Moving On

I think I'm making progress. I've been stuck on step 2 for quite sometime.  I think now it's time to move forward.

Yesterday I had a meeting at the local bookstore with some members of my writing group.  I think you all know what happens when I walk into a bookstore.  I break out in a cold sweat, tempted to buy each and every book that I lay my eyes on. 
"Buy yourself a book while you're there," said Richard.
"You know I'm not supposed to buy any more books until I read what's on the shelf," I responded, loving him all the more for giving me permission to do what I longed to do.  At that moment, in my mind, his acceptance was all I needed to indulged myself.
"You deserve it.  Get yourself something." He kissed me goodbye.
"OK," I answered, the book selected and the money spent and I hadn't even left the house yet.

I browsed the shelves while I waited for members of my group.  My selection list grew to five new titles as I walked the aisles.  Richard said it was OK.  I was all set to make my purchases as soon as our meeting concluded.

For an hour, my team worked together on our project.  I took notes and added input while trying to block the call of the thousands of books from my mind.  I struggled to focus on our project as the voices of enticing stories begged me to take them home.  Meeting over, I got up and walked to the door while chatting with a friend.  She opened the door and I followed her outside.

"Thanks for saving me," I said as we walked to the parking lot.
"Saving you from what?" she asked.
"You know I'm not supposed to buy any new books.  If you'd left me in there alone, I would have succumbed to the temptation."
She rolled her eyes.  "I have a stack of books at home to read.  I had to get out of there myself."
Belief in that higher Power moved me out of harm's way.  I'm not alone.  I'm moving on to step 3.