Saturday, June 23, 2007

Sober at Midnight


Breakfast is finished and I have washed up. I turn on the TV to the Weather Channel as Maggie plops down at my feet and stares at me insistently.

"What do you want, girl?" I ask, reaching down to rub her head.

Maggie whines putting her paw on my knee. That is her way of saying, "Walk me. I need to get out of the house."

"Okay, I get the hint," I say as I grab her leash and my keys and we head out the door.

It is a beautiful morning and almost chilly belying the forecast of one hundred degrees today. I have become extremely dubious of the daily claims of my beloved weather guessers. Lately, they get it wrong more than right.

Maggie stops to smell every interesting looking piece of debris on the road. She is in dog heaven with a world guided by aroma. The neighbor's trash is an especially interesting stop as we make our way back home. I have to pry a discarded piece of foam plate from an old package of ground beef from Maggie's mouth. She is none too pleased. I scoff at my neighbor's terrible handling of their trash.

I am still sleepy from last night. The witching hour found me at a midnight A.A. meeting in a town about 30 minutes away which are held every Friday and Saturday nights. It was a small group of mostly desperate alcoholics trying to stay sober during what is primetime drinking time for us ex-inebriates. I felt right at home. We went around the room talking about what our lives were like on a weekend when we were still drinking. I heard quite a few tales of woe. One fellow sat with his hands shaking. I wanted to reach out, hold them, and steady his nerves. I've been there before.

The drive home was long and quiet up the interstate with thoughts of my warm bed and a cold glass of milk on my mind. I arrived home to find a message from my father saying my final move to my new house will be next weekend. He and Charlie are gathering lots of help so we can move in one day. Finally! A home of my own with privacy without prying parental eyes watching my every move. I will never be homeless again. It was fittingly good news to the end of a good day.

13 comments:

Eric Valentine said...

Morning Andrew, isn't it so nice when you can have such a clear head and enjoy the simple things in life this early in the day?

Oh for the aroma of a freshly lit pipe.

Good news about your upcoming move. :)

Josie Two Shoes said...

I love that you have a variety of AA meetings and groups to attend there Andrew, and that you make use of the ones that best fit your needs at the moment. Your determination to maintain your sobriety is so inspiring! Delighted that you will soon have a house of your very own and a little more privacy and idependence to go with it - you deserve it! Have a great weekend!

Andromeda said...

what a wonderful blog. i am delighted to have found such a gem. i applaud your honesty about writing about your life.

VA Friend said...

Congrats on the new house. Once moved in I can't wait to see pictures.

Leann said...

Yeah!! You get your very own house soon. YOu must be so excited!!

I don't get here often and seem to miss much because you blog often, so if you've posted pics of the new place I've missed them :-(

Annabel said...

I'm so excited about you getting to finally move!

ta2urnfs said...

Keep up the good work.
Have a great day.

HappyToBeHere said...

Just stumbled across your blog, and I'm happy I did. Isn't it amazing what life has to offer when we follow the 12 step way of life? Keep on keeping on!

chumly said...

Sober 17 years thanks to people like you that keep it real. Thanks.

Eric said...

Feeling the urge to reach out and help a stranger in need has to be a good sign that you are on the right path.

A home of your own..awesome. I love being the king of my castle, of course, I am also the serf, the maid, the butler,and the cook. Know which role I am the best at...lol

Summer said...

Wouldn't it be great if all of your blogging buds could help you move? It would be a real celebration. For all of us.

Enjoy your day!

Josie Two Shoes said...

Where is Andrew this find Sunday? We are all goin' thru 4th Avenue Blues withdrawls here. Hope we hear from you soon! :-)

CRUSTYBEEF said...

Is this neighbor with the trash the same one that you think came to your door complaining about your darling Maggie?
I swear, people who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones..
They may be annoyed by a barking dog, but what about the nasty stench of trash?
Always,
crusty~