AF Daily - Saturday December 27

[Doggygirl]

I hope I got the date right. I'm feeling the "date and day of the week blur" that the holiday season brings. I will be glad when normal activities resume!!

OK - marking and running!



DG

Hi everyone! I still need to catch up on last evenings events, but figured I'd start the daily thread since it's LATE here - AFTER 6AM () and it appears everyone is sleeping in. A good day for it too. The weather here in IL has gone from cold to snow to ice to cold to warm to ice to below zero to snow to.....RAIN in the form of THUNDER STORMS and 52 degrees this morning before the sun is even up. What a strange December it has been weather wise. With all that "to ice" stuff in the cycle previously, it's actually great that everything will melt this weekend and we can start over. The world was beginning to be like an ice rink, but without the rhinestone costumes and wedgies that I love so much!

I think I'm going to get my butt to Curves and get my workout over with as soon as they open at 7. Then just curl up the rest of the day goofing off here, reading, Netflixing, whatever.

Happy Weekend! (even in NZ still - right?)

DG

[retteacher]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Hi DGirl & Everyone To Come: I too am up early though I've never been a morning person. I'm trying to regulate my body clock by getting up at the same time every day.

I have such a sense of renewal as the new year approaches. I am so thankful that I didn't drink over the Christmas holiday duo (Eve & Day). I think that's why I can be so optimistic about 2009. I've started exercising seriously & can see just how important it is to my sobriety. Though I enjoyed Christmas, largely because of the g-sons, I've never been big on it. It seemed like a lot of pressure & stress & expense. I've always loved the idea of the new year ringing in. I like the idea that I have a whole new year to do things differently. I think I've formulated a couple of resolutions which I'm going to commit to & will put on the new year resolution thread here on the 30 day forum.

I'll check back later. Mary

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Mary, I hear you on Christmas seeming like a lot of work / obligation / stress, etc. (I have no kids or grandkids - I'm sure that IS a bright spot!). I blame Norman Rockwell for all those "perfect" looking paintings that never seem to come true in real life LOL - at least not in MY real life!

Well, I couldn't get out of the driveway to go to Curves. The ice is SO thick that believe it or not, the 52 degrees thunder storm is just putting water on top of the ice that hasn't all melted yet, and it's slicker than it has been to date. I've been able to at least get out of here every day - but not today (so far). I couldn't even move the truck back into the garage. So I made a VERY treacherous walk which was only a few feet to one of the landscape beds that isn't slick as glass. Can't believe I didn't break my butt out there! I'm glad I went to Curves late yesterday afternoon (I considered skipping it entirely) because I don't think I will be able to get there today before they close at 11AM. At least I will have 4 workouts in this week! The streets are fine - just can't get that far.

Mary I too am noodling on my goals (besides sobriety) for 2009.

I've talked before about starting a blog and I think I want to get serious about that. I'm just not sure what to talk about. I know it will be "long" though. Any suggestions?

DG

[A Work in Progress]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Mary, I'm working also on setting up some goals I can commit to for next year. One barrier for me is my mother; there are a number of decisions I cannot make while she is still alive, and aware of who I am, and in any way comforted by spending time with me. I can't move to a different city until that situation changes. Yet, I feel otherwise totally ready for some major life changes... I was just offered a job, running a treatment program in Minnesota, out of the blue... and it sounds like it would be pretty cool... but I can't even consider it...

DG, sorry you couldn't get to Curves! That ice sounds awful! I woke up here in western Missouri to thunderstorms, as well... fortunately, it was so warm yesterday, the ice was all gone before the rain started falling.

Blogs are fun... and/but they can really become a bit burdensome. I blogged steadily for about 3 years, and had a pretty nice following, but have let it go the last couple of months. I just felt burdened by it. It felt more like work than like fun; but now that I've had a break, I might get back to it... You would make a GREAT blogger, in my opinion. Feel free to PM me if you have questions about platforms, etc.

[greeneyes]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Morning abberroosters! Still cruising along through the holiday season even though I had my flashers on a couple of times. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be but I did not get sideswiped. I remember last time the drink feeling came upon me ya'll said "now you'll be prepared for next time". And I was, so I didn't.

I have a post-Christmas party tonight but expect it to be fine - I LIKE soda water and lime. My big fear is my memory. I don't remember things like I should (maybe it's the antidepressant) and people and their names fall into that category. I'm afraid of hurting someone's feelings by not remembering their name, the last time we met up, etc.

DG - not sure what you can talk about in a blog? Humm.... now THAT'S a suprise, :H. With your sense of humor, I'm sure whatever it is will be entertaining as well as insightful!

[river0123]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Wip, if you come to Minnesota, we can shiver together.

Last night I was thinking how wonderful life is now. The whole day and evening is wide open to possibility, when before it was 5pm in front of the TV, tethered by an invisible cord to the liquor cabinet. Now, who knows what the evening will bring. It's five extra hours of fun!
Wishing you all a wonderful day.:l

[brittzak]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Good morning all.....first day in WEEKS I have nothing I have to do. I am thrilled about it too. I think I will clean closets though. I am having a huge yeard sale come spring so I need to get things gathered up. I still have SO much of Mama's stuff to get rid of...it is unbelieveable and a huge storage building of it too. That will be hard but must be done. My brother and I will use to money and meet up for a vacation this summer. I think Mama would have liked that. Of course we are keeping family heirloom things, but we cant keep it all. There is just to much. hasn't even made me think of drinking though...I have had absolutely no cravings over the holidays. My mindset is really strong right now...been meditating , exercising, eating well.....I just am overall happy! I am striving for this attitude to stick around. I have made several adjustments and taken some good hard looks inward so I feel strong. God I feel GOOD! 2009....bring it on...

[SAUSAGE]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Hi everyone

First time on line for about 36hrs because we've been having som problems with our computer. According to Mr Sausage - who is know expert, but knows more than me - "we have a dodgy connection on the motherboard!?" Still not sure if it's reliably fixed so if I disappear off line over the next few days it's not because i've suddenley started drinking but because I have no internet access!!

Was getting quite anxious actually incase I was off line coming up to / over new year as I really count on you guys for support during this difficult time.

After starting the thread off early yesterday I did not get on line again that day and I've only just caught up on yesterday's thread and todays but there were some interesting comments. Deter - can totally relate to the suddenley going back to drinking after surviving a major event sober - I've been there !!!

DG I love the idea of you starting a blog - I'd certainly love to read it and can't believe you'd ever run short of ideas to write about.

I've mixed views about Christmas - I absolutely loved it as a child but found it a bit depressing / over rated as an adult before I had children. Now I have young children I want to recreate some of the magic I experienced but I too am conflicted about it also - it does seem an awful lot of stress and expense and people forget the real meaning. I can totally relate to those of you that find it a difficult and depressing time.

For me a good time has always been new year. I have always used it as a time to reflect and looked on this optimistically however good or bad the outgoing year has been - love to make plans, and resolutions for the future and at the same time look back on the outgoing year. I fail to understand why some people dislike new year. I have a friend whom since her teens has always hated it and has always gone to bed at 9.30pm on new years eve and tried to pretend its not happening! Since 1984 I've kept a daily diary and at the end of a year, I always make extensive notes in this on resolutions / plans for the coming year , thoughts about the year just past etc. I'm currently working on my summary of 2008 / plans for 2009. Will keep you updated of my progress but try not to bore you at the same time. I see there are some interesting threads starting up regarding new year etc which I am looking forward to dipping into.

Will check back later - internet access permitting !!

[retteacher]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Hi Again:

I think that, for me, I have to keep my New Year's resolutions attainable & few in number...otherwise I leave myself open to failure.

I think I've come up w/3 that I can keep:
1. Sobriety for 2009 - That's big enough to be my only one. I know it will be a daily effort, but I know I'm up to it. I'm so much happier when I'm AF. I must just remember that.
2. 30 minutes of exercise 5 X per week. That too is going to be a major effort.
3. Working through any & all issues that come up. Doing whatever it takes to brings issues to closure, so that they are not taking up space in my head. I think that will be good for my sobriety.

I'm assuming that a blog is a computer-type of journal or is it? Doggy, if you started one, I know I'd tune in. Would we discuss our progress in our programs? I like the idea of that kind of support.

Mary

[retteacher]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

By the way, speaking of resolution #3 (see above), I just had a conversation w/my husb that included a few topics that we've been needing to hash out. It felt very cleansing. He said his piece, & I said mine. Now my mind is free to go on to anything it wants to think about. I'm not stewing about anything. It feels good...healthy. Mary

[SAUSAGE]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Mary - those are 3 great resolutions - and 3 that i'd like to aim for as well. No (3) is very thought provoking and one that i'd love to achieve but not sure if it is attainable. I know i'm in danger of giving myself far too many (I do every year ) but I always look at them as goals to be aimed at rather than an all or nothing rule - ie if I manage it on 2/3 of the days of the year then that is progress - however that certainly does not apply to the AF one - for me that has to be all or nothing ie not to drink at all.

In 2008 my aim was to give up alcohol. I haven't been totally AF - had serveral slips/ relapses, whatever you want to call them -but I know by end of yr i will have achieved over 260 AF days (will calculate exact no before new yrs eve) and that is huge progress considering I was a DAILY drinker until the start of this year.

[SAUSAGE]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Thinking about no 3 again - Im so glad you posted this one because it has really helped me and got me thinking because it's put down on paper something I couldn't summarise myself.... if you see what I mean

This is when you need to use the serenity prayer isn't it ie in a difficult / worrying situation
ie applying / doing / saying the things you need to do to change what you can
and knowing when you can do nothing about a situation so leave it alone, don't waste time worrying and move on

[retteacher]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Sausage:

Yes, there are certain situations I have no control over & can & should, therefore, do nothing. For example, my mother is in a difficult place but is unwilling to accept any input. I just listen when she needs to talk & try not to offer advice.

Then, there are times when I really need to say something to someone...perhaps they overstepped some boundary or hurt my feelings. Maybe I have to apologize for something I've said or done.

Sometimes, I have to get into contact w/someone that I've lost touch with. Or sometimes, I have to break out of my tendency to want to isolate & be alone. Sometimes I have to do an activity w/a friend or my daughter instead of always w/my husb.

The above examples are the types of internal decisions that I can neglect. Then they just kind of fester & that's when I get the urge to drink.

I hope that clarifies that 3rd resolution. It's something I've thought a lot about in the past. It's a way of keeping my mind free & clear.

Mary

[Determinator]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Top of the Saturday ABeroooooos!

such lovely thoughtful posts as I've come to expect here. DG, have you started a blog here on MWO? might be a place to get your feet wet. reminds me I'm in need of a new entry on my little blog here.

Mary, you sound resolved and clear...love it!

Luvs, you just made my day again with your super happy post! woooooo!

Dx and I are cleaning the house in prep for NY's eve party. I'll readily admit that I've been somewhat concerned about the intense al focus that invariably occurs at NY's eve parties. I have recently felt myself calm down about it though I'm happy to say. and now I've self-appointed myself to official Chef/photographer and fireworks coordinator for the party. that ought to keep me busy!

be well everyone!

[Accountable for Me]

AF Daily - Saturday December 27

Good evening all! A late check in for me. Been battling indigestion today from all of the snacky-snacks and big meals the last couple of days. I think I need a food detox now! (as I chomp on a turkey sandwich).

I am not sure how I feel about Christmas being over. Every other year there was too much drinking and family fueds but this year, it was the best ever that I can remember! I am so grateful for everything and everyone in my life at the moment.

It is going to be a great 2009! I really sucked with the AF this year. In 2007 I did excellent; but this year was tough with all that went on and I let myself drink a lot through out it all.

2009 I want 365 days of complete sobriety. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I am going to do everything in my power to stick to my goal. No more giving myself excuses to drink. What is the friggen point? It makes me sicker than a dog when I do and I personally want to start to do some serious living from now on!

Have a great night everyone!