Fawlty Showers 2

 

With a Smile

The next week the boy and his father came pick up DD the bunny.

I was on my knees helping put DD in the carrier, when the little boy almost knocked me over hugging me.

“Thank you!” he said, his tiny face lighting up.  “Thank You!”

That hug stayed with me the rest of the day. 

It reminded me how people appreciate being appreciated. Hugging the waitress or the clerk at the convenience store with that little boy’s enthusiasm might be awkward, but it wouldn’t hurt to thank them with a smile.

Today I’ll thank someone with a smile.

 

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

 

Summer is Coming

Before he left, the man told me his life had been like March since his wife died.

 “Last Wednesday it was 65 and sunny,” he said. “We got two inches of snow over the weekend.”

I nodded. “Today we got freezing rain. Tomorrow cloudy, breezy, 55 degrees.”

“Some days I miss her, but I’m OK. Other days the world seems so cold and empty, I want to buy a bottle, sit by a river and go numb.”

“I’m glad you haven’t,” I said. “Hang in there.”

He shrugged. “I went through this when my parents died. It’s March now, but summer is coming.  There’ll still be storms, but my world will be a lot warmer and predictable.”

 

Today I’ll remember March gives way to summer.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers 2

 

Pay It Backward

The next day a man who’d finished rehab six months earlier dropped by with his young son.  His wife had died of cancer and he was struggling.

The boy was fascinated by Dipshit Dumbass the bunny.  Likewise, DD took an almost immediate liking to the boy, surprising for a rabbit.

I liked having the rabbit around. Talking to DD seemed a little less odd than talking to myself or objects on my desk.

On the other hand, the kid really seemed to like DD. He’d just lost his mother.

I thought of all the people, starting with my parents, who’d sacrificed on my behalf.

With a sigh, I wrote on a tablet ‘If you want him, call me later and we’ll make arrangements.’

I showed the tablet to the man, who nodded, and mouthed ‘Thank you.’

 

Today I’ll pay them back.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers

Coffee, Bacon, & Dad

Later that day I passed Dana’s office on my way to the kitchen for coffee.

“Hey caffiend,” she yelled, “How many cups you going to drink?”

I laughed, but Dana had made me think, how many cups had I had?

I remembered my father, sitting on the swing under our deck, face turned to the sun, savoring his coffee.

Even though my mother had passed away, he had talked about her in the present tense.

“Your mother really likes this coffee,” he’d say with a smile.  At least in his mind, my father had still enjoyed my mother’s company, long after she was gone.

“Do I smell bacon cooking?”  he’d ask, grinning from ear to ear, as if bacon was the rarest of treats.

He was a man who stopped and smelled the coffee.  I thought I’d be wise to slow down and do the same.

 

Today I’ll slow down and smell the coffee.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

 

Fawlty Showers 2

Fight

Two days later Breaker held Baby Kara as I took a photo with my phone.  I made the poster while he sat in my office, still holding the baby.

Breaker caught me looking at a bruise above his left eye.

He shrugged. “Not everyone likes me getting sober.”

I could picture the argument. Breaker tells someone he doesn’t want a beer. That someone says, ‘So now you’re too good to drink with us.’ Tempers flare, things get nasty.

Getting sober was only part of Breaker doing the right thing, turning his life around. It was a sad truth that sometimes you had to fight to do the right thing.

I was grateful most of the time, the ‘fight’ only involved following your conscience and/or not giving into peer pressure or the mob mentality.

 

Today I’ll be grateful doing the right thing isn’t any harder.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

 

Fawlty Showers 2

 

Bikers, Toddlers, Strength and Wisdom

I heard the roar of a huge motorcycle outside my office window. Don, aka ‘Breaker,’ the enormous biker was back. 

He stopped at the front desk to talk to Katy before heading down the hall to see me.

“I got a favor to ask,” he said in a gravelly voice.

Hide a body? Smuggle a package across the border? Tell the police he was at my house all day?

He pointed to a poster I’d made. A muscular man in a sleeveless shirt held a smiling toddler.  The caption read ‘It takes true strength to put some things down. It takes wisdom to know what to pick up instead.’

“I want you to take a picture of me holding Baby Kara, and use it to make me a poster like that,” he said. “I cleared it with Katy.”

“I’d be happy to,” I said. I waited for him to speak.

“Just want a reminder,” was all he said.

 

Today I hope to be strong enough to put some things down, wise in what I pick up instead.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers 2

 

Relapse, Recovery, and Snowblowers

I went to my office and got online. I young woman in a recovery group I followed had relapsed. 

A long line of people had left encouraging tweets.  I wanted to add an analogy to help her think about her situation.

I told her early recovery, and any other major change, reminded me of an ancient snowblower I had bought secondhand.

The engine had a little red primer button that fed a tiny bit of gas to the cylinder. You had to pump it four or five times before you pulled the starter cord.

The first pull was tough because the engine oil was cold and so was I.  I was always tempted to just give up.

The second pull was always a little easier, but still hard. Sometimes the engine would fire once or twice but not start.

I’d hit the primer again.  The third, fourth, and fifth pulls would fire the engine, but it would quickly die.

I’d hit the primer again, then pull even though my arm was tired.  The engine would cough to life and run, spitting and sputtering.

The engine had a choke that regulated how much air got mixed with the gas. I’d adjust the choke until the engine ran smoothly. 

The primer was like all the reasons you wanted to stop doing something.  You might have to remind yourself several times.

The pull was making the effort, even after you’d failed, were tired, or just wanted to give up.

The choke reminded me of the messages you got from the ‘air’ around you. Most people needed some encouragement the way an engine needed air.

The engine running was when the changes you made took hold and became almost automatic.

The trick was to keep trying, make adjustments, and not give up.

 

Today I won’t give up.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers 2

Define

The next day Abigail was unusually quiet, even for Abigail.

I asked Dana what was going on.

“She met somebody,” Dana said. “Now there’s an argument inside her head.”

“What argument?”

“From the time she was seven until she left for college her crazy aunt told her she was unlovable.  Now someone is telling her different.”

“She’s struggling not to let her aunt define her,” I guessed. “She wants to believe the voice telling her she is loveable.”

Dana nodded, “Yep. Define is the right word. Not easy sometimes, but you can’t let mean people tell you who you are.”

 

Today I won’t let other people define 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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
 

Fawlty Showers 2

 

Spinning

Later that night I was working on my laptop, sending out certificates to people who’d completed one of our home study courses.

I blew out a breath in frustration. Dr. Deb gave me a quizzical look.

 “I spend most of my time maintaining accreditations, following up from trainings, correcting home study tests, and getting the next series approved. Spinning my wheels.”

“So, when you’re stuck in the snow and ice, do you just keep spinning your wheels?”

 “No, you stop, put it in reverse. Try rocking the car. You get out and shovel around the tires.”

“But first, you stop,” Dr. Deb said. “Because what you’re doing isn’t getting you anywhere.”

I thought about it.  “I’m like the guy who eats too much and tries to burn it off on the treadmill.”

 “You’re like the guy who drank too much, kept messing things up, and worked harder and harder to keep from sinking.”

I laughed. “Yep, I’m might have been that guy at one time.”

Today I’ll stop spinning my wheels.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers 2

 

People, Places, & Things

Life ended badly for the mouse.   I pushed the refrigerator to the side with my shoulder. He saw me and ran in the opposite direction, right to the cat.

“He should have stayed outside,” I said, when I finally cornered the cat, dead mouse in his mouth.  

I wondered if the mouse had wandered into the house before, gotten something to eat, and scampered back out before the cat saw him.

“He must have known you lived here but risked coming in anyway,” I said to the cat.  “This was one of his ‘people, places, and things’ of his people food addiction.”

Twelve Step programs tell you to avoid the ‘people, places, and things’ that put your recovery at risk.  They warn ‘if you play on the tracks, you’ll get hit by the train,’ and ‘sit in the barbershop long enough and you’ll get a haircut.’”

I thought ‘people, places, and things’ applied to a lot of self-destructive behavior.

You don’t go to the bakery when you’re on a diet.

You don’t text the ex who broke your heart, just to see how they’re doing.

You don’t look to see what’s on sale after you’ve maxed out your credit cards.

The list went on.

 

Today I’ll avoid ‘people, places, and things.’

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Shower 2

 Of Mice and Men Ignoring Them

When I got home the cat was staring at something under the refrigerator, his tail twitching.  The dog was pacing back and forth beside him, yipping and growling.

“We have a mouse,” Dr. Deb said.

“Could be a ghost,” I said. “Nothing I can do about it.”

“It’s a mouse.”

“Maybe one of their toys rolled under there.”

“Catch the mouse and take it outside,” she said.

“Maybe they sense there’s something wrong with the wiring.  Let’s just see if it shorts and throws the breaker.”

Dr. Deb handed me a broom and shoe box.  She wasn’t going to let me ignore the obvious.

I thought of a guy who got three DUIs in two years and refused to believe he had a problem with alcohol. He wound up serving three years in jail.

A woman I knew hooked up with a man with four ex-wives. He had obvious issues she refused to recognize. Three years later her life was in shambles and he was gone.

I didn’t think I’d go to jail or wreck my life ignoring the mouse, but I also knew I couldn’t ignore the obvious.  Mice, like little problems ignored, tend to reproduce.

 

Today I won’t ignore the obvious.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers 2

 Sanity

I listened to the news on the way home.  The whole world was going crazy all at once. I waited to hear how far north the giant flying spiders had spread.

Someone texting and driving drifted into my lane, almost side-swiping me. I tapped my horn. She shot me the finger.  

 I stopped to get milk. The woman in line in front of me was throwing a tantrum because the gas station convenience store didn’t carry the battery she needed.

“And their selection of torque wrenches leaves a lot to be desired,” I joked. She was not amused.

Two little boys ran amok while their father smoked outside. They knocked over a cardboard display of energy drinks.

Their father heard the commotion, put out his cigarette, and walked into the store.

Oh, you’re in big trouble now boys, I thought. 

He threatened to sue the store.

Some days I liked to think I helped people.  Other days the best I could do was not contribute to the insanity.

That day I wouldn’t be driving drunk. I wouldn’t drive and text.

My children were both grown and unlikely to ransack a convenience store. I sent them both a text anyway, threatening horrible punishments if they misbehaved in public.

I reminded myself the world didn’t cater to my needs.

 

Today I’ll try not to contribute to the insanity.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers 2

 

Going Through the Motions

When I got back to my office I found DD the bunny happily chewing on a chart that I’d dropped on the floor.

DD and I had been down this road before.  I had a habit of tossing charts from my desk to the floor in front of my filing cabinet, planning to file them later. DD had a habit of eating those charts.

I went to the storage room and got a small, low table.  I put the table against the wall between my desk and the cabinet. 

Using the same motion I’d used to toss the charts onto the floor, I practiced tossing them onto the table.

I turned to DD and said, “Sometimes you can use the motion and momentum of an old habit to start a new one.”

DD gave me a blank stare.

“Someone who went to happy hour every day quits drinking. At the end of the day, they’re restless. The motion and momentum of that habit tugs at them.”

More blank staring from DD.

“Rather than fight that energy head on, they’d be smart to divert it, go somewhere healthy, like the gym.  Same motion, different destination.”

 

Today I’ll go through the motions to a new habit.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers 2

 

Economics, Joy, and Strange Salads

I had lunch with Blondie that day. She was teaching economics one night a week at a local college.

Her face lit up as she described her students and her class. I smiled, sharing in her joy.

“I love it,” she said with a broad smile. “I even invited Brat Boy to sit in one night.”

“And your brother didn’t think a three-hour lecture on macroeconomics was a fun way to spend an evening?”

“He’s always been a little weird,” Blondie said, munching on a prickly pear cactus, watermelon, avocado, and yak cheese salad.   

I remembered how hard she’d worked hard to get her degree. Teaching was a reward she’d earned.

“Some joy comes naturally, but a lot of life’s joys take effort up front,” I said quietly.

Blondie laughed. “You’re talking to yourself again, Dad.”  

 

Today I’ll put in the effort up front.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

 

FAWLTY SHOWERS 2

Damage Undone

The next day I was standing by my filing cabinet, telling DD the bunny my thoughts on the Steeler’s QB situation, as I filed tests.

I looked up to see a young woman leaning in my doorway.

“Watching a giant talk to a bunny made me wonder if I hadn’t eaten one too many mushrooms,” she said.

I laughed. “You’re not hallucinating, but let me know if you hear the rabbit talk back. Then we’ll know you did permanent damage.”

I was joking, but I saw a pained expression cross her face.

“My father fell off a ladder and broke his back,” she said. “There’s not much they can do for him.”

“Was he drinking?”

She nodded.  “My boyfriend had a stroke at 23. He’s in a long-term care facility. The nurses know it was drug related. Some of them resent him being there.”

I winced.

“All the damage I did to my life can be undone,” she said with a sad smile.  “Not everyone is so lucky.”

At that moment I couldn’t have been more grateful for the damage I was able to undo.

 

Today I’ll be grateful for damage that could be undone.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers 2

 Fawlty Showers 2 will return tomorrow, I'm on vacation today!

Today I will find some time for myself.

😎

Fawlty Showers 2

Look Out

We had stayed later than usual after the meeting.  Most of the cars were gone from the parking lot.  Epiphany started walking away.

“Where are you parked?” I asked. 

“Two blocks up,” she said, pointing.  Talmadge and I exchanged a look. Epiphany caught it.

“Ok, dads,” she said, “I’m a big girl. I can walk to my car all by myself.”

Neither Talmadge nor I spoke.

With an exaggerated eye roll, Epiphany said, “You two worried old fathers can watch me get safely in my car and drive away.”

That’s what we did.  Epiphany drove up to where we were standing and rolled down her window.

“Thanks for looking out for me,” she said. “Even if I don’t need you to.”

I thought of all the people who’d looked out for me over the years, grateful for their help and guidance.

 

Today I’ll be grateful for the people over the years who’ve looked out for 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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers 2

Time Takes Time

“I want to be as happy and put together as the speaker,” Epiphany Chaser said as we walked out of the AA meeting.  A sad look crossed her face.

I said, “Kid, you’re new at this. Give it time.”

“I know, I know, but I see how Margaret bounced back after she got dumped. I want to be that resilient.”

Margaret The Newbie smiled at Epiphany. “I didn’t do it overnight.”

“Talmadge lost his best friend and never seemed to miss a step,” Epiphany said. “I want to be that strong.”

Talmadge said, “It takes time to build up strength.”

“And Ken, I’ve heard your lead.  You were a dumpster fire.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” I said.

“I mean, sad doesn’t begin to cover it,” Epiphany said, shaking her head.

“Yes, I’ve come a long way,” I said, trying to spin the conversation in a more positive direction.

“And for a man in his 70s to still shuffle into the gym every day, wow.”

 “I’m in my 60s,” I said. “Early 60s.  The point is I didn’t put my life back together overnight. It took time. Time takes time.”

Epiphany started to say something else, but I cut her off. “Time for you to go home.”

 

Today I will remember time takes time.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers 2

One Too Many

After the meeting, we lined up to thank the speaker.  I asked her what kind of work she had been doing before she got sober.

“I was an air traffic controller,” she said.

My jaw dropped. She laughed.

“I’m kidding. I worked in an insurance office.  After I got fired, I drank alone. I used to tell myself it was OK because I wasn’t hurting anyone but me.”

“And you realized that wasn’t true, you were hurting the people you loved,” I guessed.

She shook her head. “Not really. Not at first. Out of the blue it dawned on me. Hurting nobody but me was hurting one person too many.”

 

Today I’ll remember hurting only myself is hurting one person too many.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

 

Fawlty Showers 2

Oh, Baby

The meeting started with the usual readings.  The chairman introduced the speaker, a stunning blonde woman in her late thirties named Rachel.

“I have four older brothers and each one is more of a muscle-bound, macho ape, than the others,” Rachel said with a laugh.  “My mother was thrilled to have a little girl. My father too.”

Rachel told us how she had been babied her whole life, how her parents and brothers took care of her, protecting her at every turn.

“So when my fiancé drowned, they gathered around me.  My parents paid my mortgage. My brothers paid my bills, cut my lawn, made sure there was food in my refrigerator.”

Rachel spent the next two years drinking whenever she wasn’t at work, at least until she lost her job.

“The company refused to baby me,” she said. “I’m grateful they did. It made me grow up, and take a long look at my life.”

I thought about the day I’d gotten kicked out of my Ph.D. program.  They had refused to baby me, making me take a long look at my own life.  Both Rachel and I were better off for not being babied.

 

Today I’ll be grateful for people who didn’t baby 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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers 2

 

Forgiveness

Margaret the Newbie sighed. We waited for her to speak.

Finally, she said, “The drama teacher nicknamed my ex ‘Baggage’ because I’m so much better off leaving him behind.” 

“The football coach said if my ex was baggage, his teenage, newly graduated, girlfriend was a Hello Kitty backpack.”

I laughed.

“The Baggage and Backpack nicknames stuck. They make jokes about it all the time. My ex is mortified and I can’t be happy about it no matter how hard I try to be.”

I was puzzled. “You want to be happy about your ex’s embarrassment, but you’re not?  What’s wrong with that?”

“I can feel bad for him because I’ve already kinda forgiven him,” Margaret said.  “Maybe too soon.”

Talmadge said, “You’ve got a forgiving heart, that’s nothing to feel bad about.”

Epiphany said, “There’s no way you’d take him back to hurt you again, so I gotta give you respect for letting it go.”  She snorted. “If I was in your shoes I’d secretly put a “Honk if You Love Hello Kitty” bumper sticker on his car.”

I thought about the people over the years who’d forgiven me, and felt a wave of gratitude.

 

Today I’ll be grateful for forgiveness.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

Fawlty Showers 2

Negative Energy

 “Some good came out of my dipstick boyfriend dumping me,” Margaret said, her eyes narrowing and a wicked grin forming at the corners of her mouth.

“What good?” I asked, hoping the ‘good’ didn’t involve a gun, a shovel, and some lime.

“I didn’t drink. I didn’t drop out of my masters degree program. I didn’t ask for a transfer to another school.”

“What did you do?” Talmadge asked.

“I put all that hurt and anger to good use. I went to school every day dressed up, caught up, and with a smile on my face, even when I felt like crying.”

She took a bite of her donut and added, “I was so driven I ended up getting promoted. I’m still sober, and a month from finishing my degree.  Negative energy put to good use.”

 

Today I will put my negative energy to good use.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible

 

Fawlty Showers 2

 

Rocks and Rattle Snakes

“You know what you do when you’re caught between a rock and a hard place?” Talmadge asked Epiphany.

Epiphany said, “You make friends with the rattle snake that lives there so he can bite your enemies when they walk by.”

“No,” Talmadge said, “You move the rock. And you are one twisted young lady, for sure. A rattle snake?”

I nodded. “It’s never easy, but you move that rock.  You finish school, quit smoking, lose that weight. Maybe get out of that relationship. Get sober, stay sober.”

“Otherwise you can get semi-comfortable between the rock and the hard place, living a limited life” Talmadge said.

“Until that snake bites you,” Margaret the Newbie said. “You stay in the relationship until your dipstick rattle snake fellow teacher boyfriend dumps you for one of his students two months after she graduates.”

Talmadge and I moved our chairs back just a little, seeing the look in Margaret’s eyes.

 

Today I’ll try to move the rock, not wanting to get comfortable between it and a hard place.

 

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

 

#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible