South By Sobriety
Thousands flock to Vancouver BC for recovery fellowship convention
To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button below:
Play That Funky Music
Last night here in Vancouver I attended a block party that opened the 2025 International Convention of the recovery fellowship that I’ve belonged to for 40 years.
As a friend and I joined the throngs at the Convention Center, a hot band was blasting one of my favorite songs into the evening. I’m guessing there were several thousand of us moving enough to sway the concrete patio overlooking a coastal inlet with geese and seagulls overhead and seaplanes landing next to container ships.
Just like South By Southwest, which brings tens of thousands of tech geeks to Austin each spring, the International Convention floods the streets of the host city with participants wearing lanyards and name tags. We are from everywhere, and we have something in common.
Last night I saw people from Brazil, Houston, Seattle, Las Vegas, Langley BC, and Mill City CA. I didn’t see anyone else from Ocean Park, Maine. But I doubt I’m the only one who traveled 2,600 miles yesterday from PWM to YVR.
Our Airbnb condo on the 41st floor offers views of city, water, mountains, and sky a 10-minute walk from the convention center and BC Place, home of the Vancouver Whitecaps, where the “Opening Flag Ceremony and Big Meeting” will be held tonight at 8.
More than 30,000 people attended South by Southwest Interactive this year. I’ve seen estimates of attendance at the International Convention ranging from 30,000 to more than 40,000.
I feel a SXSW-level of overwhelm today as I begin navigating the jam-packed schedule of events. My plan was to attend one at 9 a.m. titled “Freedom Through Acceptance.” By the time I reached Room 220 in the West building, volunteers wearing handsome salmon-colored shirts were turning people away. No more room.
In truth, I wasn’t ready yet to dive into the flow. I smiled to myself as I practiced acceptance and settled into a comfy chair by huge windows. I meditated for 10 minutes and then found the Media Room, where fellowship representatives help journalists to cover the event without jeopardizing the anonymity of participants.
I brought my pickleball shoes to Vancouver, the better for walking around. But my feet already hurt, and there weren’t any scooters available to rent when I checked earlier. I’m on the waiting list, practicing the freedom of acceptance.
Vancouver, Washington, or Vancouver, BC?