Always Be Learning

Learn:  To gain knowledge from a bad experience so as to improve.

Improve, schmimprove. 

There's a guy who has been showing up at our morning meeting with all of his belongings in a backpack.  He alleges a ton of sobriety which I know because he also talks at length at every meeting.  As you know - this earns you an automatic spot on my Shit List.  I wouldn't call his message incomprehensible but I would put it in the hard to follow category.  He doesn't really have any place to go after the meeting so he stands around outside and inserts himself into different conversations.  The problem is that his conversational skills are restricted to talking about himself.  I try to be patient with the less than capable but I'm also at the meeting to take care of myself.

 A good friend that I don't get to see too often suggested a cup of coffee at the little shop right across the street not long after I had just returned from our long vacation.  We got our cups and sat down outside.  This dude wandered over and pulled up a chair, introduced himself, and then launched into a long story about something or the other, inserting a comment about how great it would be if he could get some part time work to earn the $40 to get his phone turned on again.  We both listened to him for a period of time that I would call Sufficient before I asked a question that was clearly directed at my friend.  This worked for a short while but during a brief pause the dude started up again.  We listened and then I did my interrupt thing again.  The guy hung in there for a moment before standing up and strolling away.

"Was I rude?"  I asked my buddy.

He paused.  For quite a while which was a partial answer in itself.

"No," he said.  "He made the play for the money and then moved on."

I'm not so sure I wasn't rude.  I'm also aware that it can be difficult handling folks that aren't playing with a full deck.  I want him to feel welcome but I also need to take care of myself.  A saner man might have asked to join us or listened in on our conversation.