Some memes

is how the fellowship makes room for creativity and diversity, helping the membership to embrace differences and remain united. there are certainly a whole lot of sins, that can be covered up by this tradition, among the worst of them, is to alter the readings to fit the sensibilities of the members in attendance. i am not a huge fan of the “we” of the Serenity Prayer, but as it gains greater use by my peers, i have to come to believe that maybe, it is me who requires a bit of revision. i can remember way back when i was brand new in recovery, i was one of those who did everything possible to avoid saying GOD. when asked to read, i replace GOD, HE, and HIS with HIGHER POWER, when asked to do the readings. no one chided me about that, but looking back, i kind of wish they had, telling me that i needed to read the written word, exactly as written, as that goes directly to carrying the message of the fellowship as a whole. these days, despite my misgivings about how some members engage in that same behavior, i am a bit more tolerant and understanding.
moving into the here and now, i have been to meetings in lots of different places and the one thing that ties these groups together is the literature. i know there is a movement in the fellowship to start replacing gender specific terms. i am not against that, as i have been there done that and got the T-shirt, for doing that on my own. i know there are many members who feel that is some sort of sacrilege, and i understand their feelings as well. instead of fighting the current and being swept away against my will, i have started to believe that those changes are long overdue and will do nothing to dilute the message that an addict, any addict, can stop using drugs and find a new way to live. in fact, it might actually enhance that message, by welcoming those who are uncomfortable with gender specific references.
life in my skin these days is pretty damn comfortable. after spending the afternoon with a friend and sponsee yesterday, i am grateful that i could listen and enjoy his company. it is time, however, to decide if my workout will be indoors or outdoors. i am leaning towards the great outdoors as i spend far too much time, indoors, these days. i am grateful that i have the desire to make a choice of where to do my workout, instead of wondering if i should workout at all. just for today, i will let go of where my fellowship may be going and accept that it is the conscience of the members of this worldwide fellowship that is driving the changes.

∞ DT ∞