It has happened to us on more than one occasion; The dreaded call to Technical Support resulted in basic troubleshooting questions like “is your device plugged in?”. Of course it is Nimrod! - can we move on to deeper discovery, as I have already rebooted and rebooted and rebooted?
The question makes sense when we realize that a power source is an inevitable element of most mechanical mechanisms. This leads us to the fact of the day: “In 2020, the world’s primary energy consumption was 71,4 gigajoule (GJ) per person for a world population of about 7.7 billion people. It means a world average primary energy consumption of 58 kilowatt hours (kWh) per day per person.” (A kWh equals the amount of energy you would use by keeping a 1,000-watt appliance running for one hour)
What does this have to do with the recovery process? Well, on a recent episode of sober.coffee, Mike alluded to three “light bulb moments.” Post-session, we have realized that for a light bulb to go on, it needs to be plugged into a power source.
In recovery, for us anyway, we find that power source to be Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). And in referring to AA, by default, we are describing the organization, the fellowship, the book titled Alcoholics Anonymous (and additional sanctioned literature), as well as the value we find in regular meeting attendance.
We are not unlike an appliance that pushes hard for 16 to 20 hours daily. And the same as a refrigerator, we need full-body support 24 hours every day. Does that mean we must stay plugged into AA 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Not necessarily, as that is not realistic for most of us. But plugging into the power source for a good hour every day keeps us running efficiently for the next 23 hours. (Think generator or phone charger)
The advantages of staying plugged in are immense. The disadvantages could be disastrous.
Think of the ice maker in your freezer. It produces 6 to 12 ice cubes at a time, not 100. Similarly, we pick up 6 to 12 pieces of power learning (Light bulb moments) in a meeting or reading that adds up to 100 plus over time. And like the ice cube, it takes time to cultivate thoroughly. Acceptance, forgiveness, and gratefulness don't all come in one sitting. They come gradually, and they are nurtured in an open and repetitive environment.
“Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment.” ― Zig Ziglar.
So, keep coming back, as they say. Keep an open mind and keep learning. We have found that the more we take in and process back in the form of a question like “what does this mean to me in my sobriety?” - the more we embrace the action of growth and - the more ice cubes we produce.
We will take ours on the rocks!
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from sober.coffee podcast #101 True or False Rapid Fire The podcast dropped on 4/21/2021. Click here to hear the podcast.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
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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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