Gottalife

I am sitting in an airport in northern Thailand, just reflecting on how many door opened to me when I went to AA and adopted the AA way of life.

I was 22 and my life was over. No school qualifications, no job, no money, no family or friends, no future ( I thought), and all my possessions in two plastic rubbish bags. What has happened since then? A few highlights...

A career?
I got a job at the university. The head of department kindly got my work recognized so I could complete my engineering apprenticeship.

I joined a large company as a sales trainee, and progressed to be one of their top three salesmen, with the best territory in the country. Then I was promoted to a management role. Something about this job for a young fella, I got to tear round on bush roads like a rally driver, in a company car! What fun!

Many years later I returned to the corporate world to become a national manager for an engineering based company.

Self employment?

I left the sales job to run my own business with my soon to be wife. It was a restaurant. Had lots of fun, learnt heaps, but didn't make a lot of money.

Later started a different kind of business which still does well. Sold half of it to my business partner, whom God sent along, and now I get to travel the world.

A family of my own? Got married after a few years sober, to a beautiful non alcoholic woman, in the court a yard of our restaurant. We had two beautiful children, a boy and a girl. Sadly she was taken from us before the children had grown up. I was able to be a good father and husband through all of that.

Dreams?

I always had this dream of sailing the Pacific. I got my first little cruising yacht at about two years sober, and have mostly had some kind of boat ever since. Now I am living my dream.

Travel?

I had always been interested in travel to Asia and the pacific islands. I have been living mostly in Malaysia for the past year. In a few minutes I will rendezvous with my partner and friends, and we will be off on a motor bike ride through northern Thailand and along the border with Myanmar. Really good bike roads in the mountains.

These are just a few of the wonderful things that have come my way, since I worked those steps and tried to get my will in line with Gods will.

I have to give God all the credit. He has done a pretty good job with a young man who once thought a grotty smelly bar was the center of the universe. This sobriety business has turned out to be a really good deal.