Doing What is in Front of Me

Do the next right thing.

The Fellowship has distilled some of our more difficult challenges in life into simple three or four word slogans. It can be very annoying. One of our slogans encourages us to move through life slowly while also suggesting that we make an attempt to move. It's the gray area between completely stopped and full acceleration. This is not a familiar area for alcoholics.

Some of the time I'm in awe of the breathtaking simplicity of these thoughts. On the days that I am feeling very complicated, however, these trite sayings irritate the shit out of me. It can go either way. It's too early to tell today. I either don't get out of bed or I sprint out the front door in my underwear, right into traffic. The Program suggests a plan of action somewhere in the middle. For instance, my friends recommend a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, at least, and a slight pause before crossing the street.


Sometimes there are rocks in my path. Sometimes there are exciting and delectable treats. I never know what I'm going to find. When I was drinking I didn't stop to consider the somewhat obvious differences between rocks and treats. If I encountered a rock, I tried to walk through it, or I would stop and glare at it menacingly, hoping it would dissolve under my withering disapproval. Or I blew it up with dynamite, frequently destroying a large cache of treats hidden in the bushes, which were also blown up.


I'm a small stream meandering pleasantly through the woods. If I encounter a obstacle I stop and make a pool. Sometimes I go over the obstacle. Sometimes I flow around it. Sometimes it's a big obstacle and I have to hang out for a while to see what is going to happen. For a big, rushing, raging, whitewater river like me, this can be frustrating. I want to skip to the ending of the book.