The donut has a long and sweet history: The doughnut itself is often linked to Dutch bakers in the 17th century, who fried dough balls called olie koeken or olykoeks, (oil cakes). The deliciousness was stuffed with fruits and nuts because the centers would not deep fry at the same pace as the outsides. In about 1850, an American sailor named Hanson Gregory, who was without filling ingredients, looked for a way to get an “even cook”, and pierced a hole in the center of the dough. And there it was, the iconic shape was born.
Humans have a history that goes well beyond the 17th century. This post will not broach the subject of who invented the man and woman. Instead, we will look to draw similarities found in our centers; we will explore what is at our core - what fills us and what to do with the void.
We must admit that we are donut connoisseurs in that we appreciate the well-made, old-school delicacy and that the richer the filling the better the experience. We also seek quality and abundant fill for what's inside us. For us, it is the middle that matters.
We're all born of body and spirit. The body slowly bakes for decades—a natural process; the form is weathered by the environment and experiences and ages naturally. The spirit matures at its own pace. Advancing through experiences and perceptions, the spirit takes on an unpredictable and indescribable nature.
We have found that the body is going to do what the body does. Sure, there are things we need to do to make sure it doesn’t get ruined in the baking process: eating healthy, not drinking or smoking, exercising, etc. But, that is not what makes the donut unique. Indeed, we concentrate on the filling, which makes the donut special. The inside is where the value is and the part that needs the most care in preparation and execution.
It is the fill that they will remember.
Alcoholism destroyed our insides. Since our early youth, we have tried to fill the hole in our soul with everything imagined and unimaginable. We sensed the void and threw anything at it. That produced a product that we sold ourselves, though undesirable and unacceptable to society, it was all we could taste. We tinkered with the recipe: more work - less family, more money – less time, more sex – less relationships, more eating – less health, more shopping – less resources, more alcohol – less sanity. The fiddling was exhaustive. The results were tragic.
We had to come to a place where we accepted that each day, we would wake up aware that the doughnut needed filling. Awareness was the starting place. Then, we needed to embrace the fact that the hollow existed and that we, as the baker, had the choice of the stuffing. Would it be filled with shit or sweets? Would we walk through the day not paying attention to the half-baked delicacy? The absence of quality disappoints the consumer and the baker alike.
Accepting the fact that we have a void in us, a hole in the soul, that needs to be filled is the first and most important step to understanding the dis-ease of alcoholism. And, it is in the knowing that the hole needs to be filled daily to keep the product fresh.
Today, we fill our souls with growth toward better living, spiritual development, and service.
This is the recipe that has reaped personal reward and mass market praise. This is our version of the supreme. We don’t always get it exactly right, but we still end up with a quality product.
This is our stance.
We thank the Dutch for their contribution to our lives.
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from sober.coffee podcast # 39 titled " " Dealing with the "ISM"...” The session dropped on 12/29/2021….Click here to hear the podcast.
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Alcoholics Anonymous and AA are registered trademarks of Alcoholics World Service. Inc. References to AA, the 12 steps, and 12 traditions does not mean that AA has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication nor that AA agrees with the views expressed herein. This publication is intended to support personal growth and should not be considered a substitute for healthcare professionals' advice. The author’s advice and viewpoints are their own.
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