Oldtimers
Mar 3, 09- (by Lou)
- 10 responses
- Controversy Alley, Family and Friends, Sober Salon, Uncategorized
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I laughed today as I remembered something from an AlAnon meeting I went to early on. It was a new group, strangers, a little out of my comfort zone.
It was the usual mixed bag; young and old, men and women, everyone in various stages on the path to powerlessness.
What I clearly remember, what I took away, was an 84 year old woman there. She said her son had quit drinking 18 years ago. Does that sound like a long time? She was 66 years old when that happened!
A bolt of clarity hit me upside the head. The woman was living proof that it did end one day. My life was chaos, and somewhere in the past 10 years I had accepted it would always be this way.
The elderly lady showed me something I had not been able to see in the isolated, painful place I stayed. There will come a time when the drug and the drink are gone. Substance abuse has a half life. It cannot sustain itself full force over time. There will be closure one way or another.
Now I’m smiling to myself, picturing my home group gray haired, and waving canes and shouting loudly at each other. I fully intend to be the last one standing.
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I really admire your attitude of hope. And I love the cane-shaking old lady image. I want to be one of those colorful old bags too.
Ha! This post made me smile.
You go girl!
Sweet!! I bet you will be the last one standing too!
I bet you’ll be about 100 years old before you need a cane!
I willing to surrender long before I get to be 86. In fact, I think that I’m there now. I like the little old ladies that come to meetings. They have a lot of life to share.
Well its the “ending one way or another” that scares the shit out of me. One way is fine, the other isn’t. The old timers really show me that its a lifetime journey. You never graduate. And I’m good with that!
What a nice, uplifting post. I’m with Annette, that it scares me that it ends “one way or another”, but it certainly does help to have hope that it doesn’t last forever.
Lou I hope I have the honor of knowing you all those years. Thank you for the much needed smile and humility today. (Hugs)Indigo
Rock On! This reminds me of the blog http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/
Those two ladies have been friends for 60 years and they are full of sass and wisdom. Their political blog has skyrocketed.