Game shows were a part of our growing up. Though they originated in the 1930s, they became popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Though Jeopardy is arguably the most popular, The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune certainly have a place in many memories.
One of our favorites, Let's Make a Deal, debuted in 1963 with Monty Hall as host and continued until 1976. For the finale, contestants had to pick between three wooden doors; behind two were goats, while behind one was a shiny new car.
Off the set, we navigate life with a different set of doors. Unlike the game show, we have the advantage of transparency. We can see where the 'shiny new car' is, so to speak. We don’t have to guess. We know where the prizes are. All we have to do is turn the knob and pull.
Goat options still exist, and we are not above pulling that handle in error. In the frenzy of life, we sometimes forget to pause and analyze what lies beyond the glass. As studio audiences scream their best guess, the noise overtakes logic and common sense.
If we take a moment to look through the pane, we will see where the pain exists. If we look through the glass, we will see the good life that can be ours for the choosing.
We think three is the right number: two goats and a car, or for us, drunk, dry, or delivered.
Three distinctly different life options await us on the other side of choice. On our stage, we can see beyond the hinges to the reality that awaits:
Door number one: Drunk
We tugged the shine off this handle, thinking that permanent relief from our temporary burdens was hidden in this room. Darkness prevailed as isolation demolished community.
Exhaustion overcame the little energy we possessed. The repetitive cycle of frustration to defeat exasperated us to a breaking point that had us begging to be removed from this hell that we felt trapped in.
Would we consider re-entry? Honestly, the thought finds space in our head when we ignore that we have other choices.
Door number two: Dry
Entering this room represents victory as well as defeat. While abstinence delivers aid for some woah, it in itself fails to bring out the beauty of true sobriety. White knuckling while productive is a miserable way of life.
We still hang in this room when we fall into laziness. Dry, for us, is operating as we did when influenced by alcohol, without the alcohol. In short, we thought and acted void a set of guiding principles and practices. We were the same old us, still carrying the stench of nasty thinking and finding no enjoyment or the pleasures that are found in real recovery.
Door number three: Delivered
This is the room of colors that we see differently. This is the room of honesty, trust, and tranquility. This is the room of community, accountability, and serenity. This room sheds light on our true selves. In this place, we find pleasure and purpose.
We are active agents of change behind this door. We choose to be present and fulfill a function. Transformation happens here—if we let it. We experience clarity, are free from mind-altering substances, are “dry,” and so much more. Rewards are rapid and repeat in a relentless pulse.
This room is alive, bright, and exciting. This is our room.
This stage of choice is that nothing happens if nothing happens. One must choose the door and then open it to experience the outcome. It is only a door until it is opened.
We regularly find ourselves at the pushing-off point—do we get on the stage, choose a door, and earn the shiny new car? Or…
Monty Hall would encourage us to play and earnestly root for us to pick the winning door.
A new way awaits… is this your Monty moment?
Thoughts and ideas for this blog post were taken and built upon from sober.coffee podcast episode #170 titled “Connecting – with the girl gang” The session dropped 6/26/2024. Click here to hear the podcast.
Photo by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash
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