Roasting

Let me start by stating that I live in a desert. Not a figurative desert, but a real, tumbleweeds and cactus kind of desert. It gets dry and it gets H-O-T! So when I talk about roasting, I feel like I have a bit of implied authority.

This weekend I had two roasting opportunities. I was sitting out in the middle of nowhere building a deck for a guy. It’s not so much a job as it is a favor for a friend. The deck owner is the nephew of the boyfriend of a very good friend of mine. Before we get too far in this story, NO, I do not want to help you make a deck for your house! So there I am, sitting in the dirt waiting for more supplies to be delivered when I get a text from another friend: “Have you had your morning coffees?”

Yikes! Let me pause a second to fill in the gaps. This text came from “Guitar” Mark who roasts his own coffee beans. I’ve been to his house to see the process, and speaking as a certified Starbucks Coffee Master, I can attest to the fact that his coffee is fantastic! So I had to choose between being a responsible friend and following through with my commitment to build the deck, or to bail and go have a great cup of coffee with my buddy…ugh!

So I had a little help with my choice since I was stranded without a vehicle about 60 minutes from my home. But my choice to roast myself instead of roasting coffee beans meant that I literally spent from sun up to sun down out in the desert sun building this deck. I was wiped out!

Choices in recovery are often a lot like this. We can choose the fun and easy way, or we can sweat it out in the desert all day. By making the difficult choice on Saturday I was able to bless my friend. After being a “taker” for so much of my life I have tried to dedicate myself to more giving. Look for the opportunity to give something, anything, to someone today. Leave a comment on what you did or on your commitment to do something. 🙂

-Rise Up!