Shocking!

koi1

 

I was feeding Kim’s koi in the rain last week. She has an outdoor pond, and when the koi get hungry, they become agitated and pull the water plants up by the roots. They chase each other in lazy circles like bathtub toys with magnets in their tails…They make it known somebody better do something, and since Kim still couldn’t bend over after her surgery, I was the somebody elected for the job..

 

Unbeknownst to me, the wire fence that runs around the perimeter of the pond is electrified. Kim lives in the woods, and I guess the raccoons and other predators must be discouraged from dipping into the watering hole for fish dinner.

koi2

You know where this is leading right? I was throwing a cup of food into the pond and suddenly I felt what a disobedient dog must feel when it rushes the Invisible Fence – a horrible, fizzing jolt, and a three-second life delay. I think the wad of gum I was chewing plopped out of my mouth and onto the gravel. I was stunned.

 

I am not sure why I am telling you this except that as dreadful as it felt, Kim (who was giving instructions in her nighty) didn’t really make much of it. She said something like, “Sorry… I’ve done that – doesn’t feel very good,” or some other platitude, and it was over. She told me to make sure I spread the pellets away from the skimmer and not to forget the small fish in the other part of the pond…

 

Did I mention I grabbed an electric fence in a rain storm?

 

As those of us who are recovering from alcoholism, relive old grievances, make mistakes and move forward,  it is well advised to hang around those people in life who downplay our false moves. It is refreshing to do something slightly shocking and have it met with the ho-hum expectation that it happened (but now that I’m learning from my errors in judgment), it probably won’t happen again…

Today I’m not drinking because it’s SHOCKING!

How come you’re not drinking?

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