desertsong

This was the topic in our AA meeting today and some really good stuff came out of it. We discussed how "different" we are from "normal" people in terms of the way we think, the way we deal with emotions, people, and life in general. It's always comforting to go to a meeting like that and know that I am not in this weirdness alone. I often wonder why I don't do or think the way others do ... well, surprise ... it's because I'm an alcoholic. We just seem to do things differently.

The best quote out of the meeting was one that has kept me laughing all day. A member shared that one reason alcoholics are so good at understanding each other and bonding with each other is because we're all residents of "The Island of Misfit Toys." Now I've got that song (from "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer") stuck in my head, which isn't terribly pleasant, but it is giving me some smiles as I go through my day. We've gotta laugh at ourselves sometimes or we'll all go even madder.

So, fellow misfits, just remember you aren't alone. We're all missing an arm, leg, spring, or cog somewhere, or our nose glows when it's not supposed to. But we've still got each other.

Sapling

Sounds like a good meeting DS....I would have liked to have been at that one.

desertsong

Yeah, Sapling, it was great. Lots of levity and lots of laughs - at ourselves and at each other - today. Just what I needed.

2granddaughters

And I have to keep going to the meetings because I forget those simple truths very quickly and start believing my old B.S. again.

Great post DS !!

All the best.

Bob R

HitRockBottom70

Desertsong,
Thanks for that. I certainly feel like I belong in the club. Is there an opening for one more?

Never quite have the right words to say, and never felt right in my own body. I think I was using alcohol to mask my feelings. 3 weeks sober and I still feel like a misfit, but at least I am a sober misfit. Learning to love myself and my life more each day that passes.

Mm1231xx

I love it! It's so true too lol Who else is proud to be a [recovering] misfit?!?!

totfit

I really think the only difference between "us" and "normal" people are the way we handle alcohol. We may go to meetings and get to know the idiosyncrasies that we each have, but we are still judging "normal" people by their "outsides".

ReadyAndAble

Cool post, DS. Thanks for that!

Someone—maybe Rumi or Gibran?—once said that everyone we meet is waging some great hidden battle. I suspect we live on a planet of misfit toys, and that people in recovery, like people in therapy, simply have a heightened awareness of our own weirdness...

Try replacing it "Holly Jolly Christmas" from the same show; it's a great rendition—and how can anyone not love Burl Ives?