I went to university to study addiction - to become a Drug and Alcohol Counselor. I thought that the 12 Steps for Alcoholics Anonymous would be contained for addiction recovery. HA! Turns out it applies to Life. Every Day Life. And life as a B&B proprietor, a hostess? Yes, that too. Amazing.
This evening, as I prepared our dining room for a French lesson group, I was also preparing for B&B guests to arrive and a 4 course dinner. We admitted we were powerless...oh yeah, over How Do I Pull This Off and our lives had become unmanageable...double oh yeah, this is feeling unmanageable.
So. Step Two. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. That is exactly what I need, sanity! I'm dashing around the house doing waaaay too many things at the same time and feeling a wee bit of insanity and looking for that Power greater than me...help! The doorbell rings and my Hostess with the Mostess self kicks in, Hello Group and oh Hello B&B guests and oh my goodness now what?! I have to juggle 'you lot' (I love British jargon!) with ease and pleasantries and yes, that gorgeous bouquet of flowers from B&B guests DOES help!
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Amen. I'm arranging the flowers, making tea and arranging cookies on a plate...thinking about the 4 course meal ahead, it's all going to be fine, right? Get that dinner going now for B&B guests!
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Not exactly, but I did check and double check the dinner to do list. Sort of an inventory, yes? And I did manage to eavesdrop a bit on the French group. (not very moral, but what the heck)
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Well, I did admit to B&B guests that all was rather hectic at the moment and not exactly right for entry into their B&B stay and I might have said Oh gawd a couple of times. oops.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. I was ready to have something remove tea from the dining room and replace with 4 course dinner. I was looking for an instant fix. For sure and Ready.
Humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings. Remind me not to do this again! Humble?
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Did I harm anyone this evening? Probably not. But, if I had to repeat this evening on a regular basis it is highly likely someone would be harmed. Dreadful.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Note to self: do not schedule hosting more than one social event at a time. Amends to self, hmmmm.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Yep, right-o and prompt-o, this was not a good thing to do. Yikes, wrong wrong wrong.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Did I mention saying oh god a few times?
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Voila! Here is the message: Do not host or entertain two different groups of people at the same time. Not good. Or all that easy. I did it, yes, and actually I didn't complain. (much). My name is Pam and I am a Hostess...
