Bagels and AA

The week following a three-day weekend is always awesome because the work week is only four days instead of five. That one extra day of freedom really adds a lot to helping balance work/life. Because this was my week to attend an AA meeting for my psych clinical, I actually had Tuesday off, as well! The AA group we were to attend only meets on Thursdays so while that meant I had a super long Thursday ahead of me, I much preferred it. I spent my Tuesday getting a bunch of work done while I baked. This time I tried to make bagels, and they actually came out pretty well. They certainly don't look perfectly shaped, but I'm pretty sure they have the right consistency and taste how they're supposed to. I believe it was a success.

The AA group we attended was an open meeting and to tell you the truth, the people there were pretty awesome. I know everyone's heard this a million times, but substance addiction truly does not discriminate - present at the meeting was such a wide range of ages (from younger than me to older than my grandparents), many races, both genders, and all socioeconomic statuses (from homeless or living with parents to doctors and lawyers). The people there were both kind and friendly as well as hilarious. I found out about all kinds of services members perform to either give back or to help their own - I was very impressed at what a wonderful organization they have. Substance abuse is one of the mental illnesses we encounter often in the healthcare setting and it is great to know there are people out there in recovery from their own addiction that are available and willing to drop everything in order to help someone else.

Because the group didn't get out until late and I had to be in Richmond again early on Friday, I spent the night in the city at one of Chris' friend's houses. Unfortunately, the hair brush I've been using for more years than I can remember to count finally broke in two while I was there. It was a great brush because it was so small, but it was practically impossible to use afterwards so I just left my hair in a ponytail all day. I think this is a sign that I need to get a haircut.