>Satan Complains God Isn't Fair
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>Satan was complaining bitterly to God: "You made the world so that it was not fair."
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>And God said, "Yes."
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>"And you made it so that most people would have to struggle every day, fight against their innate wishes and desires, and deal with all sorts of losses, grief, disasters, and catastrophes."
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>And God said, "Yes."
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>"Yet people worship and adore you. People fight, get arrested, and cheat each other, and I get blamed, even when it is not my fault."
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>And God said, "Uh huh. So?"
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>"Sure, I'm evil, but give me a break. Can't you do something to make them stop blaming me?"
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>And so God created lawyers.

Everyone likes lawyer jokes. (Even lawyers -- the back page of an industry newsletter consists of lawyer jokes). And you can't get in trouble for telling them.

One of my favorites is "Last night it was so cold here I saw a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets." Have also heard a version where it's a politician instead of a lawyer.

Speaking of Satan, there was a new guy at the AA meeting the other day. He had relapsed after 3 years sober. He had thought he was cured and didn't need to go to meetings any more. Whoops. He spoke for quite a while and it was moving for the most part. The part I didn't like was him saying Satan had gotten inside of him and made him drink. That was literally his explanation: the devil made me do it. I encouraged him, along with everyone else, but had to bite my tongue about that part.

To my surprise, I enjoy going to the meetings. You get to know people over time, some of them probably not people I would otherwise meet. As is said at the beginning of every meeting, the only thing we have in common is a desire to stop drinking. When someone suddenly stops coming you worry that they may be "out there" again. There is one woman I like a lot -- she had a mini-relapse 3 weeks ago, right before I did -- who has not shown up for a week and a half or so. I am concerned about her. She is very smart and self aware, and she is fighting hard against her addiction. Right now it may be more than she can fight off. One thing I have realized is that, relatively speaking, I am not so bad off. I am almost always sober now and most days I am not even tempted to drink. For others it is much harder. They have to fight it every day, every hour.

Sorry for going on like that. I guess if I'm going to blab about personal matters that are all disasters, I can blab about something that is going well. For now. I know I can never get complacent about it. "One day at a time." Even the members who have not drunk in years say they can't promise they won't drink tomorrow, only today.

One more lawyer joke, which you have probably already heard (and also has alternate versions): What do you call 500 lawyers at the bottom of Lake Michigan? A good start.