First meeting

This one small subject, my first trip to AA, feels so much larger/broader/deeper than my ability to capture it. I'll settle for trying to name some things that it was and was not.

It was not:

1. As hokey as I expected (though it was indeed hokey)

2. As grim as I expected. Not remotely.

It was:

1. Warm and welcoming in a shockingly generous way

2. Full of people who appeared weathered (to varying degrees) yet at peace

3. Much more punctuated with laughter than I expected. Also with swearing, yay.

4. Accessorized. I received a silver poker chip thingie to commemorate my first day of sobriety. Another will be forthcoming at day 30, and so on. A woman got her 12-year chip at this meeting, and another woman got her 23-year chip. A guy next to me got a 2-month chip. All very inspiring.

5. Protective. Four women pressed their phone numbers on me. I am invited to call and say hello, largely as practice for calling and saying that I want a fucking drink. Men don't give women their numbers, or vice versa, to avoid romantic creepiness.

6. Flexible on the "who is God?" stuff, generally, except for unfortunate usage of male pronouns in the literature.

I will go again tomorrow. Am now 24.5 hours sober, gosh golly gee. It must be bedtime.