Red Sugar Cubes

During my last holiday season before sobriety, I tried hard to infuse myself with the spirit of giving and service, hoping that charitable activities would alleviate the malaise that hovered over me day and night. I spent about five minutes considering which volunteer activities would offer the greatest amount of satisfaction for the fewest unpleasant tasks. I decided to volunteer with the SPCA, standing in front of store windows at a department store to encourage people to adopt puppies that flopped around in shredded newspaper in the windows where mannequins usually stood. Had I been a little taller, thinner and more attractive, I could have been mistaken for one of the missing mannequins, as I stood in front of the puppy windows, thinking a lot more about my shoes and makeup than the homeless canines.