Reprinted here with
permission.
02.25.05
"12-Step Program" for
Fenton Art Glass Collectors Anonymous ( a fictitious organization)
1. We admit we were
powerless over our Fenton collection - that our glass buying is no
longer manageable.
At times we have had to hide our spending & new purchases.
2. We start to believe that
a home with no Fenton Art Glass is greater than ourselves and can
restore us to sanity. (If we think that is sanity/rational thinking -
God help us.)
3. We make a definite
decision to move to an African jungle and become one with an ancient
native tribe.
In that move, not even a Fenton water pitcher for daily use is
allowed. We must follow the cold turkey method.
Likewise, we can't have access to any Fenton club newsletters in the
mail.
4. We must search our soul
& make a mental inventory of everything we have collected in
Fenton Glass.
Then ask ourselves "Was that last piece of Fenton we
purchased necessary for our physical &/or mental survival?"
(Most likely it was.)
5. We admit to our Higher
Power, to ourselves, and to another Fenton collector the exact nature
of our problem.
We admit what we meant when we were overtaken by the thought of,
"I need just one more piece of Fenton & I can hide it under my bed
or in a closet."
6. We are entirely ready to donate
every piece of Fenton we own to a worth while charity just to clean out our
home.
(a way around this thinking is to remember, "charity begins at home".)
7. Humbly ask our
Higher Power to remove our shortcomings - "Oh no, I just bought a
duplicate & didn't even
remember having the same piece in my collection."
8. We make a list of
all Fenton collectors we have outbid or sniped on ebay & become
willing to
make amends to them all. (Ya,sure!)
9. We make direct
amends to all the collectors we have outbid or sniped on ebay, except when to do
so would injure them or others thru encouraging their own possible Fenton
addiction.
At that point we just keep on sniping & outbidding them as we would
never want to harm
others or encourage their possible addiction.
10. Continue to stop buying
more Fenton & if we do slip & buy a another piece, we promptly admit
it & proudly put it on display in our home. We don't hide it under the
bed.
11. We map out traffic
routes that bypass our favorite Fenton dealers. We get rid of our TV set so
we won't be tempted to watch QVC. We discontinue our internet connection so we
won't be tempted
by online auctions. We cancel all mail delivery of Fenton advertising &
write refused on anything that
is accidentally delivered. We take an escort with us whenever we feel
the power of shopping would
be too great to overcome - such as being sent to the store to buy something
for dinner or personal
health products (bathroom tissue) & we return with another new piece of
Fenton instead.
12. Having had a
spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message
to fellow
Fenton collectors in hopes we can get our common sense back & try
NOT to practice this 12 step program in all of life's purchases.
Good luck!
Thanks Colleen..