Pondering Seaweed

Ponder:  To think deeply; deliberate; meditate.

I further ponder writing . . . 

I ponder it when I'm unsure of a course of action and I ponder it when I'm upset.  When I'm mad or pissed or angry or furious or irritated or annoyed - or any of the other code words men use when they're afraid - I try not to do anything.  Same thing when I'm anxious or agitated.  I never do anything when I'm ticked or peeved or honked off.  Taking actions when my emotions are running high is a recipe for disaster.

This often entails writing - not only that, but writing when I'm in pain.  I'm impatient.  I don't like waiting and it's nearly impossible when I'm uncomfortable.  So my M.O. is to act Right Away!  Don't ponder or wait for additional information; don't ask for guidance from my friends and my higher power; just Do Something Right Now!!  I'm not Uncle Joe - I'm not moving kinda slow.

One of our Promises states that "we will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us."  In my case that was all situations that existed.  My drinking companions used to put their hands over their faces and say: "Where's Seaweed?  Where's Seaweed?"  I'd laugh delightedly when they pulled their hands down.  I really thought they had disappeared.  That's how easy it was to baffle me.

The Eleventh Step adds this assurance:  "We relax and take it easy.  We don't struggle.  We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while."  That's a powerful incentive for a dude who struggled and didn't relax or take anything easy.  That's a payoff.

By ". . . for a while" we mean more than 20 minutes.