4/26/2020. Spirits

    Beer. When I was a kid, my job was to help my Pop out in the yard. Pop liked bushes, small trees, ponds, patios, birds and vegetable gardens. His interests later became my interests. Pop was the pruner and I was the bundler. Sticks had to be tied up in 4 ft bundles to be put out to curb. I became an expert bundler in my younger years. Another job was to get Pop a shaffer, which was a beer brand. Pop was not a heavy drinker. The first shaffer I had tasted like crap. Over time I got used to it.


    When I turned 18, my friend took me to a bar. My friend had been there before. We sauntered up to the bar. The bartender looked at me and said get out. I said I'm legal, get out, get out and out the door I went. Beer, gin and tonics, wine and an occasional shot of whiskey. Got sick twice in my life at young age. I learned from it, once on cheap wine and one too many gin and tonics. I was playing pool at a bar, drinking gin and tonics, the bar tender said you better slow it down, I didn't listen, I knew it all. I had about13 tonics and drove to my buddies house, he was in passenger seat. We got home and I said how did I drive, he said perfect. Hour later watching TV got sick for an hour. Didn't make that mistake again. From then on, I knew when to quit. I'd be in a bar and sometimes have a couple shots of whiskey during the night. Then a voice would say that's your last, I'd set the glass down and walk out. I would always listen.

   One day after work, I'm in this go-go bar. The dance floor is in shape of an L and the counter traveled 6' from the dance floor36O.° There was a door 2 ft up from floor with 2 little steps, this was door used by the dancers. I heard voices to my right getting louder. I picked up my glass of beer and started to walk left. The door on my left was 2 ft up and recessed a ft and a half in, leaving a little alcove. I got up in there as my Bud beer bottle goes whizzing by me, crashing into the adjacent wall. Bottle survives with not even a blemish, just missing a guy by inches. The Bud was mine. The jerk to my right threw at his friend. They were grappling as the barmaid dialled 911. Those cops were there in 2 min flat, I couldn't believe it. They dragged them out likety split. I got another beer, and everything continued, like nothing happened. Look around yourself for potential problems and figure out what to do in an emergency.

    One day Spirit gives me a nudge, time to stop drinking. If you want to go further. Spirit can only do so much for you if your brain is fogged. So I gave up gin and tonics, whiskey and wine. Six months later, I get give up drinking, I said I did. No... the beer. I said come on not the beer. I did not want to do this. Eh... another month goes by, give up beer. Damn. So I did, I use to drink a little over a case a week, never in the morning. It was hard to give up. Usually I have a bad smeller but 6 months later I was in a huge room where people were drinking. Someone popped a cap on a beer and I smelt it 25 ft away, boy did I want it bad. Another 6 months goes by, a different arena, someone twists off a beer cap, I could smell it real good, but this time I didn't need it. That was over 30 years ago. I've been a non drinker.

    You either move forward or your moving backward. I choose forward. Plus you do get smarter along the way. Which is a good thing.