When the going gets tough - Weekenders 31 January- 03 February 2020
Welcome to the Weekenders
This weekend is a very thoughtful time for me.....I hope you will bear with me and continue reading.
I can’t lie...the last two weeks have been difficult for me.
Since I had the injections for the new asthma treatment I’ve been like a caged Lion.
I just found out for sure something I suspected, that one of the side effects is anxiety!.....No kidding Batman. 
The last few weeks I’ve wanted to hide away and run away from the world. I’ve been irritable, nasty, and downright piggish. Mostly all aimed at Mr. Mags, him being the nearest to take the brunt.
I was reminded of when I drank and the anxiety I felt then. I was a complete pain in the butt then too!
Anyhow, now I know it is the side effects, I can work through it.
I remembered my step mum saying....in life you can sink or swim.....her first husband was killed by a lorry load of bricks, her mum was killed by a lightening strike...and she said she decided to swim. She could’ve easily locked herself away and sunk, but no, she rode the storms when the going got tough.
I try to remember those words when my going gets tough. My old escape was of course alcohol. But I know that won’t make anything better but a million times worse. Plus the fact ‘I don’t drink’. I’m sure my sober tools took care of all that for me, because without them I would be a drunken mess wallowing in self-pity.
Looking through my notes that I save, I came across the following, inspiring words.
The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. “Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room …. just wait.” “That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up.
I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away, just for this time in my life.” She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account, you withdraw from what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.”
And with a smile, she said: “Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 1. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less.”
❤️❤️❤️
I could make this ‘tough’ time into a drama and slide down the slippery abyss...But I’m not going to...I’m going to follow the saying
If this is your first weekend sober, or many, come join us for support and chat...as we know the weekends can be a struggle sometimes.
(We’re here all week too!) 