89. A Won Day at a Time

That day Brat Boy had worked his first day at a real job.

“Just think,” I said to him when I got home from the AA meeting, “In fifty short years you can retire.”

“Thanks, dad,” he said. “I was feeling good about working until you said that. Now you’ll probably hit me with some cliché, like ‘one day at a time.’”

I laughed, but said, “I got sober at 28. It was hard thinking I might live another fifty or sixty years without booze. People said, ‘take ‘em one day at a time.’ Depressed the hell outa me thinking how many days sixty years might be. You know what kept me sober?”

“Fear of the new friends you might make if drunk driving landed you in jail?”

“I didn’t stay sober putting up with something one day at a time.  I stayed sober because I learned to win each day. Any day I didn’t drink, I won.  When I got through tough times, it was like I’d won an upset victory.  When I finally started enjoying recovery, I was running up the score. Time passed much faster a won day at a time.”

Today will be a won day.

Time for a Change ©2017 by Ken Montrose

Time for a Change is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com

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