Monday
September 22, 2014

Life on Life's Terms

Entitled

Smiley joined the group, looking even more upbeat than usual.

"You're looking happy," I said.

"I'm going to be rich," Smiley said.  "I found a lawyer who says I can sue the FDA, whether they fire me or not.  I can sue the union, but only if I'm fired."

I was stunned. "What?  Smiley, you were driving drunk with a stolen gun.  Do you really think the FDA should trust you with important research?  And maybe I'm missing something, but you're not a union member!"

"My guy says the FDA and the union caused my relapse by providing a stressful workplace.  He also said the union can be held accountable for not fighting my firing."

"That's crazy!" Kate said.  "You can't possibly win in court." 

"I don't have to win," Smiley said.  "My attorney says we just have to get them to settle out of court.  He's going to get me everything I'm entitled to."  He used the word 'entitled' as if it was synonymous with 'earned.'  He and Kate got into a long, heated, discussion about what 'entitled' really meant.  I thought confusing the two words could be very self-destructive.  The more entitled I felt, the less likely I was to earn things, and the less accepting of life's difficulties I might become.

Today I will not confuse entitled with earned.

Life on Life's Terms © 2014 by Ken Montrose

Upcoming  Trainings

Professional Enabling, Disabling, & Empowering

September 24, 2014 at Kerr Presbyterian Church in Verona

9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m

$50 payable in advance, at the door, or by invoice after the training

This five hour training is accredited for:

• Addiction Counselors by the Pa. Certification Board
• Nurses by the PSNA #101-1-O-14
• 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, please visit our website greenbriartraining.com or send an email to: kmontrose@greenbriar.net

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/7036289-hill-climbing.

Smart Bears, Angry Rats

Da' Bears      150 years later

Sonya heard the gunshot and knew the young soldier had found the bear.  Sadness swept over her. She wasn't one who could celebrate the death of any animal, even a man-eating bear

She thought of a cub she had seen at a zoo when she was a little girl.  The cub had been cute and cuddly.  The cub's mother had given her nightmares.  For months she had refused to believe the cub could grow into a full size bear.

When they were first married, Jeremiah hadn't been much of a drinker.  When he did drink, he was funny and playful.  She had liked the way beer loosened him up.

Little by little his drinking grew.  He was a bear in the mornings, mean and unpredictable at night.  Eventually the booze devoured their marriage and his career.

Today I will beware of cubs that grow into bears.

Smart Bears, Angry Rats © 2014 by Ken Montrose