AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

[speedster]

Good AF Morning to you and Happy Friday. I look forward to another AF weekend. Should be warm and I can get out for some longer bike rides and do some gardening & use my new Felco hand pruners. Even a simple pair of hand pruners is worth looking forward to! Here's a poem a friend sent that I thought this group would appreciate:

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.


~ Rumi ~
(The Essential Rumi, versions by Coleman Barks)

[speedster]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

I’m catching up on the threads from the last couple days. Puts me in a great mindset for the weekend.

Tom, thanks for leading us with some good threads this week. I take everyone’s perspective seriously and I learn so much and walk away with things to reflect on.

Mame - good for you getting the blood test and enjoy the wetsuit. Sounds like you will make good use of it. Wish I lived closer to the ocean, I miss it.

Mari & Cindi - you’re both making great progress and sound confident these days. Keep up the good work!

Narily, AFM, Det, DG, Mohun, well seasoned -- I’m glad when everyone checks in. I’m starting to read/post regularly enough I now wonder when we haven’t heard from someone.

AFM - I’m happy to hear your funk didn’t last. Your meeting with your Dad was a big event this week and you took the ups and downs like a champ.

Sausage - I relate to your comment “i've been a lot happier since i've stopped counting days religiously.” I feel the same way. I’m doing well with marking my AF calendar less frequently. It’s important to me to see the progress but not obsess over it. This goes along with weighing myself. I weigh when I feel I may have lost a little weight and don’t beat myself up when it’s less than I want to see. This is hard for me. Obsessing about my weight has been an issue since high school thanks to a mother that meant well but was a true nag about my weight. I’m grateful that I didn’t end up with an eating disorder.

I better get ready for work! Hello to all that follow today.

[retteacher]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

Speedster: Many thanks for that poem. It contained a lot of truth.

I haven't been using DrinkTracker. I got a little crazy w/the marking off of days. I know what my sobriety date is, & that's enough for now.

I have been doing well. I wouldn't say I'm obsessing about drinking, but I do think about it from time to time. That said: I know I have to be abs. There is no question in my mind anymore.

I'll check back later.

Mary

[A Work in Progress]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

Speedster: that is one of my very, very favorite poems of all time. Thanks!

Doing OK here, we are having lovely weather and so I am out walking and on my bicycle a lot! Very nice...

[Doggygirl]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

Good morning! Speedster thanks for kicking us off today for TGIF!!! I too am looking forward to an AF weekend. It is supposed to be warm here - around 60 degrees but rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. (if that's the case I will curl up with a good book and enjoy the rainy day anyway!) Today I have a business meeting at 7AM (getting ready to leave SOON) and am wearing a spring outfit and that feels good!

I have much to catch up on but wanted to thank everyone for a week of wonderful topics and posts. I read everything even though I haven't had a chance to comment on so many of the posts this week!

Speedster - did you and the pup have fun getting back to agility class??? (important stuff first!!)

I have been slowly slowly making my way through the Drinking - A Love Story Book. It is still hitting home. The section I'm in right now is where she talks about dual addictions - alcoholism + drugs or food/eating issues, etc. Boy is this all hitting home...still.

Well, gotta run or I will be late. Happy sober Friday to all!!!!

DG

[greeneyes]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

Morning abbers!!

What a wonderful poem!!!!

I'm so glad it's Friday. This week seemed a chore. I need to do some things that result in my being able to actually SEE the fruits of my labor. Washing the car is one. I have not washed the car sober yet. I know...... it HAS been a long time but I did use the car wash a couple times :H I have a massage scheduled at 5:30 so that will be a nice ending to this week. So, I'll just keep doing the best I can.

Everybody sounds good. February was a wierd month for a lot of folks here.

Carry on!

[Cinders]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

Good Morning All,

Have to hurry. Picking car up from shop, going to counselor then psychiatrist and then a meeting.

However, I did want to shout out hello and have a wonderful Friday, everyone.

Love,
Cindi

[Joanna]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

Dry Augusten Burroughs

Just finished 'Dry' by Augusten Burroughs. Unflinching, unsentimental look at rehab and alcoholism for an ordinary run of mill guy working in advertising. Would recommend it to anyone

' You can't get away from your addiction. It will follow you wherever you go'

And on a more upbeat note:

'You can never replace (it). The good news is that you do learn to live without it. You miss it . You want it. You hang out with a whole bunch of crazy people who feel the same way and you live with it. Eventually you start to sound like a self help book like me'

[LVT25]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

Just a quick check in from me also as I have nothing really inspiring to add. I want to thank all of you for your posts, I look forward to reading them everyday! It sounds to me like most everyone is doing quite well with their sobriety!:goodjob: And looking forward to spring. It has been lovely weather here except for yesterday when the wind and dirt blew about 50 MPH and that is no exaggeration! We are in for a change though--better enjoy it while I can.
Still a little under the weather and have now passed it to my family.

Busy weekend ahead with kid's stuff.

Have a good weekend all!:h

[Mohun]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

Another hangover free day! And a good night's sleep.

Road trip! We are leaving for Vancouver soon. Just going for the weekend, but really looking forward to getting away. Also looking forward to taking our new car for a good run (270 HP). No speeding tickets I hope.

I had a dream about AL last night. I can't really remember what it was about. Oh well.

I am finding that I am adjusting to not drinking when I am bored. You know, it's Wednesday night, watching t.v. "Why wouldn't I drink". Thoughts of AL get further and further away.

Have a great day.

Mo.

[Determinator]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

aloha Friday ABeroooooos!

Speedster thanks for the poetic start.

nice to see all your shining faces this fine morning

had a double whammy workout last night and I'm so pleasantly sore now. I really am starting to enjoy hanging out with my sparring partners after workouts for a few minutes of shooting the breeze. it fulfills a little bit of social time in a healthy atmosphere (if you don't mind a lot of sweat LOL).

tomorrow is a PPV sports event that I love (UFC) and I always used to stock up on beer and wine for them. I'd get so wasted that I would have no recollection of the event the next morning and feel pretty cheated. d-oh! but I've enjoyed quite a few sober now and it's so much more fun.
as I think about it, drinking wasn't something I added into my life...it in itself used to be the central point of so much of my life. other activities would literally have to revolve around alcohol as the 'main reason' for living. now that al is gone....what do my priorities and activities 'revolve around'? all interesting questions.

be well friends!

[Arial]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

Hi All,

I think I need to move to wherever you lot are - the weather's c**p here - sleet, wet, freezing - I think I need a wet suit just to go outside here, let alone swimming! Thanks for the poem, Speedster - always good to keep things in perspective and accept there will be lows as well as highs and to 'welcome' them as all part of life's big picture...

I hear confidence, enthusiasm, joie de vivre, in the posts today which is great :goodjob: What a way to head into the weekend - have a fantastic, sober one all!

[Accountable for Me]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

Morning all!

Just a quickie from me today. Super busy. All is good in AFM's world.

Have a great day!

[Miss Behaving]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

and me! not much to say - glad the weekend is here! Have a good Friday night everyone!

[SAUSAGE]

AF Daily - Friday March 6, 2009

Hi all , nothing really to add, just checking in.

Was on a course today (day spent in lecture theatre) related to work - quite heavy going! Suddenley mid afternoon as I was sitting in the lecture theatre, I suddenely started thinking about drinking and how nice it woud be to have a glass (or 2!!) of wine when I got home- defitely started trying to justify it to myself - I tried to distract myself with other thoughts, but kept coming back to it. Not sure what started it, maybe the association with my student days, sitting in the lecture theatre, maybe it was just the fact that I was becoming brain dead with info overload. Anyway, I got through it, and I'm sitting here tonight drinking a completely AF beer you'll be pleased to know!! Just thought i'd share that with you all!!

One thing I have noticed since I quite AL is I do seem to be craving and eating a hell of a lot more chocolate (not really any other sweet stuff, just chocolate) - anyone else found this?

Have a great weekend everyone!