"Styles have Changed"

After departing the office yesterday evening I once again for the second time this week headed over to that wonderful establishment of “Target” to purchase some clothing. It has been awhile since I last purchased any “real” type of clothing other then underwear and socks. In fact I cannot remember the last time I purchased clothing which maybe why I was a bit taken aback by the styles in the Men’s Department. I was looking for a simple pair of khaki shorts and it took me 10 minutes to locate a pair of these. I noticed the “styles” were quite different from the last time I purchased a pair of shorts and for that matter the styles are very different from any pair of shorts I currently own.

I am not sure if I would categorize this outerwear as shorts because they looked more like shortened long cargo pants falling somewhere below the knee and above the ankle. Since most of these were cargo “shorts” they had many pockets in every space possible. I didn’t much care for these “shorts” and had to search for a simple pair of shorts. I finally located the pair but I guess “pleats” have gone out of style in the time since I last purchased clothing. I couldn’t locate any normal looking or for that matter any pair of shorts with pleats. Since I am on the thin side “flat” style of shorts makes me look even thinner (if that is at all possible!) which is why I prefer the pleats but it became apparent I would have to settle for the flat pair. Fortunately these shorts were on sale and were inexpensive (I guess?). I purchased the pair and departed the store.

After my shopping experience I made my way to my standing Wednesday evening dinner with my good friends. This week would be a little different since my dear friends were away on vacation but still invited me to their restaurant. I have become like family to not only my friends but to everyone who works in the restaurant. I have a “usual” (angel hair pasta in marinara sauce) and was asked if I would be ordering this yesterday evening. I decided to go with my other “usual” (since I have a limited selection of entrees at most restaurants) which was eggplant and as usual the dish was wonderful. I didn’t have the usual conversation with my good friend but the food was good enough for me.

It was a quick meal and I was driving home a little earlier then normal. On my way home I had a wonderful discussion with my sponsor who is an incredible person. I am blessed to have this person as a sponsor since I continue to learn so much. We are separated by distance since my sponsor has moved out of the area. I am hoping (if I ever receive confirmation; no, I still haven’t heard anything and I am thinking maybe someone is on vacation which is why I haven’t heard anything all week) to visit my sponsor on our drive back from New Jersey since my sponsor is somewhat near where my sister lives in Colorado. It would be wonderful to see my sponsor and another dear friend as part of our journey across country.

We talked for awhile and we normally talk at least once a week. The talk invariably surrounds the Gamblers Anonymous Program and all facets of the program. My sponsor is celebrating 18 years in the program this coming Saturday and it would be wonderful to share in this celebration; however; I will be there in spirit and I know it will be a great time for everyone in attendance. As we talked we did speak about the “personalities” in Gamblers Anonymous and I am very fortunate to be in an area which is devoid of personalities and politics within the program. As people get “time” in the program apparently the concept of principles before personalities seems to get murky which is very unfortunate since it is a tenet of the GA Program. I do like the fact that in our group the biggest “drama” is funding the Holiday Party at the end of the year which is no drama at all!!!

Our talk had ended and it was time for me to head inside. I quickly spoke with my dear friends and it was off to bed. I was once again up early this morning and made my way to the gym, however; I flipped flopped my day off this week to today instead of tomorrow the usual Friday. My good friend couldn’t play golf tomorrow so we decided to play today and we decided to play one of the nicer courses in the area. I had a great workout and yes, I still had a bloody sock but much less bloody then earlier this week so it appears the running shoe needs more stretching. Anyhow my workout ended and I picked up my good friend as we drove to the very nice golf course together.

I had wanted to play this particular golf course for a long time even before my incarceration and thanks to the great deals on the internet we could actually afford the course today. This was certainly one of the nicer golf courses I have played and it was also difficult while being fair. This is an unusual combination (difficult yet fair) but I do really enjoy golf courses which pose a challenge but don’t punish you for a bad shot too much. I had a very good day and any day I shoot less then 90 is an accomplishment for me and today was an accomplishment. I started out being punished for a bad shot that didn’t miss the target by much; however; after that everything went well.

It was a great day and the round moved very quickly. Sometimes a round of golf can take over 5 hours and at that point it is hard to find the joy but today we played in less then four hours and the round was extremely enjoyable. I would certainly play this course again even it is really on the fringes of where we would like to travel. Since we were in the area I suggested we go to P.F. Chang’s for dinner. I hadn’t been to this establishment in a very long time and I do enjoy their food. Their menu does offer even a picky eater like me choices and I love having choices. I also love tasting flavor even more then the choices and the food was very flavorful. During my 19 ½ month incarceration most of my food was devoid of flavor so I savored every piece of my meal.

Once again it was a fabulous day and as I arrived home I spoke with my daughter who continues to ask me if I have found out whether or not I will be coming to New Jersey in a few weeks and once again I had to tell her no I haven’t found out yet but once I do she will be the first person I call. Acceptance of my lot is something I have but I doubt my 10 year old daughter really understands the decision whether or not I am allowed to come to New Jersey resides with someone else. It truly is what it is and I do believe everything will continue to work out for the very best.