Whiskey Plates and a Vise Grip Message
Today I am grateful for a nice lunch with my friend Julie and fresh garden produce from my friend Judy. They are connections through my job and I appreciate them both.
On my way to work yesterday I was following a car with "whiskey plates." Minnesota law requires drivers with DWI-related offenses to have these plates on their vehicle, usually for a year. They got dubbed "whiskey plates" because they start with the letter "W." They are white plates with black letters and numbers, so they are easier to spot.
I am sure there are times I miss such plates on a vehicle I am following, but yesterday I first noticed the aggressive nature of the driver before I noticed the plates. Was there a connection? Maybe, maybe not. But there was a connection to gratitude for me. I never got a DWI, though I could have. I could have killed someone else or myself, but I am here today. I was given another chance many times. I try not to take that for granted.
I still fear drunk drivers and watch for them on the roads, but I don't fear being one of them. I don't miss the mental anguish of blackouts and the physical discomfort of hangovers. I embrace recovery and make the efforts to keep embracing it with open mind and heart daily.
About the time the car with whiskey plates got lost in traffic, I noticed another interesting thing on the back of a vehicle. A work truck for our local power company had a vise grip attached near the rear of the truck. In that vise grip was a piece of cardboard with this written on it: Nobody wants me!!!
It looked like this one, and brought back memories of the one attached to a work bench in the machine shed on our farm growing up.
What was the story behind the sign? A joke? A plea for help? Was someone bored with a little time on their hands?
It gave me a smile first, and then some perspective. What would my sign say? "Today is a good day for recovery and living gratefully!"
On my way to work yesterday I was following a car with "whiskey plates." Minnesota law requires drivers with DWI-related offenses to have these plates on their vehicle, usually for a year. They got dubbed "whiskey plates" because they start with the letter "W." They are white plates with black letters and numbers, so they are easier to spot.
I am sure there are times I miss such plates on a vehicle I am following, but yesterday I first noticed the aggressive nature of the driver before I noticed the plates. Was there a connection? Maybe, maybe not. But there was a connection to gratitude for me. I never got a DWI, though I could have. I could have killed someone else or myself, but I am here today. I was given another chance many times. I try not to take that for granted.
I still fear drunk drivers and watch for them on the roads, but I don't fear being one of them. I don't miss the mental anguish of blackouts and the physical discomfort of hangovers. I embrace recovery and make the efforts to keep embracing it with open mind and heart daily.
About the time the car with whiskey plates got lost in traffic, I noticed another interesting thing on the back of a vehicle. A work truck for our local power company had a vise grip attached near the rear of the truck. In that vise grip was a piece of cardboard with this written on it: Nobody wants me!!!
It looked like this one, and brought back memories of the one attached to a work bench in the machine shed on our farm growing up.
It gave me a smile first, and then some perspective. What would my sign say? "Today is a good day for recovery and living gratefully!"
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