Vocatus Atque non Vocatus Deus Aderit | Deo Duce, Ferro Comitante | Vox Populi, Vox Dei

The World Needs Less Junior Therapists and More Spiritual Mentors
Life is not Relative – There Are Absolute Rights, and Absolute Wrongs

Monday, November 23, 2009

On Top of the World, Ma! | 上 浮世 | Orbis Terrarum est Vestri

THE GATEWAY TO EVERYWHERE







GLORIOUS GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL


     'Twas another wonderful day today – started the day working out at the newest flagship Equinox, then meandered over to Grand Central Station just to eat a hot dog. Boy – do I miss the cosmopolitan vibe that place exudes! My heart starts pumping adrenalin just looking at it. Even on a Sunday, there were hundreds of trains, stuffed with passengers departing and arriving from hither and yon. Glorious!  Even after a hundred years of dedicated service, it stilll makes the heart soar.

     After a satisfying and wholesome meal at the new Whole Foods on Columbus Avenue and 97th Street (yeah!), I made it over to my last home group in NYC – the 96th St. Workshop 10:00 PM Traditions meeting. Just the act of walking in that room made me feel safe and protected. Not only are the Steps and Traditions proudly displayed on the wall and life sized, people actually talked about the steps and work the Traditions, just like in – you know, Alcoholics Anonymous.  Perhaps it's because it's in the basement of a church that this group refrains from profanity and treat's each other with respect - the jury is still out on that one for me.  But the Tradition's have a lot to do with it, I am sure.

     Tonight’s topic was on the importance and necessity of our 11th tradition, a subject upon which I have had a lot of exposure to of late. There was a time for many years whenever I was asked to do a conference or a recorded interview I’d use my first name and last initial, and now I realize that even that is not in the spirit of our 11th tradition. If I am being recorded for release at the level of press, radio and film (are we ever going to address the internet as a fellowship?), I am simply John Doe from any town, USA. This has now come front and center in my life as I have been asked to speak at a certain state convention and I had to be very clear about this – if my voice is to be recorded, I am John Doe and that’s that.

     On a sad note, my sponsor is going into St. Vincent’s hospital downtown for a very serious procedure in the moring tomorrow – at 90 years old, and ingrown toe nail removal is a serious procedure; please pray for him. If feels up to it, I shall be visiting him this weekend, at which time I’d like to get some recent pictures of he and I up on the site – I miss him so.

     Wednesday/Thursday it’s Thanksgiving in New Jersey at moms house, then on Friday I get to visit a lot of old friends at my old NJ home group down 'da shore, the Atlantic Highlands Big Book Study Group. Lot’s of folks there I miss, especially Pastor George upstairs. 

     I'm kicking off Friday with a noon meeting at the Loft, then it's lunch with my old architecture teacher from Brooklyn Tech, Howard Falick, at Ichabods in Sea Brite.  Howard is a fellow Technite, class of '51, and holds over 100 Aerospace and Architechural patents.  In fact, as an architect he interned with Frank Lloyd Wright, and as an aerospace engineer, he worked with Scotty Crossfield at Bell to break Mach 2, then went on to design the heat shield for the Apollo Command module.  I REALLY MISS talking to intelligent people, because it's only when you talk to people that are smarter than you that you learn.  Howard has been my teacher since 1977 and I love him for it.

May I one day have the ability to affect another human being's life the way my sponsor and Howard have impacted mine.  If it weren't for God, these two men and Alcholics Anonymous, I'd be dead or barely alive and dumb - very, very dumb.  I am so grateful for the teachers God has put in my life;  there's nothing wrong in being uneducated in my opinion, but it takes a real moron to be proud to be dumb.

God bless us all, every one.

COG, 1st Cl.

3 comments:

  1. D -

    When you coming out to Queens?

    -TT

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting - and yet on your site you recommend speaker tapes from Chris R. and Bob D. Perhaps you meant to reference speakers John D. and John D.? We could probably go to the speakers site and as them to do a global replace of all their speakers of FirstName->John, LastName->D.?

    Might want to work on this one a little bit...

    Blessings and aloha....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ed-

    Your point is well taken - and don't think I haven't agonzied on this one a lot. Their name and even the site reference is off.

    Thanksf for the guidance.

    COG, 1st CL

    ReplyDelete

Welcome as a witness to a fools journey out of the darkness. I welcome all tidings - you are all my teachers on this path toward a meaningful and purposeful sobriety.

COG, 1st Cl.