Addiction Recovery Story #28, Sunflower: The Pink Earrings Helped, But They Can’t Cure It

A week ago Friday — the last day of Skippy’s spring break— we drove down to Sandy Hook with her and two pals. But life’s seas were churning, as they will, and I fell the next night on my recovery path. I picked myself up; the sun came back out. Here is the latest in the story series I started 1/31/21.

For an overeater and sugar addict, is splurging on pink jewelry much different from picking up a pink cupcake? Hilma earrings with glass and gold-plated beads, made by artisans in Guatamela. Mine are a lighter pink pattern. They have gold-plated posts (not wire loops, which can pull down earlobes) and, well, I love them.

I haven’t written a story in this sugar/overeating addiction recovery series since April 7 — that’s 11 days.

I wanted to, I meant to, it pressed on me, because I ran into a roadblock or two during that time. But I was busy writing a short story to enter in a contest and also involved with Skippy, 14. Showing up as a parent, a legal guardian. A member of a team. (AND: Then we were all bouncing with happiness for our older daughter, Annie — accepted into a graduate program to study cyanobacteria in Florida, with a two-year fellowship! Her dream.)

But I did jot down some notes, to remember.

On Friday morning, April 9, before we left for the Shore, I rushed into town for Capri Sun juice pouches and small bags of Cape Cod Potato Chips and Smart Puffs to bring — plus disposable rubber gloves, since I challenged the kids to a beach cleanup contest with $10 cash for the most trash found and hauled out.