In the Hills of Malibu

 

A TRUE STORY

My son, bless his pea-pickin' heart, has a habit of reminding me from time to time how I was before I got sober. Thankfully, most of the stories he brings up are humorous.

His favorite is when my ex-husband convinced me of the existence of "dry-land tuna,"... fish that lived in Malibu hills and did not need water (I'm turning red already).  My beer brain grabbed on to that little piece of Animal Kingdom trivia, and my slurred motor mouth shared it with family and friends.  

After I revealed my gullibility to the masses, my ex told me the truth. He, my son, and my step-sons laughed hysterically. I was mortified at first but very quickly became infuriated and humiliated. Yes, I felt betrayed, which justified my downing a beer .... or twelve ... and then lashing out in retribution.

I learned early on in rehab that one of my biggest problems was taking myself too seriously. I wanted to be in control every minute, and heaven helped those who stood in my way.  In time, I was able to give myself a break.  I found that laughing at myself brought me a sense of joy and peace.  God wants me to be happy, and I know when I laugh at myself, He's laughing right along with me.

By the way....did you know there's a man in Wyoming that sells jackalopes?