The Night Before Christmas

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.”

– Anne Frank

TimAndMeChildren don’t come with a manual.  They come, instead, with a perfect mind.  A mind that doesn’t know hatred or prejudice of any kind.  They know only love and a desire to bond with those around them.  They are unable to delineate ethnic races, or sexual orientation.  They know nothing of the controversial subjects circling the Internet and entertainment and news media.  We teach them those things with our words, our attitudes, and our deeds.

As parents, we try very hard to teach them right from wrong and to be respectful of others.  To maintain the dignity of others and to treat others as we, ourselves, want to be treated.  In many cases we succeed but we also sometimes fail, and in the process of trying, we never really know the answer to the question “How’d I do?”

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The Longest Day

“I like to see the glass as half full, hopefully of jack daniels.”

― Darynda Jones, First Grave on the Right

alcoholSitting in my therapist’s office, I watched as she donned a deliberate countenance.

“I want you to go one day without drinking, and to write about it.”
“Why do you want me to write about it?”
“I think you’ll find the experience interesting.”
“I don’t think I’m going to do that.”
“Why not?”
“Every time I do that, I get bored.”

She stared at me silently.

“You really want me to quit drinking, don’t you.”
“Yes; I really do.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you to be able to experience quality time with your family—time that isn’t impaired by an alcohol fog.”

And with that exchange, thus began the internal argument that every suspected addict is subjected to—well not every addict.  Only the thoughtful ones.  Can I quit?  Why should I try?  Maybe I would feel better.  What difference does it make?  Maybe I would perform better at work.  Maybe my family life would be healthier.  Maybe I would be healthier.

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Silence Is Golden

“Never miss a good chance to shut up.”

― Will Rogers

In my experience nothing good ever comes from volunteering information, but that fact in itself has never prevented me from offering it.  To be fair, DAMON WAYANS JR., ELISHA CUTHBERTwhen I do volunteer information, I am usually drunk—which as you may have surmised is not an unusual circumstance.  Still, regret is typically what follows, usually after the ensuing conversation it spawns or the morning after such an occurrence.

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