Fawlty Showers will return on Monday, enjoy your weekend!
Friday, July 29, 2022
Thursday, July 28, 2022
Fawlty Towers 2
Dumb Idea for a Gratitude List
Brat Boy was doing laundry.
I asked him how his internship was going. The company he worked for built
electronic components for hydro-electric dams.
“Nothing my team built failed to start, shorted out, caught
fire, shocked anyone, or flooded a town today,” he said with a smile.
“You could really flood a town?” I asked.
“That’s the reason one of our competitors will never work in
Chile again.”
I had done some dumb things in my day, but I’d never flooded
an entire town.
“You’ve given me an idea for another gratitude list,” I
said. “All the dumb things I didn’t do.”
“How about the dumb things you almost did?”
“Top of the list,” I answered.
Today I’ll be grateful for all the dumb things I didn’t do.
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:
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Rotten Kids
When I got home the neighborhood kids were playing next
door.
“We’re in your yard,” a little girl said in a singsong voice
as she darted onto our lawn, sister in tow.
“You rotten kids better get out of my yard,” I growled,
pretending to be angry.
“We’re gonna climb your tree!”
“Go home, you horrible slugrats!”
I put down my laptop and chased them as they ran away
laughing.
Dr. Deb was sitting on the deck. She smiled at me. “Some
people have a glass of wine, some people turn on the TV. You chase kids when
you get home.”
“Everybody should put a little silliness into their day,” I
said. “Takes your mind off your troubles. Keeps you from taking yourself too
seriously.”
Today I’ll put a little silliness into my day.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
Monday, July 25, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Out of the Pit/Up the Mountain
I thought of Abigail’s childhood. She’d had no say in how she
was raised. Her father had tossed her into a pit with her crazy aunt and fled
to Europe.
Abigail had been difficult at times, but I had admired her
struggle to climb out.
That afternoon we had a speaker describe how’d he built a
business from the ground up. Many of the
lessons he’d learned fit well with recovering from addiction, especially
persistence.
I admired the way he’d climbed the mountain to success.
“Where you start is not the point,” I said to DD the bunny
later that day. “It’s the climbing that counts.”
Today
I admire the climber, no matter their starting point.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration
#odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
Friday, July 22, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Life On Life’s Terms
The next day, a pale, distraught Randy told us Abigail had died
in her sleep the night before.
I was stunned. Abigail had thought she had about a year to
live.
In the week since her diagnosis, she had eaten her first taco
from a truck, asked someone for a date, demanded a raise, used a public
restroom, argued with someone online, came to work without the top button of
her blouse buttoned, and driven ten miles an hour over the speed limit.
I was sad, but happy she’d at least tried a few new things,
lived a little more. I wondered what else had been on her list.
The best I could make of the situation was to follow her
example, live a little more.
Today I will live a little more.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat
#recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
Thursday, July 21, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
I was surprised The Preacher had thought I could sway a
judge.
Did he imagine his case would be dismissed based on a letter
from someone the judge had never heard of, whose opinion had no bearing on the matter?
“The Preacher’s one of those people who expect problems
years in the making to be solved in an instant,” I said to the cat. “With very
little effort.”
He purred in agreement.
“Time Takes Time,” I said, quoting a slogan I had hated when
I first got sober. “And you gotta put in the work.”
I thought of examples.
A gift didn’t always buy true forgiveness, it just blunted
anger. Careers weren’t restored just by going to rehab. Losing weight took time
and effort.
As I stroked the cat, I thought of my own experience. “Getting
comfortable in my own skin without alcohol was a process, not an event.”
Today I’ll remember Time Takes Time, and effort.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Understanding and Enabling
My phone buzzed. I didn’t recognize the name at first. I
almost blocked the caller.
“Oh no,” I muttered. The
Preacher from my AA homegroup.
I debated faking my own death, but answered the call
instead.
The Preacher faced a legal jam because of two years unpaid child
support. His ex had been willing to renegotiate their settlement, but he’d put
off meeting with her.
I understood. After much delay, I had written my master’s
thesis on procrastination.
The Preacher said, “So, can you write a letter to the judge
saying my past heavy drinking makes it hard for me to keep up with legal
matters?”
“Trust me,” I said, “I understand procrastination. But, I’m
not gonna write a letter to enable you to dodge your responsibilities.”
When I finally got him off the phone, I thought about the
difference between understanding and enabling.
I might get the appeal, even the compulsion, someone might
have to do something not in their best interests. That didn’t mean I should help them keep
doing it.
Today I’ll separate understanding from enabling.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration
#odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Unfair and Inspirational
I thought about Abigail on the way home. Life had been cruel
to her almost from the start. She had finally found peace in what were probably
her final days.
My thoughts drifted back and forth between the unfairness of
life and the inspiration I could draw from Abigail’s courage and acceptance.
“Life will always be unfair,” I said out loud. “I can’t
change that. Best I can do is draw inspiration from the people like Abigail who
refuse to let life conquer their spirit.”
Today I’ll accept life is unfair, and turn my focus to the inspirational.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
Monday, July 18, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Time Sheet
The son of a local celebrity had stopped in to speak to the
people in rehab. He’d gone through the program the year before and stayed
sober.
“Proud of you kid,” I said, shaking his hand.
He smiled, but said, “My dad isn’t. He told me I’m still an embarrassment.”
“Ouch.”
The kid shrugged. “I’m proud of me. Working on another good
time sheet.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“At night I picture myself turning in a time sheet detailing
all I did that day. Today I’m gonna turn
in another one I can be proud of.”
I thought I’d try to do the same.
Today I’ll turn in a ‘time sheet’ I can be proud of.
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:
Friday, July 15, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
A Moment
“How bad is it?” I asked Abigail.
“Bad enough,” she said. “With chemo, radiation, and surgery,
I’d have about a 15% chance of surviving two years.”
I winced.
To my surprise, Abigail smiled.
“It’s not so bad. At this very moment, I’m not in any pain, my
vision is clear, I can eat solid food.”
She took a sip of tea and added, “Oh, and I have bladder AND
bowel control. I do, at least for this very moment.”
The way she said it made me smile.
“At this very moment,” I muttered, thinking I’d save myself
a lot of worry and sadness by focusing on the moment.
Today I will live in the moment.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration
#odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
Thursday, July 14, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Kites and Cancer
“Would you say I’ve mellowed?” Abigail asked me as we ate
lunch in my office, something we’d never done before.
I said, “From the time we met? Quite a bit.”
“But you still thought I had a long way to go?”
I nodded reluctantly, not wanting to hurt her feelings.
“Before I knew I had cancer, I felt like I had set the
change in motion, even though breaking from my crazy aunt’s influence was a
grind.”
“Setting change in motion is like flying a kite,” I said. “You
have to run with it, until you catch the wind.”
“Once you catch the wind, things get easier.”
“But you gotta set good things in motion first,” I agreed. “You
gotta run with it.”
Today I’ll set something good in motion.
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:
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Decisions, Decisions
I got to work late the next day. As I walked into the staff
meeting, I noticed everybody but Abigail looked angry.
“What’s going on?” I asked, thinking it probably involved
the merger. I was wrong.
Abigail said, “I’ve decided not to get chemo.”
Randy, Katy, and Dana immediately started arguing with her,
all of them, all at once.
Abigail looked at me. I said, “I wish you would get chemo,
but it’s clearly your decision to make.”
Nobody but Abigail liked my answer, and the discussion got
even louder.
“You can make yourself crazy not accepting how powerless you
are over other people’s decisions,” I muttered.
Today I’ll accept people make their own decisions.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration
#odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
The Three R’s
I wanted to flip him off. I wanted to get right up on his
rear tire, just to piss him off.
Instead I thought of the three ‘Rs’.
Retreat, Rethink, Respond.
I dropped back a
little, caught my breath, and came up with a better plan.
I waited for the next hill.
He slowed. I dropped
back a little more, then pedaled frantically, building up speed.
In the friendliest voice I could muster, I said, “Passing on
the left,” and blew by him.
Maybe I was projecting, but I imagined he didn’t think I
deserved to be on the same trail as his carbon fiber, $10k, Maserati of a bike.
Proving him wrong had been the best way to respond to his
miserable attitude.
Today I’ll remember the three R’s: Retreat, Rethink, Respond.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
Monday, July 11, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
And when we were wrong...
The next day I pedaled onto the bike trail.
A few yards into the trail, I drifted toward the middle as I
checked my watch.
“Passing on your left!” A guy on an expensive bike said, his
voice dripping anger.
My least favorite part of the Twelve Steps, ‘…and when we
were wrong, promptly admitted it,’ popped into my head.
He was a jerk, but I had been hogging the trail, even if
unintentionally.
“Sorry,” I said as he
passed. He shot me a look.
‘Hope you get a flat,’ I thought. Admitting and being happy
about it were two different things.
Today I will promptly admit when I’m wrong.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat
#recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
Friday, July 8, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Green Hair
Epiphany’s phone buzzed. She made a face like she’d just
stepped in something while barefoot. She tapped the phone a few times and
looked up at me.
“Drunken mistake,” she said. “Blocked him.”
I said, “Don’t you wish there was an app on your phone to
block all your past mistakes?”
Epiphany scrolled through her phone to show me a picture of
a drunk woman with pink, green, and orange hair. She wore a dress leaving
little to the imagination.
“They sent me home from the prom, with good reason. Wish I
could block that night from my memory.”
I told her about the time I’d decided I wanted a water
fountain in my dorm room.
I thought I had been lucky. None of my past mistakes haunted
me. I knew many people who weren’t so fortunate.
Today I’ll be grateful for past mistakes that don’t haunt 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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat #recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
Thursday, July 7, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Personal Mythology
Some speakers are funny, others inspiring. Some will almost
bring you to tears describing the dark places their addiction took them.
The woman who shared that night made her three DUIs, two near
death experiences, and stays in the county jail, seem like a good time.
“Beware of personal mythology,” I said to Epiphany afterward.
She asked me what I meant.
“You take a negative event, replace the original emotion, make
it sound funny, and tell the story over and over, until it becomes mythical.”
Epiphany understood. “You almost die in a car accident, scared
out of your mind. Later you laugh about it with friends.”
I nodded. “Personal mythology makes doing stupid and dangerous things seem like fun.”
Today I’ll beware of personal mythology.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Epiphany strolled in with Mojo on a leash. He looked a
little thinner.
“We’ve been walking,” Epiphany explained. “The vet said he
could start, even at his age.”
“My dad started painting in his eighties,” I said. “He loved
it.”
Talmadge said, “My wife quit smoking when she hit 65.”
Margaret The Newbie sat down and said, “My grandfather was
70 the day Grandma died. He started chasing much younger women a week after the
funeral.”
I shot Margaret a look, and said, “I guess today is never too late to start something good.”
Today is not too late to start something 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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
Tuesday, July 5, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Acceptance, Radioactive Alligators, and the Bogey Basher
Later that week I sat next to Talmadge at an AA meeting.
“You really moving?” I asked, knowing the answer.
“In a month,” he said.
“I signed the paperwork two days ago.”
“So, we have a month to change your mind.”
Talmadge laughed. “I put down my non-refundable deposit. You
won’t change my mind.”
I spun tales about radioactive alligators, mosquitoes the
size of tennis balls, and the Bogey Basher, a serial killer who hid in sand traps.
Talmadge just laughed more.
“Gonna miss you,” I said finally, trying to accept what I
could not change with as much grace as I could muster.
Today I’ll try to accept the things I cannot change with as much
grace as I can muster.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
#addictionawareness #dailymessage #inspiration #odaat
#recoveryposse #recoveryispossible
Friday, July 1, 2022
Fawlty Showers 2
Enough is Not Enough
A woman who’d been court ordered to treatment in lieu of
jail had decided not to participate in treatment. She attended groups, but said
nothing, doing just enough to meet the conditions of her probation.
“I’m here, not using drugs,” she told Dana. “That’s enough.”
A week after she left treatment, I read she got arrested as
part of retail theft ring.
“Doing just enough is never enough to change,” I said to DD
the bunny.
Today I’ll remember doing just enough is never enough to change.
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:
•
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8MG0S
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