Fawlty Showers 2


 “Who Loves You, Baby?”  Kojak

“Who wants a sweaty hug?” I asked Dr. Deb when I got home.

“Who wants a knee to the groin?” she asked in reply. “Go get a shower, you stink.”

“Aw, don’t you love me?”

“Always.” She kissed her fingertips and touched them to my lips. “Completely.”

As I was getting into the shower, she yelled up, “Don’t throw your sweaty clothes down the laundry chute. They get that smell on the stuff in the basket.”

“Too late,” I said to myself. “Good thing she loves me.” I thought of people who seemed to have no one, and wondered if I shouldn’t be a little more grateful for the people who loved me.

 

Today I’ll be a little more grateful for the people who love me.

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

 Fawlty Showers 2

An October Bike Ride

The air on the bike trail the next day was a bug-filled 90 degree soup. I pedaled up to my car exhausted and soaked at the end of my run. A man about my age sat on the tailgate of his truck drinking water. “Nothing like an October ride,” he said to me as I put my bike in its rack.

“It’s August,” I said, thinking the heat may have gotten to him. “You OK?”

He nodded, “Couldn’t be better. If you’re like me, you love those last couple of rides before the weather turns nasty. I try to think of everything I enjoy as my last before life turns like the weather.”

I knew when I felt winter creeping up I rode a little further, a little slower, enjoying the ride just a little more than I did in spring and summer.  I wondered if there were things in my life I could enjoy more if I treated them like an October bike ride.

 

Today I will treat life like an October bike ride.

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S 

Fawlty Showers 2

From This Day Forward

After group the older man came to my office. He put DD on his lap and scratched him between the ears. We sat in silence for a long moment.

Finally, he said, “My company has done some awful things. I’ve signed off on shady projects, knowing I should try to stop them. A lot of my drinking is me drowning my conscience.”

“We were talking about slogans and sayings in group,” I said. “One of my favorites is ‘from this day forward.’  On any given day you can decide to make a change.”

Another long silence ensued. He seemed to be a thoughtful man drowning in regret.

“Won’t be easy,” he said, “but I guess any day can be the first day of ‘from this day forward.’ Seems like a blessing.”

“From this day forward,” I said. “Stop drinking, follow your conscience.”

When he left my office I wondered if I needed to change something from that day forward.

 

Today will be the first day of ‘from this day forward.’

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S 

Fawlty Showers 2

Words to Live By

I ran the afternoon group, focusing on how AA slogans and popular expressions could be misunderstood. I said, “People often misuse the words they live by.  ‘Easy does it’ doesn’t mean only do what’s easy. Anybody think of another example?”

“’One day at a time’ doesn’t mean never plan for the future,” a middle-aged man said.  I told the group about a client who told me ‘one day at a time meant’ “Wait for the day you could get even with the bastards.”

An older man’s expression darkened. “’Live and let live’ doesn’t mean we should tolerate evil.” I made a note to talk to him after group.

“Y’all watch Forensic Files?” a twenty-something woman asked. “‘Til death do us part’ doesn’t mean kill your partner.”  We laughed, and the group talked about why murder mystery shows were so popular.

 

Today I’ll make an effort to understand the words I live by.

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S 

 Fawlty Showers 2

Eviction Notice

We sat in silence for a moment before Dana said, “OK, that’s it. I’m done letting The Dope Without Hope live in my head rent free.”

“When people first learn to meditate,” Abigail said, “their minds tend to wander back to their concerns.  Some get upset and give up on meditation.  Smart ones clear their minds and come back to their meditation as many times as they need to.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Dana asked.

“Because evicting The Dope from your head may not be easy.  You’ll need to bring your focus back to all the good in your life many times.  I’d hate for you to give up and let that boy ruin your day.”

Bring your mind back to the positive as many times as you need to. Good advice, I thought.

 

Today I will bring my mind back to the positive as many times as I need to.

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

 

Fawlty Showers 2

Spirits

“Do you believe in ghosts?” Dana asked at lunch.

“I believe in spirits,” I said.  “I don’t think my dad’s ghost is around, but I see his kindness and his warmth in my children every day. They’ve kept his spirit alive.”

Katy said, “My husband’s dad was evil.  His mean spirit lives on in his son.” She patted her belly as a determined look crossed her face. “We will keep that spirit away.”

“Don’t know about ghosts,” Randy said, “but I do know we get to pick whose spirit we keep around.”

“Why are you asking about ghosts?” I said to Dana.

“If something happened to The Dope, I’d hate to think his ghost might hang around,” Dana said.  We all laughed, except Dana.

Today I will keep the good spirits alive.

 

 Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S 

 

Fawlty Showers 2

Undeserving Dopes

After the meeting I was sitting in my office when I heard the shriek.  I ran to see if Dana was OK.

Her phone sat on her desk. She stared at it, like it was a coiled snake, about to strike.

“My daughter called,” Dana said. “The leasing company is not only paying to transport the Porsche back from Mexico, they’re giving The Dope Without Hope a new one.”

I said, “Wait, didn’t the car break down because he never had the oil changed?”

“It sure as hell did.”  Dana cursed, and asked why the Dopes of this world got so much they didn’t deserve.

“I’d be mad too,” I said, “but you own two dependable vehicles.  Maybe you’d be happier focusing on that.”

Dana cursed yet again, muttered something about me and my bunny friend hopping on back to my office, and pointed to the door.

I laughed, and told her I’d check with her later.

 

Today I’ll be happier not wasting my time deciding who deserves what.

  

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

 Fawlty Showers 2 

will return 8/23.

Have a great week!

 

Fawlty Showers 2

Just a Human Bean

“While we’re talking about the giving up the animals,” Randy said, “did you guys see the news?”

Dana smiled a wicked little smile, “The County Inspector who made us get rid of Cuddles and MA got a DUI. Side swiped a row of cars.  Fought with the police.”

I wanted to feel bad for the County Inspector. I wanted to withhold judgment, not knowing her well, or why she was driving drunk.  I wanted to hope she got help.

Instead, I fought the urge to laugh. I fantasized about all five of going to her hearing, sitting in the front row, and passing a bowl of popcorn back and forth as we watched her get sentenced.

Later, my better instincts would kick in, and I would hope she got help.  In the meantime, I had to accept I was only human.

Today I’ll accept I’m only human.

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

•             https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Fawlty Showers 2

Never Happened

We decided we couldn’t break up the adult pair of rabbits, Hoss and Pepper.  Randy had a friend who lived on a farm and thought they’d be happy in a fenced-in part of the yard.

I sighed, and said, “Lily Belle, Willow, Lady, Clover, and Beau can go to the shelter. My sister volunteers there. She says they’ll be adopted in no time.”

“And the one somebody just had to name Dipshitdumbass,” Dana said, glaring at me, “Clearly has to stay here with Ken.”

I looked to Randy, bracing myself for the boss to say no, DD had to go too. “Sounds like a plan,” he said.

As much as I hated to admit it, I had grown attached to DD. Somehow talking to a baby bunny seemed a little less strange than talking to my laptop or myself. Losing him would have hurt.

I tried to be grateful for good things in my life. I had a list of near misses in my head, times my bad choices had almost cost me. What of things life throws at people through no fault of their own?

I started a list of bad things that could have happened but hadn’t. I hadn’t developed my mother’s heart troubles or my father’s diabetes.  I hadn’t once lost a job due to downsizing in my entire career.

The list went on.

 

Today I’ll be grateful for bad things that didn’t happen.

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

•             https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Fawlty Showers 2

Good, Bad, Blind

Katy got up and ran from the room.

“I’m surprised she’s so upset by this,” I said.

Dana snorted. “I’m surprised at how clueless you can be.”

Abigail smiled. It wasn’t her usual stiff, forced, smiling through the pain expression.  She truly looked happy. “Morning sickness, Ken. You do remember Katy is pregnant, right?”

When Katy came back to room she was pale, but smiling.

The pregnancy hadn’t been planned, the father was a snake, and apparently morning sickness was now part of Katy’s routine. And yet, she beamed.

Over the previous couple of days I’d let some minor setbacks cloud my view of all I had to be grateful for.  “Gonna be like Katy,” I whispered to DD, the baby bunny sleeping at my feet. “Not gonna let the bad blind me to the good.”

Today I won’t let the bad blind me to the good.

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

•              https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Fawlty Showers 2

Practice

Nobody was surprised at work the next day when Randy told us we couldn’t keep all eight bunnies.

Several years earlier we’d been forced to get rid of Cuddles the cat and MA the ferret. Nobody had been happy about it, but we had found a solution we could all live with.

As I looked around the conference table I saw disappointment, but acceptance. What had felt like a huge problem the first time, had been practice for the same problem later.

 

Today I will see a problem as practice.

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

•             https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Fawlty Showers 2 

Daddy Issues

Just a then a young woman in a very short dress named Monica ran up and hugged me way too tight. She introduced herself to Dr. Deb, saying, “Your husband is one of my favorite AA old-timers!”

“Daddy issues?” Dr. Deb asked after Monica bounced away.

“You could say that,” I answered.

“Attracted to much, much older men, maybe a father figure like you?” she asked, laughing.

I laughed too. “More like a grandfather figure. Different issue. Poisoned her dad for neglecting her mother. He lived, she spent three years in jail.”

Dr. Deb said, “Wow. OK then. Poisoned him?”

“Yep. Told him for months she didn’t like the way he treated her mother. One day she’d had enough and put something in his coffee.”

“Was she drinking?”

“A year sober when she did it. Best you could say is at least she dealt with the problem head on, if in a wildly inappropriate way.”

 

Today I will face my issues head on, but in an appropriate way.

 

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

•             https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

 

Fawlty Showers

Shore Leave

Dr. Deb and I passed a drunken man at the beer stand.  

“I’m can’t judge him,” I said.  We walked a little in silence. Dr. Deb asked me what I was thinking.

 “Imagine two men standing in the ocean, a mile apart. The tide goes out and exposes all they’re losing, all they’ve lost.  They see dreams and plans sinking under the waves, relationships washing out to sea. 

“They have to get out of the ocean or lose even more.  One man walks barefoot across sharp rocks to shore. His progress is painful at times, but steady.

“The other man struggles to pull his feet from a muddy bottom.  Bad habits, drinking buddies, and cravings tug at him.  He wants to get to shore, but waiting for the incoming tide to hide the mess is so much easier than taking another step.”

“The tide is his next drink,” Dr. Deb said.

“Could be any bad idea, like getting back with the ex, or another gambling or food binge.   The point is, I walked across the sharp rocks.  It was painful at times, but that doesn’t give me the right to look down on someone struggling in the mud.”

“You can’t judge someone else’s struggle, based on your own,” Dr. Deb agreed.

 

Today I will not judge someone’s struggle based on my own.

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

•             https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

 Fawlty Showers 2

Moon Dancing

Dr. Deb and I went down to the park to get dinner from the food trucks.  A man played guitar and sang classic rock songs.  I told him he was really talented, it was a shame people weren’t paying attention.

He shrugged, smiled, and said, “No good song is wasted.”

As I stood in line, I studied the people around me. The woman in front of me swayed to the music. A little girl, eyes shut, danced next to a picnic table. A man about my age seemed to be mouthing the words. They hadn’t appeared to be paying attention, but they were hearing the music.

“Can I just have one more moon dance with you, my love?” I whispered to Dr. Deb, repeating Van Morrison’s lyrics. “Can I just make some more romance with a-you, my love?” She squeezed my hand.

I thought about people setting a good example that seemed to be ignored. Was that example wasted, or were people hearing the message without seeming to pay attention?

“No good example is wasted,” I said.

Dr. Deb laughed, used to me voicing random thoughts connected to nothing. “Eat your gyro.”

 

Today I will set a good example, regardless of whether or not people seem to be paying attention.

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

•             https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

 

Fawlty Showers 2

Rigorous Honesty

When I got home that night there was a knock at the door.  The girls next door were selling cookies.  My eye began to twitch.

The older girl sat next to me on the step by the front door, pointing at pictures of cookies she liked. Her sister recited a list of her favorites, a big smile on her face.

I wrote a check, looked at the order sheet again, ordered more and wrote a new check.

When Dr. Deb got home she saw the first check sitting on the step where I’d forgotten it.

“You ordered 25 boxes of cookies for just the two of us?” she asked.  I was supposed to be eating healthier, especially after my last lab results.

“Yes, but I had second thoughts and changed my order,” I said, knowing she’d assume I’d ordered less.

 

I hadn’t lied, I told myself. I really had changed my order.

My first sponsor’s voice echoed in my head. ‘It’s a lie if you say something trying to deceive the other person, even if it’s factually true.’

‘You’re dead, and I’m getting 30 boxes of cookies,’ I answered the voice, trying to convince myself I’d done nothing wrong,  but feeling bad and knowing the truth would come out.

‘Bet you wish you’d been rigorously honest now,’ the voice answered.

 

Today I will be rigorously honest.

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

•             https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

 Fawlty Showers 2

Newsworthy

When I got to my office the next day I remembered it was my mother’s birthday.   She’d been gone many years.  I still missed her.

I drew a stick figure on a tablet. Next to the head I listed good memories of her, starting with her sitting on the couch, flanked on either side by a grandchild, reading to them, as happy as I’d ever seen her.

Next to the ears, I described listening to my wife laugh as she talked on the phone to my mother, the two of them being the best of friends.

I drew a mouth and wrote ‘Sunday dinners.’ The woman could cook.

I wiped a tear away, and said to my laptop, “Enough of this.”  When I picked up my phone, a banner announced bad news.  Bad news oozed from the TV 24/7, and like a car crash, you knew you shouldn’t look, but you couldn’t help it.

I put my phone down. “Can’t ignore the news, but it couldn’t hurt to take a little more time dwelling on good memories.” I picked up the tablet again.

 

Today I will stop and dwell on a good memory.

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

•             https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/

Fawlty Showers 2

Stretch

“By the way, congrats, I hear you’re the proud father of a fifteen year old freshman,” I said to Randy.

“I’ve never liked you,” Randy said, shaking his head, but smiling. 

“You waiting to see a blood test before you pay tuition?” I asked.

“I already wrote the check,” Randy said.

I must have looked surprised because Randy added, “It’s a stretch, but I can help so I will.  I’ll get the blood test later just for medical purposes.”  

I was fairly certain in Randy’s shoes, I’d wait for the blood test before I wrote a check, especially if writing that check was a ‘stretch.’

I wondered if I maybe I could stretch a little that day to help someone.

 

Today I will stretch a little to be kind.

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

•             https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/
 

 Fawlty Showers 2

 

Strength

Randy joined us for lunch in the break room.  We got to talking about the stressors we all faced.            

  

“My dad was a civilian strategist with the military,” Randy said.  “He used to talk about building up your strength every day.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Ken, every day you don’t drink, you have a chance to strengthen your recovery,” Randy said.

I nodded, thinking I got his point.  “Every time Abigail stands up to her aunt, she feels a little better about herself, and strengthens her determination.”

Katy looked down at her belly and said, “I’ve never lost my faith, but when I go to church now it strengthens my belief everything is going to be ok.”

Randy nodded, “My dad used to tell us every day he loved us.  When we were teenagers and we’d roll our eyes.  He’d say he was strengthening the family ties.”

 

Today I will build up my strength.

 

Fawlty Showers 2 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.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S

•             https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/