The Big Book

The Big Book

I am the guy who woke up on Christmas morning and the first thing I threw out was the box with the directions. I'd put the toy or the bike or the stereo together myself. Of course, the toy wouldn't work, the kickstand on the bike would fall off, and the stereo wouldn't play. Then I'd have to dig through the trash for the box with the directions. The Big Book was like that box. My sponsor gave it to me, but I tossed it aside and tried to work my program without it. But there was always a piece missing or something that wouldn't fit right or sound right or look right, and I'd be back where I started, trying to fix a broken gift without following directions. Meanwhile, my sponsor kept trying to show me the clear-cut directions for working the Twelve Steps. One day, I went through the trash and got the box with the directions. They're in the first 164 pages of the book Alcoholics Anonymous. They even make it simple for complicated folk like me and use italics when they're telling us something important. It's funny how easy it is to put something together when I'm willing to follow directions.