight and I at the moment, only have attracted a group around me who are scattered around the country, so I guess I get to learn some more about my favorite topic: PATIENCE.
These days, we would rather starve to death than make STONE SOUP. We would rather die of ALCOHOLISM than the flu. We would rather live huddled in fear, being right, than be Happy, Joyous, and FREE.
Anonymous Alcoholics 