Last night I attended another outdoor NA event, despite the fact it had been raining all day and kept on raining through evening. The event was a three-day campout on a gorgeous countryside parkland preserve of swamp country, woodland, and rolling hills. Driving back there the road became increasingly primative, very rough, seemingly leading to nowhere. But at the end were a mass of parked vehicles, and beyond that, some 50+ tents, people wandering around in raincoats and under umbrellas, most crowded under tarps over picnic tables and open barbecues. I approached the main tent, looked around for anyone I knew, and seeing no-one, rounded the corner to return to my vehicle to depart. TOO crowded! Too many people in too tight an area. Had it been not poring rain it would have been easier to blend in and explore the park, but to stand under a tarp with people I'd never met, umm, no.
As I rounded the corner back to the parking area I heard a familiar voice call my name, the woman in charge of the Wed. night NA group I've attended the past three weeks. She offered me an umbrella, gently insisting I take it and come along with her, she'd introduce me to people. A social butterfly who knows EVERYONE and everyone knows her, she's been in NA for 11 years, one of those truly dedicated members who BELIEVES in that organization with every ounce of her body, soul, heart, and mind.
Over the course of the next hour I was introduced to some 30 people, listening to conversations amongst them but not saying much. These people know one another, some for many many years. I felt very much the newcomer that I was, but they welcome newcomers with open arms. Greetings were exchanged in a hug with every one. I must've given and received 50 hugs last night. I love it.
My tour guide host kept an eye on me the entire time, I think she recognized in full that given two seconds I'd be outta there, sneak out the back way through the woods, unnoticed. Not because I wanted to leave, but because of my social inadequacies and tendancy to seek escape (understood!) She introduced me to her mother, dog, and brother, all appreciably seated at the far rear corner of the main seating area.
The rain really picked up as the meeting started, which drew everyone in closer, closer still. Darn good thing I was at the far rear corner back to the open countryside, it was getting too tight for comfort. One of the speakers, a long time NA member I knew and the primary reason I attended this meeting, to hear him speak, took a seat at the table I was seated at. Between those two I wasn't getting away. And honestly didn't want to leave, having made it that far through social hour, the speakers were set to begin, and I very much do enjoy hearing good speakers address this subject of recovery. Motivational and encouraging to be sure.
Both speakers, powerfully moving. Each spoke for near 45 minutes, on the subject of hope, and support through the fellowship of NA, and how without it there's no way they could have, WE could have, recovered on our own. By the end of the meeting the rain had ended. I was first to depart after the meeting ended (most of them were camping for the night, it's a long drive to get there for most, but I live nearby and went home.) It was sunset, I needed to be able to back out of the long drive and still see the road, there was no way to turn around. Once out of the woods I could see far across the land, the post-rainstorm sunset more spectacularly colorful than words can describe, and a massive rainbow stretched clear across the sky, largest full rainbow I've seen in a very long while. Glad I attended. Good people all around. So encouraging to keep coming back, it works! I like moving in this direction of connectedness. The alternative option is always close in mind, but maybe I don't have to keep going there anymore.