Fandy

I am getting excited about good weather.

I have decided that I will reclaim my beautiful outdoor deck that faces a wooded area with some nice plants in pots and create a sitting area to read and enjoy some fresh air...I don't think I have used it in over 5 years and it is a really nice space.

I never would have planned or done any of this if I was still actively drinking...it was all I could do to plop myself down on the couch and stare at the TV....the darker the room the better...warm weather or not...I always hid in the house.

another happy bonus of living sober!

artsoul

Me too Fandy! My daughter and I worked on the flower beds this week, which were totally covered up in wild blackberries (with stickers, ouch!). What a joy to appreciate being outside again!

So many mornings lost to this disease...... it makes the small things even more precious now.....

Thanks for the feel-good post! Good luck with your project!!!!!

Fandy

it's still too early up here for gardening, but it will be nice in a month or so.....i used to spend a lot of time outside and look forward to it again.

Anna

Great post, Fandy!

I have been making whole grain muffins on a regular basis, instead of buying a doughnut on the way to work. And, I'm taking the time to buy fresh fruits and vegetables and make yummy salads. I really think there is a ripple effect, and when you make one change in your life, even a small one, the benefits will come.

MsCooterBrown

Bring on Springtime!!! I have neglected my herb (legal herbs I may add) patch that I planted..will have to see if I can revive the perinials..and put in a few new plants. And yeah..hard to tend to anything while sitting in the house in la la land with the curtains shut...Nice reminder!

Supercrew

I would never feel good on a Sunday when I was drinking. Normally I would still be drunk, or hungover, and I always dreaded Monday, so Sunday was always a day that was the most depresssing for me.

Sobriety gave me a "real" extra day off to enjoy.

Fandy

I've been walking around the house, checking the closets and YES, i have patio furniture and a cast iron electric grill brand new ready for a little outside picnic. I have new chair cushions, wireless internet, a Nook-tablet thingie, and brand new readingsunglasses.

all i need are some plastic chairs, a new hose, new outside planters and dirt. i've got some real pleasurable activities waiting for me right out the back door...i ordered a few exotic plants and some pink decorative grass i will try to grow (without killing it).

i may even get a little healthy color to replace my current xerox-paper white legs.

SomethingBetter

I went fishing last night, stayed till 4:30 am, I had some sleep and now enjoying my Sunday.

Although I don't think I could handle staying up that long each satuday night i feel great today, normally Sundays were spent hung over, I havnt been fishing like that in ages.

Living again, finally!

OklaBH

GREAT POST! I love it! Its so nice here! I skipped my back patio and cleaned my bedroom instead. Rearranged...etc... I love to sit on my back patio and
D R I N K! So, Im putting that off for a little while! Love the post and the great idea!

LexieCat

I do all kinds of things I couldn't do while I was still drinking--sometimes I gotta push myself to do them, because I've forgotten I CAN.

Yup, soon it will be time to select this year's botanical victims of my poor gardening skills. Seriously, I feel like an executioner picking out these cute little plants that won't see the end of the season.

I'm hoping that next spring, after my retirement, I will be able to devote a little more time to keeping my li'l green friends alive.

Fandy

i thought twice about the back deck...because i spent many an afternoon getting thorougly snockered out there too...(i lost the cordless phone for 2 days out back)...

but I can drink other beverages and still enjoy being outside...last summer i was able to sit with my friends and neighbors across the way and enjoy my own non-alcohol beverages i brought with me.

i think that bringing plants there to nurture there will help me connect the space with something besides drinking. I am an avid gardener (with help from someone i hire to do the heavy lifting & weeding0)...if i am sober i pay attention to the plants....last year i added some thought to what I want to do and it will be a good way for me to relax after work and take pleasure if I get good results (that means not killing the exotic Angel's Trumpets and fireball lilies)...:rotfxko

I agree Lexie, i've forgotten those words too..."I CAN" because I am sober....no longer tethered to the wine bottle.

least

I have a brown thumb when it comes to gardening but do enjoy dog walking, something I rarely did when drinking... and the dogs suffered from lack of exercise. Now I walk them every chance I get - it does us all a world of good.

EmeraldRose

Funny...cause yesterday I decided I was going to 'splurge' for two new chairs for my deck. Since I moved in last Fall, I missed being able to sit outside and prolly wouldn't anyway because I kept the booze IN the house. LOL
Best thing was the chairs were on sale. Yay. And got a new pretty butterfly flag. I'm looking forward to this Spring.
I'm also gonna splurge for an outside 4 or 5' kennel for my babies -then they can enjoy the weather as well.
YAY for Spring SOBER!! I am so ready for Spring.

simplyfab

Great post! It got me smiling and thinking what little projects I can take up.

My green thumb is pretty much brown, so plants and gardening...uh-uh! Lol..
The SO and I just recently purchased bicycles to get our excersise back into gear, but for myself, I've been wanting to take up scrapbooking.

I have so many pictures that are either in a box or stored onto the computer. And I've always loved the way scrapbooking adds so much more to the pictures.

I think I'll make my way to Michaels today and get on it! =)

Fandy, your project sounds so peaceful. The way you described what you're gonna do, reminds me of a coffee commercial!

Coolmummy

Playing frisbee in the garden with my son, sorting out the house and actually doing it properly (without 'wine breaks!), managung to watch tv after 9 O clock, driving in the evening to pick my son up from school events and not resenting it..

Fandy

yes! i can drive in the evenings now because i'm not drinking....i would never drive after 6-7PM because I'd already had 2-3-4 glasses of wine....i made myself a prisoner of the house by drinking.

OklaBH

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! this is exactly how I feel! I can do anything from goto a meeting, visit a friend, take a walk, make a SOBER phone call or run errands! I can get groceries at 11 o'clock at night if I want to! Its like a new adventure not being stuck inside because you are to lit to drive or be seen. Great post fandy!

Hevyn

Thanks for the reminder, Fandy! All the things we denied ourselves just because we were foggy and numb - so sad, but so great we realize it and now have a whole new life.

I hid in the house too - a typical Sunday would be spent with a 'hair of the dog', trying to gear up for Monday and usually I'd end up drinking 'till the wee hours & wake up still buzzed. I'm so happy we saw the light and are back among the living!

CarolD

Excellent plan.....

I've already been sitting on my sunny front porch

Soon ...will add a new US flag and re plant
an urn with red and white flowers.

Changed out the winter drapes to summer sheers yesterday
to brighten the rooms.

Bring on the warm weather....

theatredork

Thanks Fandy! I'm still very new to recovery but I am finding that I am looking forward to doing things on the weekend. Granted, I haven't been as active as I would like but hopefully next weekend, when I have two weeks of sobriety under my belt, I'll start tackling the to-do list. Today, though, it's enough not to have bought a bottle of wine when I went to Trader joe's.

I will admit that I am now AWARE of when things are messy, etc.... which is frustrating but a necessary step to living a full life.