63. Proud Not Arrogant

The next morning Marjorie failed the breathalyzer test.  After insisting the tester must be broken, she finally confessed she’d had ‘a few drinks’ the night before.  She told The Other Ken all the media attention around her anti-binge drinking campaign had fed her ego.  She’d convinced herself she could handle a drink or two.  The irony wasn’t lost on her.

Even so, Marjorie hit the roof when I said she wasn’t the first person to trip over her own pride.  She accused me of trying to keep her down so I could feel better about myself. “You hate pride,” she said, “because proud people don’t need your help.”

“Pride motivates people, it’s a great reward for hard work, and people with no pride often end up victims,” I said. “Pride becomes arrogance when your skills or accomplishments in one area of your life blind you to your shortcomings in another.  How many famous people have said the dumbest things, believing their athleticism, acting ability, or political power made them experts on just about everything? I’m proud of my writing, but I don’t write about things I don’t understand.  Do you know what I’m saying?” She rolled her eyes.

Today I will  try to be proud, not arrogant.

Sober Not Somber © 2015, 2016 by Ken Montrose

(Just a reminder: Sober Not Somber is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to anyone you might know is purely coincidental.)