Prime Pump, Maintain the Engine

When I got home from dropping off Brat Boy, I had to cut the grass.  I got the lawnmower out of the shed and checked the gas and oil.  I’d put in a new spark plug and air filter in the spring. My lawnmower had a small black primer. Pushing it pumped a little gas into the engine. 

I pushed the primer a few times and pulled the starter cord.  The engine fired, ran for three or four seconds and stopped.  I pumped the primer several more times. I pulled the cord again. The engine ran, sputtered, caught and ran on.

Priming the pump was like finding motivation.  Motivation only got you up and going.  Maintaining the engine before you primed the pump was like getting your life together.

Some people got a little clean time because they were motivated.  They’d work hard but only stay sober a short time. I pictured them pumping the primer, cutting an inch or two, and pumping the primer again.

The smart ones changed the people, places, and things that threatened their recovery once the motivation ran out.  They got rid of the fatty snacks, pitched the paraphernalia, dumped the booze, or got out of the draining relationship.  The changes they made kept the engine of their recovery turning.

 

Today I will maintain the engine of my recovery.

Dogged Determination ©2018 & 2019 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination 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 https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/