During the first few weeks of my sobriety I was in the middle of refinancing my mortgage. Thus, between getting caught up on my taxes, the appraisal process and all of the paperwork, I gave myself virtually no free time. To this day, I still only allow myself one "rest" day per week. Meaning, as soon as I wake up, I get up, make my bed, and get into my workout clothes. The human mind is very "patternistic" in that you are going to have to consciously develop some newer, more healthier habits if you're even remotely serious about your sobriety.
One pattern of behavior that helps me to this day is to live each day as if it were a separate life. Meaning, if there was no tomorrow, if putting any and everything off were no longer an option, what would you start doing? What books would you start reading? What repairs would you start making? What places would you go? What would you start learning? Who would you call? What amends would you make?
For example, over the last eleven months, I have put a new roof on my house, refurbished two rooms with new paint and flooring, and read more than nineteen books. When you start viewing your life in this kind of light, you will find that your days fill up very quickly.
“Something else an academic education will do for you. If you go along with it any considerable distance it’ll begin to give you an idea what size mind you have. What it’ll fit and, maybe, what it won’t. After a while, you’ll have an idea what kind of thoughts your particular size mind should be wearing. For one thing, it may save you an extraordinary amount of time trying on ideas that don’t suit you, aren’t becoming to you. You’ll begin to know your true measurements and dress your mind accordingly.”
- J.D. Salinger
Good luck and God Bless
