Day Three

I'm home now, but had a great time and no time to blog further while there. Every minute was something new to do, a meeting to go to, a walk along the San Antonio Riverwalk, or a new restaurant to check out. As I get older, I find myself more distanced from NA, at least here in Missouri where most of the newcomers are crack or meth addicts and much, much younger (the courts drag them in young these days!).

I'm always a little concerned about how addicts in large groups will behave, recalling how badly I did in early recovery. I remember once at a regional convention in Denver we were in a hotel that was shaped like a pyramid, with staggered balconies. I talked a friend of mine, Mike, into lobbying an M-80 off my balcony onto another balcony above of a friend from Arizona, Michael U, to wake him up because he had an early flight to catch.

Unbeknownst to us, his door was open and the M80 hit the end of his bed and about scared him into a heart attack. We were laughing uproariously when my phone rang in my room. "God loves you, Nancy," Mike said, furiously, "I'm trying to."

But World is the top of the food chain addicts, generally speaking, because it costs a bit to get there and register and stay in the pricey hotels. The behavior, I'm saying without trying to sound like a snob, was awesome. Everywhere we went in San Antonio in the downtown, there were addicts with their name tags and smiles and hugs. There was so much love in the air, it was infectious. The people of San Antonio, the drivers who shuttled us, the convention center employees who served us volumes of coffee and snackies, everyone was awesome and friendly.

If you've never been to a World Convention, save $10 a week because in 2009, it's going to Barcelona, Spain. I hope to see you there. And a shout out to WSO employees and the members who made this possible--You did an awesome job! We thank you!