The Waiting is the Hardest Part

I caught a ride from my AA meeting to my DUI class. It's all about alcoholism today. Some people go to church on Sundays. I work on not ever picking up another drink.

At any rate, I have about 45 minutes before class begins, so I'm just hanging out outside. Goes without saying that I wait around a lot more than I did when I could drive. Wait at bus stops. Wait at Starbucks if I'm early, or late, to the bus stop. For some reason, the dogs have been waking me up in the night to go outside, so I wait half asleep in the doorway for them to come back in. (this has nothing to do with losing my license, but it has coincided with that event, so sometimes it feels related).

Last week I waited at the courthouse to set up a payment plan for my fine, and then waited again to meet with the substance abuse assessment counselor. The thing I'm waiting for is not usually unpleasant. In fact, the counselor practically gave me a gold star for being in recovery already. It was nice to hear, and I'm glad I saved us both the trouble of him trying to convince me to get some help.

These DUI classes aren't too bad either. There's a feeling of camaraderie. They remind me a bit of high school. There are class clowns, pretty girls, jocks. Lots of rules, too. Your cellphone has to be off. Can't even vibrate or you get kicked out for the day and pay 25 bucks to reschedule. No tank tops, no mini skirts, no shower shoes. You can wear flip flops, but I'm at a loss to understand the difference between flip flops and shower shoes. Wear the prohibited item and you're out. No food, no beverages, except water in it's original water bottle. Don't be late, or they'll lock you out and you pay $25 to reschedule. The whole thing has a bit of an army bootcamp feel. I don't mind it so much. What I do mind is that to get here on my own steam, I have to take two buses. The irony of this nags at me. Really? It couldn't m
be on a major bus line? Or is this part of an effort to make life such a pain in the ass that we'll never drink and drive again?

I'd better go in now. Eight minutes left, and I don't want to be late.