A PACKAGE DEAL

…Half measures availed us nothing… – How it works – AA Big Book

I was at a meeting the other night, and even after attending literally thousands of meetings, the suggested topic was something I’d never heard before:   “What’s your favorite step?”

Most everyone jumped right in with their opinions.

– I decided  to sit this one out…

I’ve been to meetings when the topic was, “What’s your favorite slogan?” But this was a new one for me – oh, and by the way, my favorite slogan is:

But I Digress. . . . .

Now that we’re after the fact, and I’ve had the luxury of mulling it over.  I’ve slept on it, and thought about…and now, all of a sudden, I’ve come to a brilliant conclusion.  Here it is: 

The steps work synergistically. 

That’s a hifalutin way of saying that when they’re combined (worked together IN ORDER)They produce a greater effect than the sum of their separate parts.                                                Pretty slick, eh?

In short, they’re a package deal (hence the clever title for this post).          

Most of us are familiar with the Two-Stepper.                                             Not to be outdone,I was a Three-Stepper.                              

That’s the 1st, 9th, & 12th steps: “I’m powerless, I’m sorry, follow me” .      

If you’ve been around for a while, and congratulating yourself for your ingenuity in avoiding the steps, you’ve probably noticed a couple of things:      

The First thing was watching some poor train wreck of a newcomer’s life start to pass you by.    It’s kind of depressing when someone you’ve harshly judged is totally showing you up.

The Second thing was that your life just couldn’t seem to get any traction.    That newcomer asked for help, stepped out of his comfort zone, and did the work.…And in the meantime, you didn’t!               

Hey, look.  I’m not here to point an imperious finger of accusation, or guilt you into doing something you’d rather not.  That’s way beyond my pay grade.

If you’re like me,(and you probably are) you have to be beaten and bludgeoned into a state of reasonableness.

Be that as it may, I also live a charmed life.  Not because I’m special, or I’m such a sport – but because I’ve gone through the steps more than once. Yes, I finally broke down and did them.        

Each guy I worked with had experience,  knew what he was doing, and had a different take on them: 

One guy used the Traditional approach from the Big Book.   Another guy relied heavily on the 12 &12.  And yet another used an unconventional, simplistic approach.   Hey, it’s all good:  I learned important lessons from each. As a result, when I work with others, my method is kind of a composite.  Work the steps long enough, you’ll start living the steps:   Instead of using people as a renewable commodity, as a bee moves from flower to flower, you’ll become more concerned with spiritual growth and service to others. The Promises really do come true.

Rather be known as a cautionary tale,  you’ll be known as someone who  made a difference.

My opinion (and my opinion only), I believe the steps are pretty much only about four things (okay, they’re about everything) but when you distill them and get right down to the guts of it, they’re about:

-Accountability,

-Humility,

-Willingness,

-The Joy of Good living.

All the other stuff like Faith, Honesty, Acceptance, Gratitude…and whatever, are byproducts.

You can go for the rest of your life (however long that may be) attending step meetings, and you’ll never run out of stuff to discuss.

                             HERE’S THE TAKEAWAY:

My life isn’t perfect.

As a matter of fact, my life didn’t turn out at all like what I’d anticipated it to be.  It doesn’t matter.

I have a Program, a path, a Higher Power and a Fellowship.  

My cup runneth over.

What’s more, the quiver of my life is loaded with steps. All twelve of them.

                                          It’s a package deal.