The little train that wouldn’t

Suzanne, Mikey’s wife, called.  I had met her once or twice, but didn’t know her well. She thought she should stop giving her sister money, but wanted to talk to someone familiar with addiction.  I advised her not to not to give her sister another dime.

“But,” I said, “don’t say you’re not going to bail her out unless you really mean it.  The more times you say you’re going to do something without doing it, the harder it is to convince yourself you’ll ever really do it.”  

“So you think if I say I’ll cut her off now but don’t, I never will?” Suzanne asked

“I wouldn’t say never, but I will say cutting her off will get harder to do.  You’ll have to hit some milestone, like realizing you’ve been supporting her for ten years.  Maybe things will have to get worse, like your sister hitting the lottery and gambling away the money in one night.”

Suzanne choked up a little, but said, “I know.  I have to stop bailing her out.  I have to stop now while I still believe I can.”

Today I will make the changes I promised to make while I still believe I can make them.

Life on Life’s Terms II © 2015 by Ken Montrose

(Just a reminder: LOLT II is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to anyone you might know is purely coincidental.)