PeppermintPatty

Loving the beautiful Saturday morning in S.C. I am staying on the bus and not taking any bus stops. I will not drink and will never change my mind.

GroundhogDay

Nice to wake up to a clear blue sky after a cloudy rainy week.

gettingsmarter

I definitely sound like I'm from Texas. I don't talk fast like the rest of the world because I don't have to convey as much information to get my point across.

Della1968

Just want to say that I do not have a voice like Fran Drescher regardless of what you may all have in mind.

Behan

I had to youtube fran drescher!

Slowly sorting through my clothes. Dumped so much. Now going through t shirts. Finding it hard to dump any. Is it normal to be emotionally attached to t shirts. I am not dumping any of my punk or metal ones!!!

live4luv

Waking up for day 12 today. Another beautiful morning sans hangover. I am going to do a 5k Humane Society pet walk this morning.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy & sober weekend

Ruby2

Good morning and yes it was quite early when I nocturnally posted at 2:30 a.m. Mr. Ruby back to tripping the light fantastic when he gets back to town. Didn't get much sleep last night with his comings and goings. Drunken sailor on shore leave. But this is a family home.

Behan, you can get attached to tee shirts. I have a few around that I've kept. Good luck with the weeding through. Surprisingly, tee shirts are one of the things I don't tend to keep.

I'm taking daughter to gymnastics class this morning. House a disaster after yesterday so I'll be joining Della in the cleaning project. Maybe dig in the garden so I can plant. If I'm going to have any hope of veg this year. Already late.

bigsombrero

Profound stuff, Mex! I think technology and social media play a big role today, and it's why so many folks can't be happy with their own choices. Yes, me included. As humans, we are prone to compare and rank ourselves in relation to others. Other primates do it, other animals do it, we are no different. Today, instead of comparing ourselves to our local family and friends, we have the whole world out there to compete with. Facebook will show us the actions of 300 people per day - and many of them will "rank higher" than us in one category or another. As long as someone has a better job, a wife that's prettier, children that are smarter, houses that are bigger, vacations that are more exotic....we feel the sting of inadequacy. And it's not just facebook, not by a long shot. Blogs, personal websites, and youtube videos are out there highlighting the best people the world has to offer. Essentially, we are not just competing with our local tribe anymore - we are competing with 6 billion humans in what's become a global village.

I am at my best when I am striving to make my own life better for me. I am at my worst when I am striving to make my life more appealing to others. I think that goes for many of us. It's good to be reminded there's a difference.

Thanks for sharing a part of your story as well, it sounds familiar to me in many ways.

happyandfree

Happy Saturday, everyone.
Della...isn't it funny how people think ny is only nyc? I was born in rural, farm country nys and people always ask me why I don't have a city accent.
Live4luv...your 5k pet walk sounds so fun. And sans hangover, you and your doggie will be able to enjoy it.
ruby...I hope you can get some rest today.
I was planning on a lazy, rainy Saturday, but it appears that the forecast was wrong again. So I'll have a lazy sunny day.
I think I'll put my new tent up in my backyard to test it out. My dogs don't know, but we are going camping in a few weeks. They better behave or it might be their first and last camping trip. I am trying to get out and do things that I used to enjoy. I haven't gone camping in years...not sure what I'm waiting for. So I've made a plan. ..and I'm going to try to follow through.
Ok...in the meantime, my dogs are patiently waiting for their morning walk.
See you all later.

Ruby2

BigS I like that a lot. Thank you for posting that.

Della1968

Yeah I am midway between Rochester and Syracuse....not the hotbed of urban life! Our claim to fame is wineries and scared sheep.

biminiblue

Along the lines of the recent posts - I find myself much more centered now that I don't keep up with the news, don't have facebook or network TV/advertising, and don't have friends who are competitive.

A man I met at an AA meeting said to me, "Yeah, I can go from, 'I'm better than you to You're better than me,' in less than a minute." It's so true, comparing myself with others leads me down a dark and lonely path. I am happy for the most part. If I stay centered I stay happy. If I let the wrong people into my circle, they can sap my positivity in a nanosecond. I am super-protective of my Serenity and I know that comparison is dangerous - as is gossip. I leave that for those who enjoy that kind of thing. ((((why?))))

Ruby2

HaF, I think we'll get your rain eventually. I think I'm going to dirty my hands today. Lazy days are good.

Della, I think rural New York is very pretty. I attended a gigantic family reunion in Rochester 15 years ago. Drove with my parents. Back roads were lovely. There were 500 people there. My great grandmother's family was large and her older siblings quite prolific. We were a tiny branch. Made the Rochester news.

Skydiving. Not a chance but have fun. I don't do anything for me for fun. We passed the local high school on the way to gymnastics. It was a working farm, the last in the City limits. Now it's an agricultural high school and they've recently added horses to their repertoire. I think I may take riding lessons again. Been a long time but I have all my gear still except helmet.

Ruby2

And riding lessons aren't at the high school but seeing horses grazing along the street gave me an idea

MesaMan

An Epiphany occurred on an Int'l Flight several Decades ago, and I recall it perfectly.

I met my Travel Agent while we both Rehabbing from Whiplash. The sole possible upside from being in that level of pain was that it's become the Benchmark against which to measure how difficult Drinking -> achieving Sobriety was. My experience: Whiplash was much more miserable. 2 Whiplash Clients of our Attorney's put Guns in their Mouths to end the misery. I comprehensively understand why.

So, this Travel Agent Pal used to bestow Int'l First Class Upgrades on me occasionally. Move from the $5,400- Business Class Seats up to the then-$8,800- First Class Seats upstairs on a 747. Mighty sweet up there. Caviar before Take-off. Quiet. Excellent Chow. Endless Top Shelf Booze. Not that I ever took advantage of that...-) OK, well, just that ~$150- Bottle of 'Royal Lochnagar' Single Malt from near Balmoral that the Flight Attendants didn't even know was on their Food/Booze List.

Before Private Jets were de rigueur, these 2 Guys up in First were shooting the breeze in front of me. Besides springing for their own Seat, each bought the Seat next to them to keep it empty. They were going down around The South Seas for 3 weeks to hang on some Pal's 260' Yacht, and hit the Golf Courses all around. This, after driving Balls off the Yacht front end into perfectly blue Water.

I never was one to prance around and think I got it made. That's just not my Mindset. However, this Episode of Humble Reality reminded me:

1. Someone's always got more Money than I.

2. Someone's always in better shape than I. An understatement.

3. Somebody's always got a better looking Trophy Wife. That's not true, but I'm on a roll here...

The 4th realization is the last line of the Peter Gabriel Song linked below.

I got off this Flight, and went on to work back-to-back Trade Shows in Shanghai over 2 weeks. I was hangin' out, resting my 'Dogs' [Feet] while having a Beer in an outdoor Beer Garden just down from my Five Star Hotel. It had a little Iron Fence 3' high to keep out the Riff Raff. This Couple stopped and manipulated their Infant to kinda 'dance' on this Railing to get Tips for this 'performance'. The Beer Garden Owner ran them off. They had just got off the Bus from a Village, looking for work. All their Possessions were in a Bandana hanging off a Stick over their Shoulders; just like some TV Hobo. This wasn't the Movies, however. This was Real Life.

Now, I'm perturbed - again - about just what in my Life? Ummmm, mebbe that Gomer who snagged my intended Parking Space doesn't merit my outrage, eh?

Perspective...

- 'Big Time' ~ Peter Gabriel -
.

happyandfree

I think it's a great idea, ruby! Along with camping, horseback riding is also on my list of things I used to do that I want to do again. I was content for years doing nothing but drinking in isolation. Now I want to get out and enjoy life again. It's so much better.

Weasel1966

Really great stuff M and BigS. Thank you for that.

Lazy Saturday. It warmed up quite a bit so I think now that lunch has been had I will go for a walk. Not the kind with intent but rather a stroll. I simply don't stroll enough.

Happy sober Saturday to everyone. If any of the newest among us would like to speak up and share how you are doing I would like to know. What have you don't right? What do you want to do better? Are you handling the events of a sober day differently?

ishallnotwant

Reading a really good book called "Attitude Reconstruction" by Jude Bijou.

Ruby2

I think I'm going to change into shorts although it's quite cool in the shade. Hot in the sun. Eat something before I forget again to eat. Muck around.

Sounds like a nice flying experience MM. I've only ever sat coach. Does give perspective.

Weasel1966

I think maybe I will mastrudate this evening. Take myself to a movie and get something good to eat.