I wrote this in my journal after 368 consecutive days of 100% sobriety.
23rd August 2013-
3:27am
Today marks the one year anniversary of my clean and sober journal. What a remarkable year it has been. Easily the most productive fiscal year of my life.
I have traveled extensively, resting in seven different states, attended the Indy 500, read over 17 books, and exercised consistently and vigorously.
I have watched or participated as my six year old son competed in four sports, football, basketball, baseball and tennis….and swim in this spare time. His reading level was at H at the end of the kindergarden school year ( it was supposed to be at a level of E) AND he’s already on a 2nd grade math level.
Six bills that were coming into the mail at this time last year, Lowes, Pottery Barn, the truck payment, the Harley payment, the lawn care service, and the home equity line, are all gone, paid off in full. I have also detached myself from my local barbershop as I now cut my own hair.
As a direct result my margin line has come down from 17000 to 7000 ( saving me $796 a year in interest) and my equity portfolio has exploded to the upside by well over $70,000 dollars. By comparison, it took the first thirty two years of my life to amass my first $70,000 in savings.
Amazing.
I have paid off more than 4600 dollars of debt, over funded my home escrow account, reduced the interest rate on my aggregate debt from 4.6% to 3.29%, re-roofed my house, painted my bathroom-bedroom ceiling, retiled my bathroom floor, replaced my bedroom trash can, replaced my bed sheets, replaced my kitchen trash basket, have had the house professionally cleaned, twice!, maintained all of my assets, replaced well over 10% of my wardrobe AND acquired a brand new John Deere riding mower, edger, and trimmer. All of which have been paid for in full.
Pull up production has increased by 17%
Push up production has increased by 14%
Stationary bicycle production has increased by 62.5%
Yesterday I swam for more than 30 minutes and put together my very first fantasy football team.
Tuesday I bicycled 13 miles
Monday I ran 3 miles
Today – 2.5 mile walk
Amount of money spent on drugs, nicotine, and/or alcohol over the last twelve months – $0.00
Amount of drugs and alcohol consumed over the last twelve months- zero.
Word of the day- Tryst
An appointment made in secret, especially between lovers.
This quote comes once again to the front of my mind.
“You look at where you're going and where you are and it never makes much sense, but then you look back at where you've been and a pattern seems to emerge. And if you project forward from that pattern, then sometimes you can come up with something.”
― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
My mantra remains the same.
Stay, straight, ahead…
Amen.