This I Believe

I believe in coming back–and finishing commitments. I believe I need to “keep coming back”. “Keep coming back” — this phrase should sound familiar to anyone in AA, NA, or similar groups. I first encountered, and began to respect this philosophy of coming back behind the door of AA. I was told repeatedly to come back to the meetings, come back to listen, come back to share. In the process of coming back, I developed relationships and established personal accountability through making commitments. I owe everything I have learned and things I will be able to learn to these inimical programs, and coming back. Even though this concept is deeply rooted in AA, it extends beyond, into other realms of life. Most important to me, I have realized that I need to come back to my emotions, emotions I chose to sweep under the rug to forget. In arguments, this is especially important. Sometimes I need to walk away and calm down, but I need to come back to process my anger and finish the fight. Leaving issues unresolved is devastating not only to me but to everyone who is exposed to my anger and hurricane of emotions. By resolving issues and emotions, I am able to move forward, to re-establish my thoughts and relationships. Coming back to and finishing commitments are cathartic for me. It has helped me organize myself and allowed me to be responsible. Commitments have given me the ability to be responsible to others and myself. I think everyone can benefit from the simple idea of coming back – whether it is coming back to work, coming back home from college, coming back to your family, or just coming back to meetings. And with that said, I will keep coming back.