drug use

I was looking at my dad's University of Chicago quarterly magazine. The cover story was about a guy who used to be a heroine addict and now is really big into shadow boxing. Wow, what a touching, great story!

It makes me want to become a drug addict. Ya know why? Because then no matter what you do, you really seem like you are doing great.

If you look at my life right now, it doesn't seem that special. But if I had been a hardcore drug addict before- you would be looking at my life saying, "Good for her! She's got a steady job, she pays all her bills, she's in great shape, she's not living in the gutter, she doesn't have any children out of wedlock. She really has got her act together."

So yeah for me! And yeah for you! You are doing a great job.

There is a store by my work that has the cutest little framed sign. It has a little random cartoon character and he is saying, "You are doing everything right."

We need to be told that every now and then.

When we are little we get applauded all the time. Yeah, you didn't wet the bed! Yeah, you put on your own clothes! Yeah, you tied your shoes!

Nowadays we only get applauded for really big things like raises and giving birth to children. What about the fact that you made it through a whole day without punching your boss, even though they REALLY deserved it? That should be applauded.

What about when you limit yourself to two cookies even though you want to eat the whole box? That should DEFINITELY be applauded.

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I'm in the midst of reading 'Tis by Frank McCourt. It is the sequel to Angela's Ashes. I don't really like it but there was one paragraph that caught my attention today. He was talking about going to college and being surrounded by the other students, who unlike him don't have to work the night shift to put themselves through school:

When they're not talking about their averages the students argue about the meaning of everything, life, the existence of God, the terrible state of the world, and you never know when someone is going to drop in the one word that gives everyone the deep serious look, existentialism. They might talk about how they want to be doctors and lawyers till one throws up his hands and declares everything is meaningless, that the only person in the world who makes any sense is Albert Camus who says your most important act every day is deciding not to commit suicide.

For most of us, that's not even a decision we have to consciously make. For some people it is. But I would have to agree- that is the most important act we make. And I applaud you for it.