One Step at a Time May-2016

[actiongirl46]

Ok, I'm going to pull a "Nora" and just keep talking . . . :egad:

I had a great session with my therapist yesterday. I haven't seen her in a month and I was so reluctant because my habits were previously good and then have gone down the rabbit hole. Ok, I did not react well to hubby's accident but that is still not ok.

Anyway, she asked me if I felt I could moderate. I said I think I am still in exploration. She shared the most insightful things with me. She said, well, whatever you do decide, just remember health is on the other side. There will be grieving, but it will get better. I see that (health!) with all of you here. I hope to be there too someday!!

Hugs - AG

[NoraC]

Ok, I'm going to pull a "Nora" and just keep talking . . . :egad:

I had a great session with my therapist yesterday. I haven't seen her in a month and I was so reluctant because my habits were previously good and then have gone down the rabbit hole. Ok, I did not react well to hubby's accident but that is still not ok.

Anyway, she asked me if I felt I could moderate. I said I think I am still in exploration. She shared the most insightful things with me. She said, well, whatever you do decide, just remember health is on the other side. There will be grieving, but it will get better. I see that (health!) with all of you here. I hope to be there too someday!!

Hugs - AG

Wow - Keep talking. Sounds like a powerful moment. :heartbeat:

[NoraC]

Ok, I'm going to pull a "Nora" and just keep talking . . . :egad:

:rotlf: :harhar: :rotlf:

[NoraC]

I seriously tried to moderate or quit for so long. Today I read the first post in my Journey thread and I had to stop reading. I wrote that almost 7 years ago. If I had stopped then.......
But, I'm not playing the 'what ifs' game. Just like Glassie said - I can make today something that I won't look back on with regret tomorrow. (Or something like that. Glassie worded it better)
I am grateful that I don't drink. Today at lunch - I announced to my friends that it has been over 9 months. I had never said anything to one of the women about it. I just said that I had been drinking everyday and decided to stop. She said that she pretty much did the same thing a few years ago - drinking everyday and decided to stop. She said that she just lost the taste for it.

[Glass Half Empty]

Rusty please don’t feel badly about yourself. You are a gorgeous hunnibun and I’m sure you and your mother love each other dearly and you both know it. Families are tough!!! And having the occasional vent in here does NOT make you a whinger.

NoSugar It’s so lovely to see you here. :hug:

[Rusty]

Good Morning Friends,

Thank you ALL for all the support you gave me yesterday. I am truly grateful for your friendship. I felt so trapped and sad but I am better today. It's gorgeous but chilly and I plan on getting out and taking a walk on the lake path because I AM WORTH IT.:happy2:

Nora, can you make that pelican cartoon into an attachment and send it to me, please? I don't know how you do it...but it is my FAVORITE cartoon of yours. It reminds me of several of my clients. So glad you got away with some good friends...you needed that I am sure. It's nice to know that another friend has quit drinking. I wish one of my friends would quit. She is so not fun to be with anymore. ;-(

AG-yes, I think our parents revert to being teenagers all over again. It is about their appts., friends, etc. and although they tell us they have respect for our time when we work, etc., their actions so often are the exact opposite. So glad you had a worthwhile appt. with your therapist.

Classy Glassy...what can I say???? Thank you for reaching out to me,,,:heartbeat::heartbeat::heartbeat: There is a reason why I call you Classy Glassy....because it fits. Wasn't that Girly Whirly or Stirly's signature line (It was someone from either the Undies or the Army Thread)..."Today was the yesterday that I worried about and it turned out fine." Along those lines anyway. :-) So true.

Big hellos to Mama, Pauly, aihfl, and anyone I missed. I need some "ME" time so I better get going.

Happy Sunday and thanks again!

[paulywogg]

Happy Sunday all,well just when I thought my soar throat was fading hubs and I both swoke up sicker,yippie, Louie's still coughing sneezing so Itthink he'sthe culprit,been iinteresting reading about aging parents and how you all handle it,mine are still youngish at 61 and 65 but when they do start declining I dunno what I'lldo,atleast reading the experiences here I'll have some clue,hello all,hope everyone has a great day

[aihfl]

Good morning everyone, busy week here. I took a marine safety and navigation rules exam yesterday given by the USCG, so I had to take about a 6 hour class and an exam after. I missed only one question, which was about the proper fueling procedure on an inboard engine, which doesn't apply to me anyway since I have a sailboat with an outboard.

Nora, thank you for asking about my date. She is a middle school science teacher. She is highly intelligent (masters degree in education from University of Central Florida; eventually wants to pursue her doctorate) and delightful to talk to, but I'm still unsure of overall compatibility. I'm not sure the physical attraction is there (although that can grow over time) and she still has children at home (youngest son is 11), so I'm not sure if she has the time or inclination to enjoy the things I enjoy so much. We'll have to see.

As long as we're talking about parents, my mother has to have surgery again. She survived ovarian cancer about 30 years ago, and they took out all of her reproductive organs. Since then, her bladder has fallen into the cavity left behind and it needs to be corrected. Surgery is no longer the massive undertaking it was, but it's still being cut into. I don't know if I should travel to Tennessee while she recuperates. She does have a boyfriend and many friends who can help. She will be 78 in November.

Anyway, it's back to the salt mine for me today. Better get back to it before anyone notices! Have a great day everyone.

[NoraC]

Happy Sunday

Haven't done much of anything today. I keep thinking that I'll get up and do something and then change my mind. LOL

Pauly - sorry you guys got it again. It's hard when there's a little one around - they seem to catch the bugs and share them.

aihfl - glad that you had a good time. I think it's nice that you could go out and have a good conversation. Maybe this will be a friendship instead of a romance.

Rusty - glad that you realized that YOU are worth it. :hug: I'll try to send that as an attachment and see what happens.

Mama - how are things going?

AG - what did you end up doing today?

I miss Liz. I hope that she is having a fantastic time.

I wonder what exciting fun things Red did on her birthday.

Guess I better get around to paying some bills. Yuck!

Sunni and NS and everyone else. It's so great to have you here with us. I hope to see you all drop in more often. :heartbeat:

[Rusty]

Good Morning Everyone,

Pauly-so sorry you are sick again....little kids' germs are so powerful!! The only time I ever get sick is when I'm around a parent whose kid has been sick..seriously. I hope you feel better soon.

Aihfl-so great to see you and I am glad you are getting out there and meeting new people, dating, enjoying a sober life. I liked your selfie, BTW. :-) I understand worrying about compatibility when you are dating a woman with young kids at home. The last serious relationship I had was with a guy who had 5 grown kids..um, not going there again. So sorry to hear about your mom's surgery. So glad she has friends nearby.

MAMA-WHERE ARE YOU AND HOW ARE YOU???? You have been MIA for wayyyy too long, sweetheart. Please let us know how you are.:hug:

Yesterday turned out OK except my whole day was spent with my mother and I did not get my workout in or get my business tasks completed. Oh well. Today is another day. I had a long talk with my sister....she is the best....she is vacationing in SC but she can tell when I need to talk and she called and we talked for 1.5 hrs! I told her I wanted to get away for Memorial Day weekend and she kindly offered me her beautiful home in SC as a retreat just for me. I really thought it was a good idea at first but I have to fly out REALLY early for Kansas City the day after Memorial Day, so I think I will just stay here and get all my flowers, etc. My sister confided in me that she has been feeling so burned out the last six months from the constant care my mother requires. I must always be on my guard, though. Resentment and burnout are two huge triggers for my drinking so I think I need to exercise (literally) self-care, because if I'm a mess...drinking or not...I'm no help to anyone. Regarding my short temper and irritability lately, my sister said she has had the same problem the last 6 months. I have struggled with feeling selfish for putting myself first, but I think I just need to do that a little bit more.

Thanks to all of you for being in my corner...the last few days have been rough but you all have managed to help me out of my funk and I am SO grateful!!!

Big hellos to everyone else!!

[paulywogg]

Hey all,just a quick pop in to say I hope we all have a great start to the week,love you all

[NoraC]

Morning, morning......

Want to know something else about not drinking? I've been borderline depressed for a week or so. I have been able to control the depression easier without AL. It is still there and I know it but I don't feel the spiraling out of control.
Another bonus for me. Just like Rusty has said about triggers. Depression is one of mine.
But, today will be a HAPPY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pauly - :hugs:

[Rusty]

Hey Pauly, Hope you are feeling better and are having a good Monday.

Nora-oh yes, the depressive nature of AL makes the depression twice as bad. My sober for 8 years aunt told me she was on ADs when she was drinking but has been off them since she's been sober. She is a different person altogether. Sobriety sure is a positive gamechanger for sure. Nora, you mentioned (I think) that your drink of choice was tequila. I was strictly a wine drinker until my drinking escalated to hard drinking the last 3 years of my drinking and OMG....hard liquor was twice as bad when it came to depression...and my longtime sober friend told me that vodka took away her motivation to do ANYTHING. She was right! When the hell did I have time to drink?????????????? It is so nice to have productively busy (working/household tasks) or fun weekends...or a little of both. Recovering from that AL-induced depression the next day was always so hard for me.

[NoraC]

Mama has strep throat. On the mend but been sick.

FEEL BETTER, MAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[paulywogg]

Feel better Mama,I've been wondering if I have strep? Too lazy to go to the doc god,Louie was a grouch! He wouldn't eat his peanut butter sandwich cuz the bread had an air bubble hole,so he started wailing,then his tablet switched shows cuz he tapped it,started wailing, grr, so me and Brady took him for a ride to get him to sleep,5 minutes in the car he knocked out,what a relief cuz I have him for the next 6 hours and if I had to hear him piss and moan about nothing for that long I think I'd go bananas! Now let's just hope he wakes up in a decent mood,everyone sounds good here that makes me happy!