9/6

Hi,


Bill is sound asleep and snoring while I try and catch up on all my correspondence. It is a lovely sunny day here in palm tree country. We will be here in Ventura for a few days and I hope to be able to find a meeting. I made it to a lovely women's meeting our last night in Santa Barbara. It was good for me to be there amidst a dozen sober women. Most were very new in sobriety if not new to the program. Seems most came from an area halfway house and once again i found myself as one of the "old timers" in the room. That always helps me put my problems and concerns in perspective. I can so easily forget the dark times I had as I struggled my way back into recovery. Treatment center number 4, lock down psych ward number one.

I remember the sound of the door locking and the heavy jangle of keys on the woman's wrist who accompanied me to my room. The bed was a plastic coated mattress on a cement platform. The curtains we perpetually closed and "locked" down so that no one could manage to kill themselves with the drapery. I still smoked then and I needed to wait in line to get a smoke and then stand in the "courtyard" waiting in line for a light since i obviously wasn't in any shape to hold my own lighter. I hadn't thought of that for a long time.

Being here listening to the music wafting from the yacht club party is way better. When i spoke at the meeting I shared that my life was currently so good that I almost felt bad sharing it with the ones in the room who were struggling so. But I could confidently share with them that if they tried to imagine how much better and different their lives will be if they are patient and wait for the miracle they will undoubtedly short change the true possibilities.

I hope you are all well and enjoying the fall....always my favorite time back home. Write any time. I love to hear about how the rest of you are getting through life.

Love, kat