Passion Power

I had no words to describe my obsession back then. I was 12 years old and I didn't know what was happening. I would phone my friend across the street and abruptly ask her without apology, "how many did you get?" I wasn't even that fond of her but her mother chain smoked cigarettes and didn’t keep track of them. That's how we smoked. Often there were a couple burning in the ashtray at the same time. We got butts off the ground, but mostly we liked them fresh out of the pack. I felt so sick after we smoked. I would stagger across the street, dizzy, barely making my way to the couch and flopping in front of the TV until the nausea and spinning wore off. It was normal to feel awful. I felt like I had the flu every day. I’m not sure what came first, the tobacco or the addict; the addict or the tobacco. I was a preteen and tobacco had grabbed a hold of me and said "come on kid, you're one of us now." I couldn't turn it around no matter how hard I tr...

I collect quotes like a squirrel gathers nuts.  I love to marinate in beautiful phrases. Don't you just love people who spread good energy? Quotes speak directly to me in my own voice. They tell me exactly what I need to hear. I can't relate at all to people that find no meaning in them. They sustain me on days when it feels like I'm living in a cold and very dark world. I have my own words to live by. They keep me on track and guide me back when I lose my way. They reflect who I am and how I want to show up in the world.  I'd be like a flag in a windstorm without them. I might even forget I'm here to enjoy life and that would be a disaster. JOY is the point and I'm here to experience as much of it as I can. A sense of accomplishment is very important to me. Peace is a priority when I make it one. Gratitude is a powerful way to feel thankful. One day at a time is a lifesaver. What is God? A constant provider of forgiveness, unconditional love and...

I’m taking a wild guess you don’t have to venture too far in your friend or family mix to find someone who’s in trouble with alcohol.  I’m not talking about sharing a bottle of wine at dinner or having a couple of cocktails after work.  That’s not problem drinking.  I’ve watched most of my friends gradually dial it back from twenty year old drinking to fifty year old drinking.  I think it’s called drinking like a normal person. The problem drinker is a binge drinker or a blackout drinker.  They drink because they are bored or lonely.  Hide their drinking.  They drink to constantly change how they feel.  They drink when they’re upset.  They drink with dinner, before dinner, after dinner, making dinner.   They drink until they throw up, pass out or both.  They drink because they can’t stop.  Unfortunately as family members we enable them.  Don’t want to upset them by calling it out so we tip toe around them inst...