Lookin' up.
I've had the most unusual, yet most amazing thing happen to me today.
Today, an old friend of mine asked me to start taking him to meetings (when I say meetings, I mean Alcoholics Anonymous meetings). This alone surprised me, but excited me. Now, later on in the day, he has asked me not only to take him to meetings and help him work his steps, but now he also is interested in Buddhism and the dharma. He wants me to teach him about Buddhism, and help him begin his dharma practice.
This is fucking amazing to me. I've been through drug and alcohol recovery for awhile now, but this is his first foray into the recovery process. Not to mention Buddhist practice, that I know of, since he asked me to teach him about it and get him started on his practice.
The reason this has impacted me so much and has excited me so much is because of the history this friend of mine and I share. This is a guy that for years I'd drank with, done drugs with, crashed in the street with, fought bums and boneheads and junkies and cops with, gotten fucked up at shows with...and now he's asking me, after all these years, to hlp him through recovery?
Somehow, I doubt he'll understand for some time what this means to me. I feel completely honoured, and yet completely humbled. I won't bullshit and say I'm not nervous...this is the first time anyone's ever asked me to take them to meetings, help them work the steps, and teach them about Buddhism and help them with their practice. Of course I'm worried about the impression I'll make, I'm worried he might not stick with it. But...that's all future guesswork, and should be best left to be background noise in my mind.
It makes me feel like all the right things are falling into place with my life. I've wanted this for so long...to be able to be of service to someone. I want to be able to help people who have this same need, who've undergone the same street routine that I have, that so many other people have, and now want help to find their way out of that lifestyle's darker aspects.
I'm taking him to a meeting tomorrow night. I'm sure I'll probably update more on this after that event.
I feel so...overjoyed.
Today, an old friend of mine asked me to start taking him to meetings (when I say meetings, I mean Alcoholics Anonymous meetings). This alone surprised me, but excited me. Now, later on in the day, he has asked me not only to take him to meetings and help him work his steps, but now he also is interested in Buddhism and the dharma. He wants me to teach him about Buddhism, and help him begin his dharma practice.
This is fucking amazing to me. I've been through drug and alcohol recovery for awhile now, but this is his first foray into the recovery process. Not to mention Buddhist practice, that I know of, since he asked me to teach him about it and get him started on his practice.
The reason this has impacted me so much and has excited me so much is because of the history this friend of mine and I share. This is a guy that for years I'd drank with, done drugs with, crashed in the street with, fought bums and boneheads and junkies and cops with, gotten fucked up at shows with...and now he's asking me, after all these years, to hlp him through recovery?
Somehow, I doubt he'll understand for some time what this means to me. I feel completely honoured, and yet completely humbled. I won't bullshit and say I'm not nervous...this is the first time anyone's ever asked me to take them to meetings, help them work the steps, and teach them about Buddhism and help them with their practice. Of course I'm worried about the impression I'll make, I'm worried he might not stick with it. But...that's all future guesswork, and should be best left to be background noise in my mind.
It makes me feel like all the right things are falling into place with my life. I've wanted this for so long...to be able to be of service to someone. I want to be able to help people who have this same need, who've undergone the same street routine that I have, that so many other people have, and now want help to find their way out of that lifestyle's darker aspects.
I'm taking him to a meeting tomorrow night. I'm sure I'll probably update more on this after that event.
I feel so...overjoyed.