A Passing Shiver

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

This story has no ending yet, not one I am privy to, anyway.

There are many reasons a person may attend the recovery meetings I attend. They are private to each attendee, of course. Each person may hold several disparate reasons inside him or herself at any moment for coming to a meeting, even reasons that are in conflict with one another. One lucky stroke for me is that at six plus years sober, I am six plus years removed from the life that had me living just this side of the category of “Street Urchin.”

I was seated next to a street urchin today. He was shivering, even though it is September 1. He started shivering once he started to speak, and speaking may be what saves his life in the long run.
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Today in History: Sweet September

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

There are many songs that feature the word “September” in the title and as a theme—”September Song,” of course, and “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” “The September of My Years,” “Miss September,” “September” (Earth, Wind, & Fire). All of us together can probably name several dozen September songs. Each one represents a different reason for crafting a song with September in the title and as a theme.

Here is one other, Bill McGuffie’s “Sweet September,” in a 1963 recording by pianist Bill Evans (video after the jump):
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The Fierce Urgency of ‘No’

Posted on by Mark Aldrich

This first appeared in June. Its inspirer re-appeared today, which inspired the title.

* * * *
Although I have been told that I have “loud” facial expressions, my pleading eyebrows were easy to ignore this morning. I guess my eyebrows were not loud enough.

My eyebrows were requesting conversational assistance … no, they were pleading for a rescue, stet.

One of the great parts of a life in recovery is the fact that I have a network of people with whom I can share some of my day-to-day difficulties. My friends in recovery remind me that there is really only one thing I need to understand: I am my only problem in my life. Anything that I feel is a problem is almost one hundred percent of the time a repercussion from me reacting to a person or situation as if it was the problem. My reaction is the problem, not the person or situation.
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