I'd had an inactive day so, on my way home from a meeting last night, I called my neighbor to see if she'd want to take a walk when I got home. I went upstairs to put on my tennis shoes; the computer was calling to me. Well, just ONE game of Free Cell. I turned on the computer and zoned out.

When I went upstairs, I left my cell phone in my purse. My neighbor waited and waited for me to show up, tried to call me, then pounded on my front door. Who could be at my door at this time of night?

Oh, shoot! Linda! I opened the door. Linda stood there wide eyed, sweaty, and asked me if I was all right! I said, "Oh, Linda! I'm so sorry; I got sidetracked." She held her hand up, said it's okay and walked off.

Is there a FreeCell Anonymous meeting I need to be attending? Where we all introduce ourselves like, "Hi, I'm Anita . . . and I'm an addict." Will my neighbor ever go for a walk with me again?

Over the years, I had such strong self-discipline that I couldn't imagine being out of control of my life. Both my sons drank and did drugs. The thought was so foreign to me; I was totally puzzled how such a thing could happen.

Then, one of my nieces got a Game Boy. What great fun!

Then my brother showed me how to play FreeCell. Then I discovered Online Scrabble. I tell myself this is good for my brain. However, it's taken over my life!

I never knew I had an addictive personality. It's odd how life can blindside you and all of a sudden, the shoe is on the other foot and you are on the other side looking in.

I'm sorry for being so dense about human nature and the things we end up doing we never thought we'd do.

I could explore this more but I've got a game waiting for me.

~ Anita Duncan Adams