tg for small blessings.
today is day 27. i know it's trivial but i want to share some small blessings i've received by not drinking.
it's fall break for the students here. my youngest son, 17 was invited to go with a family to navarre beach in florida. the other boy is one of his best friends and the parents are top notch. i withdrew some money for his eats and listened to his plan.
they were leaving sat. morning around 4 am so his plan was to spend the night with them and leave out early. he told my wife he would just drive her van and leave it there for a week. these are somewhat wealthy people (very humble) and i knew they didn't want my ghetto-@ss van with no hubcaps in their driveway of their gated community....tho' they said no such thing. i told him...no, i'll take you.
being a typical 17 year old he was nowhere near ready friday evening. in the past, i would have been very upset. i would have come home from work...hit about 3 fingers worth of vodka and sat there and stewed at him and eventually yelled at him to get ready.
you see....i always planned on getting my drink on as soon as possible. but having a dui many years ago, i try not to drive with too much in me. 3 fingers and waiting on him would have been sufficient to hold me but i still would have been getting p!ssed at him taking so long. i know that is a pitiful example of a father but i'm just telling the truth.
i then would have driven him to their house, hoped i didn't get pulled over on the way there because tho' not drunk, i might have been pushing a legal dui. i would then try to thank them without getting too close so they couldn't smell the vodka and further embarrassing my son.
but.....thanks to s.r. and all of my friends helping me here, i did not drink. i calmly helped him get ready. loaded his stuff up and carried him to the friend's casa. drove home liesurely and read a novel on friday night. in the past, i would have started pounding the vodka as soon as i returned.
today i drove my wife to church then i did the grocery shopping. a huge hole in the checkbook but the cupboards were very nearly bare...lol. i started thinking that i have almost saved 240 dollars on vodka in the last 27 days so the grocery bill did not sting as bad as it normally does.
sorry this is so long but i wanted to share 2 small blessings that NOT drinking has given me. for all of you newest guys that are under a week. trust me, my first week was hell physically and mentally but it gets better every day.
sunday was a day i would start pounding the vodka as soon as i got up. i wouldn't have driven my wife to church and i wouldn't have grocery shopped. i would have been passed out on the sofa by now. yet i sit here, with totally clear faculties and enjoy the beautiful day.
these blessings are the same things you can look forward to if you can continue to say no. no risk at a dui and more money for things you really need....not want.
sincerely,
a fallen man (who is slowly picking himself up, thanks to you guys)