In November of 2020, I posted this question on Facebook…

“If I’m sitting in a left turn only lane, why do I need to turn on my left blinker?”

At the time, it didn’t seemed logical to me to use my left turn blinker when I’m sitting in a lane that the only thing you can do is turn left. Well, here are some of the responses I got from my friends to this question:

• “Because you’ll get a ticket if you don’t.” (Texas)
• “Because it’s the law. I prefer to be courteous to other drivers and pedestrians by confirming my intent.”
• “Signal intentions in advance to let others know what you are doing.”
• “It’s stating your intent. Yes, you “can” only turn left, but I’ve seen drivers not follow through.”
• “You can never be too safe.”

I was in the car driving last night and that conversation came to my mind as I was pulling onto a ramp to enter a highway…. thinking about letting others know my intentions, I signaled with my left blinker to let oncoming traffic know I was entering the highway – and guess what? They moved out of my way to allow me to safely merge into oncoming traffic.

The next thought I had was, “My life in A.A. is really no different than that.” When I first came into the Fellowship, I wasn’t all that sure I was an alcoholic and wasn’t all that sure I needed to be here. By just showing up, I sent some kind of message that I either wanted to be there or I needed to be there. Folks were nice enough and welcomed me. But the moment I set an intention on actually getting serious about our program of action, things started happening – people started really stepping up to help me.

• The moment I made the decision to get a sponsor, I had a man say yes to me and he helped lay a great foundation to the program I know today.
• The moment I raised my hand at group conscience and said yes to a service commitment at my home group, I let people know I wanted to get to know them and too give back.
• The moment I made myself available for District and Area service positions, I signaled to the body that I was ready to go deeper in service and learn more about the Traditions and the Concepts (and how 12th Step work is made possible).

It’s been my experience after over 3 decades of being active in A.A. that when I let people know what my intentions are, from out of nowhere I have people lining up to help me. Whether it be that when I put it out into the Universe, the Universe conspires to assist me – or – whether it’s simply letting a group of drunks step up and help me become a better man – the moment I set an intention and follow through, my life begins to change.

From “Acceptance Was The Answer” (pg. 417) – “I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.” The moment I change my attitude and make the decision (set the intention) of taking action, I begin the process of growing into the man God put me on this Earth to be. Signaling my intentions in advance to let others know what I’m doing has proven to be the best way to get the help I need and to remember that I cannot do this alone.