More than 3 Months, WOW!!

Oh my goodness I can't believe it has been more than three months since my last entry, my goodness how time flies when you (and I mean me!) are having fun!! I need to offer everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!!! Yes, the time continues to pass so quickly and each time I say to myself I am going to blog something invariably takes me away from doing this so today while I was messing around on the Internet I decided to stop by and write something. Normally I have an idea of what I would like to write but today I am just writing to write because it is therapeutic and I have missed this aspect of my therapy.

I continue to attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings although I have missed the past week due to the Valentines Day Holiday and Softball obligations. Yes, my wife and I had a very nice Valentines Day just the two of us seeing The Blindside and having a nice dinner. I highly recommend The Blindside and I thought Sandra Bullock was great and the story was very inspiring. I couldn't believe how recent this story was since the main character was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens last year. Someone wrote the book and got the movie produced within the last five years which seems rather quick to me but nevertheless it was a very good movie.

Life continues to move along and I am back to coaching my daughter's softball season for the Spring Season. Softball is taken very seriously around here but my philosophy is to ensure the girls have fun. I don't know how well our team will do during the season but I can say this a great group of girls and we are having fun. Our first game is March 1st and it is a whirlwind for the next two months before the season ends in May. My daughter will get much more playing time at pitcher since she is one of our two main pitchers and when she pitches well her smile is as bright as I have ever seen. On the flip side when she doesn't pitch well her frown is on the other side of the spectrum. There is an adage that girls have to FEEL well to play well where boys have to PLAY well to feel well. In my daughter's case she has to play and feel well to play and feel well if that makes any sense!! She is a very focused 12 year old and yes, she turned 12 this month and my son turned 9 this month as well. Yes, it does seem like we were just taking them home from the hospital in Las Vegas those February days but here we are looking at the teenage years starting next year, oh my!!

Work is moving along and it would be dishonest to say everything is great. Overall everything is great but there are some down days but the up/good days far exceed those down days. I am in a position that I would have never dreamed of when this odyssey of mine started nearly five years ago. Yes, I am fast approaching my fifth year anniversary/birth date and if all goes well next Sunday February 28th that would mark five years without having placed a wager of any type. I had a conversation with a friend of mine who asked if I had any urges to place a bet and I can say without hesitation that I haven't had an urge whatsoever. This means nothing because I know from firsthand experience I am and will always be a compulsive gambler. This brings me to an unfortunate event that happened to a person with nearly 40 years of abstinence in the GA Program. This particular member somehow went back out gambling which at first glance was mind boggling. However, the more I thought and talked about it with my sponsor who puts everything in perspective when he said, "Does anything a compulsive gambler surprise you??" Yes, that does put in perspective and I know no matter how long I have abstinent from gambling that path of destruction is always ready to take me. The key is to continue on the path of recovery and avoid the destructive path through the GA Program and really embracing the principles. I wish this person nothing but the best and I know this is a wake-up call for me.

I would be remiss not to mention Tiger Woods because I have written about him in the past. Make no mistake I am and I still am a very big Tiger fan. I have watched this very unfortunate saga unfold over the past three months and when I first heard I really wasn't surprised. Not that I ever expected any of what has come out with this story but I can empathize with Tiger and I know how destructive an addiction can be. I do hope Tiger is getting the help he needs and at some point he returns to what he does best which is to play golf. However; he has more pressing needs to attend to such as his family and his addiction. I realize many people find the "addiction" concept a convenient excuse but deep down we are all good people and life throws us so many curves. I am rooting for Tiger to get better and I think if he is serious about getting his life in order he won't return to golf for at least the next six months and probably shouldn't come back until he feels he is on the road to recovery.

Another item in the local news had another "scandal" at my previous employer. It is very strange and ironic how things tend to work out in this world. A very large indictment was handed down and I know or I should say I knew the two who have been indicted. I really do feel sorry for them and I know firsthand what they are facing and where they are. The place is a hell hole and I do hope everything works out for the best.

That did feel good to write and hopefully I can get here more often than every three months, thanks!!