Term Lesson

I went to World Service Business Conference as a new delegate, with excitement and some fear. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew I was there to give service, but I was afraid I wouldn’t get enough downtime. (I have to balance my need for downtime against a tendency to isolate.) Balance was my motto for the week, but HP had a new lesson for me to learn about accepting life on life’s terms.

My days were filled with OA meetings, workshops, and business meetings. Everyone was so welcoming, and any questions I had were welcomed with helpful answers. I was matched with a mentor, and we hit it off on my first day and developed a friendship. I also met and befriended other Region One delegates.

The first few days, I worked hard to keep my goal of balance in place. The high altitude played havoc with my system, and I found myself getting to bed early and sleeping very heavily. On the third day, I learned that life goes on while WSBC is happening when I received heartbreaking news from one of my daughters. My motherly instinct kicked in, and I wanted to rush home to comfort her. But taking life on life’s terms meant accepting that I was there and she was in Oregon. The only good part was this: If I had to receive bad news while away from home, I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive place to be than with 199 recovering OA members. This experience opened me up to trust that HP was in control and to believe that I was there for a reason.

As the week rolled along and the meetings and workshops got more interesting, my hotel room turned into the gathering place for lunch, dinner, and evening conversation. My normal need for downtime diminished as I became involved with chat, debates, and merrymaking. My normal introverted patterns were challenged, and a part of me I don’t often show emerged. I was having fun despite losing my downtime.

“Unless I accept life completely on life’s terms, I cannot be happy” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed., p. 417). I’d always thought that “life’s terms” in this phrase referred to negative things happening, but my lesson at WSBC taught me that “life’s terms” is whatever HP is giving me at the moment. That week gave me opportunities to make friendships, discuss opinions, and have experiences from which I normally would have shied away. It also gave me opportunities to laugh and enjoy the company of others outside of my usual isolating patterns. I followed my HP’s prompting to let loose and learn lessons that come with being social. And I learned there are gifts to gain in getting out of my comfort zone and truly being part of a group.

I am grateful for the opportunity to give service to OA through WSBC, and I am grateful to HP for giving me so many fun lessons while doing it.

— Kym, Portland, Oregon USA