Monday, August 15, 2011

Year five

I picked up my five year medallion tonight at the meeting.  This is a small group, but it is home to me.  We had the meeting at my sponsor's house which was a special treat.  There were pizza rolls, cookies and sodas.  We had the meeting, ate some snacks and talked. 

Someone asked me if it felt different to have five years.  I said that it really didn't because the peaks and valleys that were so prevalent during the first couple of years have decreased.  Now I feel as if I am on level ground at last, or in sailing terms, an even keel.  There are still days when things can quickly get the best of me, but I don't stay in a downward spiral for long.  I get back on track by doing those things that I have learned help me to get over myself.   

I am going to miss my sponsor when he leaves in October.  He has been a constant in my time in Al-Anon.  Even though he will be far away,  I will still call just as I do now.  I have tried to not dwell on his leaving.  I just appreciate that he is still here for now.  But I know that a void will be there.  I get attached to people and don't like to see them go.  But I have also had to think about having someone locally who can be a co-sponsor. 

I found someone that I am comfortable with.  I have known him in the program for a while.   We talk like friends so I know that we are comfortable with each other.  I don't think that we have defined what we will work on together.  Maybe it will simply be more like having a service sponsor.  Time will tell on that as more is revealed.

Once again, I am up too late.  Tomorrow is a busy day with meeting a sponsee, having lunch with my co-sponsor, and then starting another marine course on Advanced Piloting tomorrow night.  That course will run for 10 weeks.  The last one I took was intense and this one will be no less.  But it exercises the brain and is valuable information that I can put to practical use when sailing.

I'll leave you with some thoughts on worry.  I think Rumi has it about right:

“Oh soul,
you worry too much.
You have seen your own strength.
You have seen your own beauty.
You have seen your golden wings.
Of anything less,
why do you worry?
You are in truth
the soul, of the soul, of the soul.”




25 comments:

  1. Syd,Congrats on making the five years mark.I posted this to my FB wall.I am proud of you.

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  2. CONGRATULATIONS, Syd. I love the medallion...it's a little bit different than the ones we give out.
    BTW: I'll be spending Wed, Thurs & Friday in Beaufort,SC this week and will think of you nearby. I enjoyed the blog entry that you wrote about it.

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  3. Rumi just blows me away.

    Congratulations on that even keel Syd.

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  4. Love that quote. I get attached to people too...

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  5. Level ground is a good place to be. I'm glad for you Syd.

    I accidentally changed my feed, and I think I lost you. Pls come back..
    http://whatdoesntkillyamakesyastonger.blogspot.com/

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  6. Congratulations, Syd. And thank you for that quote. I need it today.

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  7. congrats on 5 years man...that is awesome...sorry your sponsor is leaving but glad you found someone as well...loveme some rumi too!

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  8. Congrats on the 5 years. You will be fine, seriously. Love the thoughts on worry. I have a quote too. "sleep is the best meditation." Dalai Lama

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  9. Congrats on your anniversary. I love the Rumi poem. I also love pizza rolls. I'm a simple girl.

    I love you, too! It's just a day of love. . . .

    SB

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  10. I can get on with the whole "What me worry" thing. Learn well the sailing course I am waiting to hear about your first true deep water run.

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  11. Hi Syd,

    Congratulations!

    I still follow your blog regularly even though my own is "in remission." Thanks so much for sharing with all of us.

    All the best,

    Flip

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  12. Congratulations, my blogger friend. I love sober celebrations. Well done, you.

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  13. Congrats on the first five years of your life, it's amazing isn't it, I celebrated five years in January and life continues to unfold and just get better and better!!!

    Wonderful wonderful wonderful.

    xo G

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  14. Congratulations Syd!!! I hope that you can enjoy this and feel proud of yourself.

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  15. congrads syd, you have a lucky group to benefit from your wisdom. you are a lucky man to have found a group with such wise people that share with you.

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  16. You've done a job worth doing for five years. Many people have benefitted from the job you're doing. Keep doing what you're doing. From what I see, it only gets better, no matter how sideways life goes at times.

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  17. Well done syd :) Happy anniversary! 5 years is cool.. and thanks for posting for all that time as its been great seeing the development over the years for you and C :)

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  18. Beautiful, I love the prayer to the soul. Can you tell me who first wrote this?

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  19. I see I see it is Rumi. Rumi understands so much of our journey...

    I want to congratulate you on five years of growing more and more comfortable in your own skin and more and more aware of the Grace in your life, Syd!

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  20. Congratulations! and thank you for being part of my recovery...

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  21. It's a hard won time, that first 5 years, because I think we change the most during that time, if we really work the program, as you've done. Congratulations, Syd.

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  22. Beautiful, Syd. And congratulations on getting your 5-year chip. For some reason my home group doesn't do those. I used to get them in my previous program and they meant so much to me. I may bring up the topic next week.

    Fair winds and following seas, my friend. D

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  23. Congrats Syd! And thanks for your sharings.

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