Ten Thousand Times Better

I ONCE WROTE a story called "In the Grand Canyon at Midnight I Sat Alone and Wept." The story wasn't any good, and my agent couldn't sell it. Of course, the AA program is designed to get you out of that situation. And I'm all for forgetting the past and getting on with the business of living. But once in a while, I can use a flashback to remind me how much better things are since I've sobered up. No matter how hairy, how heavy, how tiresome life can get, it is still ten thousand times better than it was when I was hitting the bottle.