My father had a minor stroke Sunday while Erin and I were off exploring the home of Mark Twain. The two seemingly unrelated events have me thinking strange things. Mood music: http://youtu.be/RFsOwnZkIm8 I’ve always wondered if there’s a curse over my family, given our tendency to embrace our destructive impulses and pay the consequences. At …
I just got over a fairly typical stomach bug that had me feeling bloated and miserable. It wouldn’t be worth mentioning, except that it brought back a couple bad memories and served as a wake-up call. Mood music: http://youtu.be/bWsYuW9ULdU For one thing, I felt just like I used to feel after a brutal junk-eating binge. …
“Paint a garbage can platinum and underneath, it’s still a garbage can.” Nikki Sixx In Chapter 3 of the AA Big Book, we’re introduced to an alcoholic named Jim. He has a successful business until he starts drinking at age 35 in an attempt to dull a nervous tick, and everything goes to hell. From pages …
I just wrote a blog post on @CSOonline about bin Laden’s death and how, in my opinion, it doesn’t change things. My good friend Alan Shimel read it and immediately took issue with what I said: “Sorry, it does change everything. A sense of closure that I didn’t even realize I was craving all of …
Continue reading “Osama bin Laden’s Death And The Importance of Closure”
In the halls of recovery and in my daily work I deal a lot with anonymity. People hide behind it for good and bad reasons. This is where I separate the honorable folks from the cowards. Mood music (Click the “Watch it on Youtube” link. It’s worth it): [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxMHtjQW6ZQ&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] I’ve met a lot of …
You’ve heard the old saying about addicts: They lack the middle speed so-called normal people have access to. It’s all or nothing for us, and a couple weeks ago I started to pay for it. You could say everyone around me has been paying for it. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5SuiywnBuo&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] The problem comes wrapped in …
People like me who are recovering from addiction and an underlying mental disorder rely on a set of tools to live better, more useful lives. A food plan is one of them. Twelve-step meetings are another. Some people think thinking is a tool, but it’s really just another insidious bastard that robs us of sanity. …
A friend asked that question yesterday. I’ve certainly been accused of being too hard on myself before. My step-mother reads this blog and told me I should give myself a break. Steve Lambert, former editor of The Eagle-Tribune, said I was too hard on myself when I wrote the “One of My Biggest Regrets” post. …
It was a good Christmas for me, for more than all the usual reasons. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eFiNud6fbU&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] There was the usual joy: Being around family, getting the chance to lie around much more than usual, watching the kids go Christmas crazy. Mass was good, with a homily that pointed out that Jesus was as human …
Being the screw-up that I am, I need to empty the trash from my soul every few months. Last night I did just that. Here’s why Confession is so important to me. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSZv9KKf0g0&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] Simply put, Confession is where I go to unload all the things I keep doing wrong. It’s just me and …
