Road Trip

At a recent AA meeting, the topic was spiritual progress. A friend shared, and he connected some interesting dots.

He began, “I took a road trip with the guys this weekend. The road trip reminded me of my spiritual progress.

“We packed everything into the car, jumped in and took off down the highway. We had a long drive ahead.

“Six guys on a road trip, the car was crowded, and we were buzzing with energy.

“Time and miles went by. The conversation covered sports, the election, several bad jokes, gossip, and most everything else.

“Things settled down. The highway rolled on. It was hot, a couple of the guys nodded off. I was bored.

“With my head resting against the window and quiet in the car, I had nothing to do but watch the scenery. I noticed every few minutes, there was a small milepost sign.

“These small signs caused me to reflect on the similarities between my AA journey and this road trip.

“At the beginning, it was exciting. There was applause when I said I was at my first meeting. I was the center of attention for several weeks. The high fives and atta boys continued for a while. Then they stopped.

Even though I was no longer the newcomer and center of attention, the meetings were still interesting. People were glad to see me. There was always a lot of chatter and excitement.

“Then things became quieter and quieter. The meetings and shares became routine. It was okay, but I wondered if I was doing any better. I became bored.

“Then I started to see the signs, the little mileposts.

“One of my non-AA friends said I seemed different, more relaxed. My wife commented that I seemed calmer. My boss told me whatever I was doing, keep it up, because I was finally becoming a team player.

“In my AA journey, it seemed things had become quiet. But in the quiet, if I paid attention, the mileposts of sobriety came into focus.

“The progression of the signs of sobriety marked growth and change. I was changing; I was spiritually awakening.

“The road trip with the guys was fun, and I learned a lesson; pay attention to the small signs on the AA highway of life.”