Cherries...

Our cherry blossoms have about all blown off our tree. This is good news for me in that it means that we're entering the season where, most years, I can afford to buy those wonderful, lovely cherries as they are on sale for a few brief weeks.

A few years ago, my favorite ice cream shifted from butter pecan to cherry vanilla. This should not have been a surprise to anyone who knows me as about 20 years ago, I fell in love with all things cherry.

Cherry pie, cherry cobbler, cherry cider, cherry smoothies. I've been known to drive 25+ miles out of my way to get a good cherry smoothie - maybe even a mediocre cherry smoothie in a pinch.

I sort of remember how this all happened for me - I have always enjoyed cherry flavor. Then, I became convinced cherries had some good health benefits for me. Back then (unlike now), cherries were in abundant supply and through their season, you could find them for a buck a pound or less in the local Safeway.

I like cherry vanilla ice cream (eat it by the gallon) every chance I get....

I'm not of the school that talks a lot about "alcoholic behavior" but, my passion for cherries has often been called "alcoholic" by well meaning friends in the program. I don't get stopped for "cherry driving", it's not kept me from showing up at any social events that I can think of, but I admit, sometimes I will obsess a bit over getting a cherry smoothie.

I think I just like cherries - a lot...

The real point of this article is to suggest that when I lump my human-ness in with my disease, I may not be serving either very well. As I understand the disease of alcoholism as explained by the Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous, there are three components to my disease:

1. something like a physical alergy - when I drink alcohol, there's a phenomenon of craving that develops in me that's different from when a temperate drinker drinks
2. a mental component that the Big Book in one place calls a "peculiar mental twist" (p. 33 - I love that language!) where regardless of the problems my drinking has caused me, will not successfully motivate me to avoid a drink that could be injurious
3. a spiritual malady that has me at odds with my world as God created it
   

Something different happens for me around cherries. Do I act a little crazy around them sometimes? Yep. Do I sometimes create a story about why I can't have all the cherries I want today? Could the need for that story be explained by the character defects I've discovered in working the program of AA? Yep.

But, I don't think my thinking or behavior around cherries is completely explained by my disease.

I think I just really, really, really, really like cherries...

I could quit any time I wanted to... ;-)

....mmmm, cherries....