Three Days Grace: Not The Band

Mar 7. Well friends its been a few days and I am overdue and missing the blog badly. Its the transition phase of the weekend right now, a little after midnight going into sunday morning. I just wanted to log in and share some of my adventures the past few days to keep on the open and up & up. I am not sure if I will end up turning a topic tonight but if I don't we will resume monday with something a little more pointed. With that said its good to be back on and taking a few moments to look at a computer screen.

I want to peddle back to thursday, which is the day I set off to Philadelphia to get my BlackBerry phone that isn't available anywhere else in the state yet (maybe in pittsburg?). I had plans originally to have someone ride with me but wed night they cancelled, in a pinch I found someone else. By eleven oclock on wed night they someone managed to cancel as well, after cancelling three prior engagements with me as well during the week. I had just about had enough and was on the verge of setting spiritual principles aside and telling this person how my inner alcoholic felt about the way I was being shoved aside. Somehow I managed to not do that and choked it back, and in suprise they actually took my advice and called my mother to get a calm, collected, and un-bias explination of what their actions (or lack there of) was doing to my spirituality and my friendship with them.

So I went to sleep wed night assuming I was taking the trip to philly alone, not a great thing for an alcoholic/addict in recovery to do alone. I had asked many others to come, but none had the time nor desire to go it seemed. Thursday morning my mom suggested taking my cousin chris with me on the trip. Perfect Idea! Leave it to the non-alcoholic to do the thinking, for my thinking is and has been broken for some time. Only through the 12 step program does it improve, One day at at time! We left for philly thinking all would be well, until at 80mph we hit a seam in the road that cracked my exhaust pipe in half. The car roared loader than a tractor trailer on the jake brake for about 8 miles of the turnpike.

We found an exit and a downhill run into town, I spotted a garage. The place was fully equipped with welding & repair equipment and was an inspection station.. the catch.. it was an RV garage. The owner came out, not wanting to help his fellow man, and said, "We don't do work on cars, get on out of here.. I don't care if you got money, I don't wanna work on no car". Being almost over a hundred miles from home, a tow was not an option. Back to the hill we go and rolling down it I see another garage. In the past I would have let this prior man's self hatred and self seeking attitude steer me away from trying again.. but I am an addict in recovery, people are different and can change. There had to be someone who had learned to act & live in a spiritual manner that I am being taught. We pulled into another garage for another try.

"Give me your cell phone number and I'll call u when this car comes off the lift, I can see what I can do for you". This man, the mechanic, and the young boy helping were all kind folks. It almost seemed like they were from the fellowship I belonged to, for they treated me with respect and urgency as though I was a brother or family member. I got that call within 10 minutes and my car was on the lift. Now he rebuilt the pipe and welded a new segment on to make it work. You would think this emergency fix would be rather pricy. "30 bucks the boss says". God IS and DOES exist. I had no one to help me, a spiritual addict in recovery.. once the scum of the earth, yet this man, after a short prayer and a hopeful attempt at something I moments ago failed at getting done, he helped me for pennies. I told him that it was not enough. I would pay his boss the fee but he must take another 20 dollars from me.. and he did with a smile.

I made it to philadelphia thursday, and home safely with my new phone. All thanks to the kindness of strangers who put principles before personalities. Wholesome and spiritual prinicples that say when a person is in need and of just cause, we will support them any way we can. Even if that way is a cheap repair done professionally in emergency time frames. I thank my higher power for the people I met that day and for watching over me on that trip.. all so I could have one thing that would make me happy, that didn't involve putting a chemical into my body. Friday came and I chaired a meeting with my sponsor at my 12 step home group. It was my first qualified & official time chairing a meeting and it was fun. I did everything from make the coffee, run the meeting, to cleaning up and it felt good to put on the work to help my fellow alcoholic/addict.

Saturday I ran the Treasure Hunters shop at the market, running into slow business & a problem. One of the partners did not have their share of the rent. After a stressful day of trying to work something out so that they could have a chance to pay it late, an agreement was finally resolved. I successfully managed to take the brunt of many different people's opinions, attitudes, and anger without allowing myself to lose my composure of track of my mission.. to run my business in a professional and profitable fashion. Regaurdless of the tasks we are faced with, if we live with spiritual principles in mind, apply them to our lives, and reach out to our higher power for strength, hope and guidance.. we can achieve anything and miracles will fall into our lives that take us past the points where we have given up in the past. Hang in there, listen to suggestions, and do the next right thing.. thats what I plan to do tomorrow, and the next day after each one I live through. All a gift from my higher power. Thanks for blogging in.. Good Night. Good Morning... <3 Jimmy