little aa world

It's a cold, windy afternoon in Tulsa and I have minimal motivation to accomplish the task before me: to clear out the stuff in this house. In these pre-Christmas days, no one's buying much anyway. I hope the first quarter of 2010 is back to normal. Usually our best of the year in my business, 2009 was absolutely wretched, with sales in January, February, and March over 50% down from the year before. I am so ready to be done with this.

So why write at all? Why not snuggle with the puppies under the blanket, drink more coffee, and read one of the good books I've got going? Because Mike just called from Mexico and his news filled me with such joy that it had to come out. It's such a little thing, but I'll take joy anywhere I can get it these dark days of winter.

What was it? What lifted my heart and made me laugh out loud? When I was in Yucatan two weeks ago, we sat down with a carpenter and worked up plans for doors and windows for our little house. The carpenter was great. Very warm and gracious. He took us to his shop where he works magic with rudimentary tools. We liked the plans, so as usual, we are casting aside all recommendations and putting in hardwood windows and doors rather than the more practical aluminum.

Aluminum won't rust and it looks good and it's reasonably inexpensive. But wood. Wood just feels right, and I know it will take more maintenance, but I think of the cedar-shingled houses of Nantucket which have stood for years in the salt spray, and I think we'll get by. I'll be retired, after all. A little house work won't kill me.

So the windows are in. Mike called to tell me they look incredible. He actually said "incredible," my calm, steady husband, the one not prone to superlatives, the one who never gets overly excited. "Incredible."

And then within a few minutes he called back and he sounded incredible himself. Happy, laughing. What could it be? It's so simple, and it's hard to put into words if you haven't experienced it, but in the course of providing food and drinks for our hard working crew at the house, Mike discovered that our carpenter, who we both fell in love with, and the general contractor from Merida, are in AA.

Not just dabbling in AA. They're long time sober people with years under their tool belts. And there's a meeting just a few blocks from our house in Chuburna. Isn't it odd that I'm writing this at 27 years sober (thank You), sitting here with tears in my eyes, and a heart filled with gratitude, because a couple of guys 2000 miles away don't drink anymore?

I can't figure it out. Some of my favorite people drink a lot and it doesn't bother me one bit. Mike's been having a blast running all over the Yucatan peninsula with people who drink most of the time. I have no problem with folks who drink. My favorite people in the world are drunks.

But there's something about the idea that 2000 miles away, two other people felt the need to live differently, and we met them just by chance. And they were people that we were drawn to and liked a lot. And that just seems very, very cool and it makes me really happy. There's a little bit of old home waiting for me in my future home.

Oh, and even more happiness: I found 15 unapproved comments in this thing when I opened it up after a month. That made me happy, though I'm wondering how it went into approval mode. One of the mysteries of life, just like the way the Universe finds a way to connect AA people. And the way that connection fills a heart with joy.

And you? What's making you happy these days? Tell, please.