I don’t know about you, but after having stuffed myself for the past week (in preparation for, during and for 4 days after the actual holiday of Thanksgiving) I am not feeling any too happy about the fact that my jeans seem to have morphed since I last put them on and there is now a definite stretch right under my derriere which was not there last week. Also, life being what it is, there are many things that are not going my way these days, such as the fact that my son does not want to be a nuclear physicist, as I had hoped; that my dogs have taken to using the living room rug as a communal potty spot ; and the web site still needs tweaking.

This is the time of year when we addicts can become a little less than serene, and the normal ups and downs of everyday life become impassable mountains and bottomless ravines. I find that I still have expectations of what the holidays “should” be like, remembering what they were in 1962, when I was a child. As I’ve aged, as I’ve gone from active alcoholic/addict to recovering alcoholic/addict, my expectations have indeed changed and I no longer believe that a mere holiday will transform people into something they are not. I do, however, believe that during this special period of the calendar, we all are given a very special gift. For it is only during this magical 30 day period, that we can share the secret that so many of us keep hidden during the rest of the year. You know the secret - you may deny it, you may have forgotten it because you haven’t used it lately and you may even go so far as to say that it does not exist. But deep down in that quiet place it’s there, hiding, waiting patiently for you to crack a smile, to say a kind word, to support someone else in the littlest thing. This is the only time of year when we are allowed, no, not allowed, but almost forced to let the secret out. This is when words like “thanks”, “you look nice”, “I’m sorry”, or “It’s no bother” are shared with the ease of a winter’s snow fall and, just as softly, are received and taken tenderly into the heart.

The holidays are a time when much is expected of us and by us. Before we all get crazy, let’s take a moment, just a small moment, to remember to share the secret. Gratitude is much more than an attitude - it’s the best gift we can receive and the best gift we can give. And we at The Second Road are here to keep your Gratitude Gear greased and humming (do gears need greasing and do they hum? Don’t know, but you get the idea. Anyway, I’m a middle aged mom. I’m not supposed to know about car stuff). With that said, I guess I’m goin’ to the gym where I’ll gratefully try to work off one of the pies I inhaled this week-end and I might even tell someone that they’re lookin’ good. And maybe I’ll even tell my kid that I’m sorry I threw his cell phone in the washing machine by mistake. Then again, maybe I’ll think about that one for a while……

Wishing you joy in the journey, I remain -

Your Humble Road Warrior