Monday

July 21, 2014

 

Smart Bears, Angry Rats

Making do   150 years from now

The march ended at Immaculate Conception.  The church itself sat too close to Brush Creek and had been abandoned.  The steep banks of the creek had made spotting rat gatherings difficult.  Twice rats had rushed worshippers after Mass. 

Instead, the third floor of the old convent across the street was used for church services.  The fourth floor had been converted into a dining hall. 

The marchers gathered on the fourth floor for a pancake breakfast.  The 'pork' sausage was mostly venison. The flour used to make the pancakes was half wheat and half dried cattail.  Nobody seemed to mind.  Someone had brought real maple syrup.    

 

Today I will be grateful for people who know how to make the best of a bad situation

g-NAts

Bradley and Stalin

Tan Man told the group he was done at the end of the week.  I told him he could do a lot of good for his fellow recovering addicts.

"How so?" he asked.

"It's all about leadership," I said.  "Bear with me, it's a little complicated.  Some leaders need only walk in front to have others follow.  Omar Bradley was that kind of general.  Some leaders need a threat to make them move.  Typically it’s the one threatening his people who builds the most statues of himself. Think Josef Stalin."

Hoodie looked at me intensely.  "I get it," he said.  "I do know what you mean."  He was clearly pleased with himself.   "The guy who's like Stalin doesn't threaten anyone with a gun, but he makes it clear not following his direction is a sure ticket to a relapse.  He doesn't build actual statues, but he dominates every conversation, and he needs people gathered around him."

Bob picked up the thread.  He turned to Mike and said, "Omar Bradley is like the guy at our Wednesday night NA, meeting.  The one with the scars who sits there quietly until someone asks him a question.  That man has been through it all, but he's as happy and calm as anybody I've ever met.  And wise.  He's so wise."

Tan Man said, "I don't see how that's me."

"No dude," Hoodie said, "that's you. You're Omar."  The rest of the group agreed.  Tan Man was the type of quiet leader that good groups depended on.

Today I will be grateful for those who set good examples, who quietly lead.

Freebies

This week's freebie is the Kindle version of Hauling it to the Curb: Cleaning up your life in early recovery, available at  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

 

 

To read Kindle books on a PC or Mac, you can download a free app at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000426311

 

 

Upcoming

Burnout: Clinical, Ethical, & Supervisory Issues
September 12, 2014 at Greenbriar-Robinson
9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m
$30 payable in advance, at the door, or by invoice after the training

This three hour training is accredited for:

• Addiction Counselors by the Pa. Certification Board
• CRCs  by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification # 11938191652 and 11938191653 (one hour Ethics portion)
• Counselors by NAADAC #477 and NBCC #6352
• EAPs by the Employee Assistance Certification Commission
• Social Workers by the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work.

To register, simply respond by email to Ken Montrose at kmontrose@greenbriar.net.