Enjoy the Ride

I was in AA only a few months when the annual picnic was announced. The day before, my sponsor said he would pick me up at 7 a.m., and he did. We went to a farm stand and picked up at least 10 dozen ears of corn. Then we went to the community park and met a few others to get ready. We set up the fire pit, and Big Tony made breakfast, while the rest of the crew joked and horsed around. I stayed for the picnic, mostly because my sponsor drove and it was a 10-mile walk to the house. The picnic was a great success: good food, plenty of homemade desserts, a card game, good speaker for the meeting, and people seemed to be having a good time. I wasn’t drinking and I really didn’t want to drink, so the question was, “Why wasn’t I having a good time like the rest of the people?” This was a great opportunity for a new resentment, right? Then I realized that it wasn’t them, it was me. The Big Book says we’re restless, irritable, and discontent. That fit me perfectly, and I guess it always did!