Hope

Dr. Deb whistled to let me know dinner was ready. I jogged up the hill from the pond to my house. ‘This has gotten steeper over the years,’ I thought, stopping to catch my breath.

CharChar and Brat Boy, TyGuy and Blondie sat around the table. Doom and gloom leaked from the news program on the living room TV.  I smiled, looking at the kids. The world would always have its problems, but each generation brought new problem-solvers, new reasons to hope.

I sat down to dinner, a can of diet pop rather than a beer by my plate. I never thought I’d get sober, but after my first AA meeting, I never drank again. As they say in the rooms, I learned from others’ “experience, strength, and hope.”  

The people in AA who got sober before me had left behind wisdom; some from good ideas, some from mistakes made and painful lessons learned.  I’d learned from past generations, and hoped others would too.

Today I’ll have hope.

Summer with the Slug Rats © 2020 by Ken Montrose

Summer with the Slug Rats 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/