Topic for the week: Chairing & Sharing
As I was struggling over this meeting topic, my husband came in from his outside chores and asked how it was going. [Side note: He is celebrating one month of sobriety today whoop!!! whoop!!!] I told him I was struggling to come up with something to share. I talked about how, after a while in the Program, it seems that all possible topics have been covered up one side and down the other, many times over. I talked about having nothing to talk about. He told me that he’s been speaking up more at meetings because he’d had an interesting insight. He said we struggle because we think we have to come up with some genius insight the likes of which have never been heard before by civilized man. Like, as an English major and a lover of words, I’ve always wanted to write and/or illustrate a children’s book, or a devotional, or really the next great American novel. As a former professional musician and one half of the writing duo and lead singer, he was always trying to come up with the next rock-n-roll record-breaking, platinum-selling song. But remembering that axiom, “Keep it simple, sweetie” (I prefer ‘sweetie’ to some of the common alternates – silencing that critical inner voice, ya know?) he reminded me that there are people with more time in than me, but lots of folks with less, and for whom anything said might be the very thing they need to hear. I might say something in a way that gives even an old-timer pause to think. My ho-hum might be someone else’s ta-dah! I can only honestly share from my own experience, and while there have been many ta-dahs, there have been many, many more ho-hums where life is simply putting one foot in front of the other right where I’m at and doing the next indicated right thing. So, this is me putting one foot in front of the other and sharing the challenge of sharing after having been in Program a while!
What prompts you to want to share with the group?
What keeps you from chairing/sharing?
Does sharing seem like a burden? something that’s “just not for you?”
Does sharing seem like a blessing, that you both give and receive?
Do you hesitate to share because you believe you have nothing to say?
Do you hesitate because you trust that someone else will?
Thank you for the opportunity and privilege of chairing and sharing!
Julie K <3