“What’s your sign?” was the great pick-up line in my day. To keep the patter going, we all knew our Zodiac signs. Like I understood a thing or two, I would tell you in deep cabernet intonations, “Triple Scorpio and proud of it.” Today in AA when I think of signs, what comes to mind are our old-fashioned, beat up, 8 by 12 laminated posters scattered around the walls of my home group, the Cabin. Inscribed in some sort of Edwardian script, they take a while for newcomers’ blurred eyes to home in on, much less comprehend their intent.
But For The Grace Of God, One Day At A Time, Easy Does It1. How could any of these save a person from drinking? Little by little, each sign has come to enter my heart in ways both wonderful and miraculous. I love, “But For The Grace Of God.” Grace is defined as an undeserved gift. Because I go with, “If it were about justice, I’d be dead,” I know grace, that undeserved gift, brought sobriety and keeps me sober today.
One Day At A Time. So helpful when we want to be well by yesterday. Realizing life truly is lived one day at a time, Easy Does It comes naturally. We can relax and take it easy. When traveling two miles into a forest, it takes two miles to return. With many years of drinking behind us, it takes a while for healing to take place. We look for progress not perfection.2
Now we come to another sign not previously listed. An important one, always found in meetings, is the Exit sign. In my newcomer days, the Exit sign was by my best friend. By sitting in the back of the room, looking for the Exit sign usually posted next to a big clock on the wall, I could figure out when to leave early thanks to that sign.
With time, as with so many things in AA, the Exit sign proves to be one of our more valuable assets. Through this vehicle we take the principles we learn out into the world. It is not enough to hole up in AA meetings. Our program flourishes when we move forward and outward.
We form our future on the foundational principles of the Program. The cornerstone and the keystone are building blocks for a better tomorrow. “Upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built.3 With the keystone in place we create “the new and triumphant arch through which we pass to freedom at last.”4
The Exit sign comes to mean more than arriving late and leaving early. Initially my seat was near the Exit sign to leave early. Now this cat bird seat allows me to follow that early-leaving newcomer out into the parking lot for some good, old-fashioned fellowship – another sign this individual is loved and cared for; a lifeline to not leave in a huff but to stay the course.
The last person to leave discovers opportunities to take on more signs, like signing up for set-up, clean up, or greeter. By signing up, we find more chances to share our experience strength and hope with newcomers. Alone no longer, we can travel through the Exit together. Now that’s a Great Sign!