Step #9: Exhibit A - How cute is that?

Let me begin by saying that I am a NICE GIRL. Doesn't always make for crazy party stories, but it's true. I was raised as an only child from a NICE family, in a NICE small town, went to a NICE respectable college, had NICE jobs and even married the NICE guy. NICE NICE NICE.
I don't generally run with packs of people that are "working the steps". This is not because I am hoity-toity (is that a word, really?) but mainly due to the fact that we're all aware of my strong addictive tendencies with caffeine, Publix red velvet cake with cream cheese icing and collecting stray cats, so let's just not tempt fate, okay? My NICENESS just might spiral out of control!

That said, I have had multiple individuals over the past several years that decided it was time to contact me to complete their Step #9.

According to the handbook, Step #9 is when the individual in recovery is required to make direct amends to all persons that they have harmed, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Doesn't that just sound cleansing? Ahhhh...like a kitchen hand soap labeled "Step #9 - cucumber, freshly mowed grass, and newborn baby". Clean. Simple. Purifying.

But why, oh why, did they have to come crawling out of the woodwork all at one time?

I present to you, Exhibit A: Boy that I dated briefly from senior year of college.
(In his defense, he was not doing the 12 step program, but simply felt that he needed to make amends. Close enough.) We definitely weren't each other's "type", he gave me a South Park video collection for Christmas, he was very Catholic and spoke extensively about how he expected his future spouse to practice natural family planning, and I was almost compelled to kick him from his own moving vehicle on a trip to the Gator Bowl due to his incessant love of a good heated debate. Then he suddenly broke it off, during your typical "we have things to talk about" meeting at a coffee house. No biggie, really. We both knew it wasn't going anywhere, my pride was wounded a bit, but it was okay and I didn't think about it for more than a month. I just told myself that after he witnessed me dressed as a sexy biker for Halloween he just couldn't handle the constant need to run to confession. Giggle, giggle, giggle...
So he emails to say he feels badly about how things ended, and that he is very happy now with his sweet and talented wife, and he credits our brief relationship for showing him that he needs to be more patient with people, and this revelation helped him to solidify his relationship with her. Ok, I'm thinking, that's kinda NICE. Warm fuzzies all the way around. Glad to help you out, buddy.
Moral of the story: Hope you didn't give her South Park videos for Christmas, dude.

We may have to do this one in installments, girls!

Exhibit B is a bit frustrating, so you'll have to give me time to go to my happy place before I tell it!