The man in the glass
Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 7:16 pmAt first I was thinking of "Truth coming back to haunt you" as a title but ...
I didn't ok ? shoot me .
Twenty years or so ago , in yet another "attempt" of recovery , without realizing I was just talking the talk and playing the game under the ever watchful hawk eyes of my then-to-be-now-late sponsor in the halls of AA . One day he walked right up to me (I guess he had gotten tired of masquerade) and said "Kid ? When're you gona come to your senses ? " And handed me this note and said "Not here , not now , when you get home before going to bed read this "
The words just went right to the bone and I promptly commenced to getting drunk for I could not face the truth in them , but however , the ever defiant person in me in one of my drunken stupors decided to etch the darned thing on a mirror and take it to the meeting hall and "donate" it to the group , never to return to it again ... until that is today in an attempt to make amends to the group in memory of Jake , for I had continuously and adamantly refused speaking engagements for that group (holding a grudge) . Not even two minutes in the hall , still getting my tea , tap on the shoulder and "vahn , it'll be an honor to hear you speak for us today" , "Uhh ... yea .. but .. who's your chairperson.. ? " ...Ten minutes later I'm at the podium (there went my get there late no one would notice idea) . Looking up , straight across the hall on the opposite wall I saw my mirror , still hanging there after 20+ years and what I thought was a sloppy job I had done , for there was some sort of a haze around the lettering , and my heart sank to the point I had to ask the group for a full two minutes of silence in memory of Jake before I started (buying time to regroup ok ?)
When you get what you want in your struggles for life
and the world makes you a king for a day ,
Just go to a mirror and look at yourself
and see what that man has to say .
For it isn't your father , mother or wife
Who's judgement upon you must pass,
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
is the one staring back from the glass .
Some people may say you're a straight-shooting chum
and call you a wonderful guy ,
But the man in the galass says you're only a bum
if you cant look him straight in the eye.
He's the fellow to please never mind all the rest
for he's to be with you clear to the end ,
and you've past your most dangerous ,difficult test
if the man in the glass is your friend .
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of life
and get pats on your back as you pass ,
But your final reward will be heartaches , tears and strife
If you've cheated the man in the glass .
Afterwards I walked up to the group secretary and asked if I could take the mirror home with me to repair the haze and clean it up , he said "What haze ? "
I walked up closer , someone had etched Jesus's face around the lettering positioning the eyes right in the center of it where they'll look you straight in the eye as you read them . At the bottom right corner it said "For vahn , may he find his way back " signed Jake !
I didn't ok ? shoot me .
Twenty years or so ago , in yet another "attempt" of recovery , without realizing I was just talking the talk and playing the game under the ever watchful hawk eyes of my then-to-be-now-late sponsor in the halls of AA . One day he walked right up to me (I guess he had gotten tired of masquerade) and said "Kid ? When're you gona come to your senses ? " And handed me this note and said "Not here , not now , when you get home before going to bed read this "
The words just went right to the bone and I promptly commenced to getting drunk for I could not face the truth in them , but however , the ever defiant person in me in one of my drunken stupors decided to etch the darned thing on a mirror and take it to the meeting hall and "donate" it to the group , never to return to it again ... until that is today in an attempt to make amends to the group in memory of Jake , for I had continuously and adamantly refused speaking engagements for that group (holding a grudge) . Not even two minutes in the hall , still getting my tea , tap on the shoulder and "vahn , it'll be an honor to hear you speak for us today" , "Uhh ... yea .. but .. who's your chairperson.. ? " ...Ten minutes later I'm at the podium (there went my get there late no one would notice idea) . Looking up , straight across the hall on the opposite wall I saw my mirror , still hanging there after 20+ years and what I thought was a sloppy job I had done , for there was some sort of a haze around the lettering , and my heart sank to the point I had to ask the group for a full two minutes of silence in memory of Jake before I started (buying time to regroup ok ?)
When you get what you want in your struggles for life
and the world makes you a king for a day ,
Just go to a mirror and look at yourself
and see what that man has to say .
For it isn't your father , mother or wife
Who's judgement upon you must pass,
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
is the one staring back from the glass .
Some people may say you're a straight-shooting chum
and call you a wonderful guy ,
But the man in the galass says you're only a bum
if you cant look him straight in the eye.
He's the fellow to please never mind all the rest
for he's to be with you clear to the end ,
and you've past your most dangerous ,difficult test
if the man in the glass is your friend .
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of life
and get pats on your back as you pass ,
But your final reward will be heartaches , tears and strife
If you've cheated the man in the glass .
Afterwards I walked up to the group secretary and asked if I could take the mirror home with me to repair the haze and clean it up , he said "What haze ? "
I walked up closer , someone had etched Jesus's face around the lettering positioning the eyes right in the center of it where they'll look you straight in the eye as you read them . At the bottom right corner it said "For vahn , may he find his way back " signed Jake !
