Wednesday
August 8, 2014

Life on Life's Terms

Worn and familiar

When I got home that night I was worried about Julie.   "I need to let this go," I said out loud, to myself.  To help with the letting go, I dug through the back of the closet for my favorite hoodie.  Frayed at the sleeves, missing the draw string for the hood, and badly faded, it had seen much better days.  Twice I had rescued it from the charity pile, and once from the carwash rag pile.  I only wore it when I needed help clearing my mind.

When my wife saw me she said, "Must have been a tough day, you're wearing your blanky."

"Hoodie," I said, correcting her.

"Rag," she said

"It's worn and familiar," I said.  "Some days you just need the worn and familiar."

Today I will be grateful for the worn and familiar.

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

Upcoming  Trainings

Suicide, Violence, Mental Illness, & Addiction
October 8, 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/7136284-near-beer

RPG

Narrow Bridges

"How 'bout this Ken," Tony said, "I let go of my other addictions and try social drinking.  I gotta have a little fun."

I said, "Social drinking is like crossing a narrow bridge with no handrails over a river gorge.  To some the bridge is a shortcut to a fun time.  People with good balance can skip across the bridge.  Most people can walk across the bridge if they're careful.  About one in ten of us will fall off the bridge trying to cross.  If we're lucky, we land in the water.  Some of us will hit the rocks and die."

"So I'll be careful on this little bridge of yours." 

I shook my head. "We addicts will fall again and again trying to cross that bridge. We have to humble ourselves to walk down the mountainside instead.  We have to find the patience to cross the valley, and the strength to climb the other side." 

"That sucks!  Everyone else gets to jog across the bridge, and we have to work just to have a little fun?"

"It's worth the effort.  We learn being a little humble - by admitting we can't drink socially - is much better than falling.  We become stronger and open to exploring new paths.  Along the way we see the beauty of things we'd probably miss high up on that bridge."

Today I won't fall off the bridge because I won't get on it.

RPG: Relapse Prevention Group © 2014 by Ken Montrose