Thursday
August 28, 2014

Life on Life's Terms

In an instant

I wasn't surprised seeing Julie back in treatment.  Seeing Smiley shocked me.  Smiley was nicknamed "Smiley" for being so happily sober – clueless – but happy and sober.

"Smiley, what happened?" I asked.  "You had three years sober."

"I shouldn't be here.  David from AA sold me out."

"Smiley, what happened?" I asked again.

"I did him a favor watching his dog, Celly.  When I went looking for Celly's treats, I found a giant bottle of vanilla extract.  David sold me out."

"Smiley," I said, "please tell me how you got here."

"I tasted the extract, and really liked it.  So, I made myself a glass of vanilla milk.  I didn't know it had alcohol."

"Smiley, you're an FDA chemist!  You know what's in everything.  Cut the crap and tell me what happened."

"Sheesh Ken, relax!  When David got home he accused me of being drunk.  He offered to drive me home.  I told him I wasn't drunk, but he threatened to call the police if I drove."

"Why didn't he just take your keys?"

"Because I found his gun hidden in the cabinet over his microwave.  Do you know what he did when I left?"

"He called the police," I said.

"He sold me out.  He called the police.  Now I've got some trumped up gun charges, and a bogus DUI."

I was amazed at how far and how fast Smiley had fallen.  Bye, bye career with a federal agency.  Hello potential felony conviction and loss of driving privileges.  He was living an insurance company ad showing how a disaster changes someone's life in an instant.  Smiley's instant started when he tasted the extract.

Today I will be grateful for all the instant catastrophes I've avoided.

Life on Life's Terms (c) 2014 by Ken Montrose

Upcoming

Burnout: Clinical, Ethical, & Supervisory Issues
September 12, 2014 at Greenbriar-New Kensington
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.

Other Blogs

AArdvarks, a daily messages blog about a group of young people in recovery can be found at: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/6895618-rope-tricks.

Smart Bears, Angry Rats

Room for one more?  75 Years from now

The Caller had literally kicked Sammy's cat into the street.   A week later, bruised, tired, and starving, the cat collapsed in the bushes of Apple Tree Park, between the pickle ball courts and the soccer fields. 

Most of the Trevoors, a family of eight, were watching Mary and Melvin Trevoor play their very first soccer game.  Two of the other four children were catching grasshoppers when they stumbled upon the cat.

"We have three dogs, an iguana, and a rabbit," Mr. Trevoor said.  "We don't need another animal."

"Absolutely Freakin' NOT!" Mrs. Trevoor said.

Sammy's cat, whom the Trevoors named "Skinny," lived with them for five years before he died peacefully in his sleep.

Today I will applaud the people who always make room for one more.

Smart Bears, Angry Rats (c) 2014 by Ken Montrose