When the wind blows how strong are your roots, Weekender - Weekenders 09-12 October 2020
Giving up is NOT an option.
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 7,808
I'm in!
Yep, low-carb flu is a thing. It's not fun but it doesn't last too long. I am not low-carbing right now. But I have managed to cut back on the sugar. It got pretty crazy over the summer. I had bags of candy in the cupboard and I would grab just 2-3, say, gummy worms or whatever, several times a day. It added up to a lot of sugar throughout the day, without me really thinking too much about it. It was probably more than if I made a point of sitting down with candy once a day but I fooled myself that it wasn't that much. hmmmmm... this sounds a lot like my justifications when drinking!! Yep, it's something I've been aware of for some time. So I'm working on changing my thinking around sugar. I use it in a similar way to alcohol - a quick hit of release of dopamine when I'm anxious or bored or sad or whatever.
Today would have been my grandmother's 103rd birthday. She lived to 97. She died on May 15th, 2015 - the same day I was starting my 2-week jail sentence for my 3rd DUI. She did not know I was most likely going to jail the next day when I visited her in the hospital. I figured she didn't need to know about that. She was probably passing away right while I was in court the next day. They walked me to the jail wing of the courthouse, got me into my cell, and about a half hour later they came and got me and took me to a room with a phone and my mom told me the news. What a miserable day that was. I was a little over 5 months sober by then, and doing well in outpatient treatment and with sobriety. So I weathered it. I did a whole lot of thinking about life and how I wanted the rest of mine to look during those 2 weeks while I sat there in jail. I also had a young grand daughter (her birthday is October 15th, and she was born in 2014, a couple of months before I got sober). I decided I never wanted her to remember seeing her grandmother drunk, as I had seen my grandmother drunk quite a few times. It was just another promise I had made to myself at that point in my sobriety. I already knew I never wanted to drink again. But the experience of sitting in jail by myself (I was the only person in my cell block - small town jail) and reflecting on my life up to that point and what I wanted the rest of my life to look like was sort of a turning point. Punctuated by the death of my beloved grandmother.
Anyhow. I'm looking forward to another fabulous sober weekend. I'll be looking at plenty of trees - we are going kayaking Saturday and I'm planning on a good long hike in the woods on Sunday. The weather is supposed to be really nice, for October. Trying to take advantage of that.
Everyone - work on your roots this weekend! Being out in nature and soaking up the sounds and sights is one of my favorite ways to make sure I'm good and grounded.
Yep, low-carb flu is a thing. It's not fun but it doesn't last too long. I am not low-carbing right now. But I have managed to cut back on the sugar. It got pretty crazy over the summer. I had bags of candy in the cupboard and I would grab just 2-3, say, gummy worms or whatever, several times a day. It added up to a lot of sugar throughout the day, without me really thinking too much about it. It was probably more than if I made a point of sitting down with candy once a day but I fooled myself that it wasn't that much. hmmmmm... this sounds a lot like my justifications when drinking!! Yep, it's something I've been aware of for some time. So I'm working on changing my thinking around sugar. I use it in a similar way to alcohol - a quick hit of release of dopamine when I'm anxious or bored or sad or whatever.
Today would have been my grandmother's 103rd birthday. She lived to 97. She died on May 15th, 2015 - the same day I was starting my 2-week jail sentence for my 3rd DUI. She did not know I was most likely going to jail the next day when I visited her in the hospital. I figured she didn't need to know about that. She was probably passing away right while I was in court the next day. They walked me to the jail wing of the courthouse, got me into my cell, and about a half hour later they came and got me and took me to a room with a phone and my mom told me the news. What a miserable day that was. I was a little over 5 months sober by then, and doing well in outpatient treatment and with sobriety. So I weathered it. I did a whole lot of thinking about life and how I wanted the rest of mine to look during those 2 weeks while I sat there in jail. I also had a young grand daughter (her birthday is October 15th, and she was born in 2014, a couple of months before I got sober). I decided I never wanted her to remember seeing her grandmother drunk, as I had seen my grandmother drunk quite a few times. It was just another promise I had made to myself at that point in my sobriety. I already knew I never wanted to drink again. But the experience of sitting in jail by myself (I was the only person in my cell block - small town jail) and reflecting on my life up to that point and what I wanted the rest of my life to look like was sort of a turning point. Punctuated by the death of my beloved grandmother.
Anyhow. I'm looking forward to another fabulous sober weekend. I'll be looking at plenty of trees - we are going kayaking Saturday and I'm planning on a good long hike in the woods on Sunday. The weather is supposed to be really nice, for October. Trying to take advantage of that.
Everyone - work on your roots this weekend! Being out in nature and soaking up the sounds and sights is one of my favorite ways to make sure I'm good and grounded.
Giving up is NOT an option.
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 7,808
Oh that IS important, Bim!
I ordered some fancy Christmas ornaments the other day (mostly to give as gifts) and I ordered an octopus ornament for myself. Hopefully I will actually get a tree up and decorated this year. Not sure where I will put it, since my home office is currently set up right where my tree always goes. I'll figure it out.
I ordered some fancy Christmas ornaments the other day (mostly to give as gifts) and I ordered an octopus ornament for myself. Hopefully I will actually get a tree up and decorated this year. Not sure where I will put it, since my home office is currently set up right where my tree always goes. I'll figure it out.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Florida
Posts: 6,414
I have a good picture that fits the weekend theme. It's from my friend's family farm a couple of years ago after one of the really bad hurricane's came through. Some of the trees made it intact, while many did not. Nearly all received some level of trauma. Many would appear to make it but would only give way to the damage that was done to them later on. Sounds kind of like alcohol addiction and the effect it has on us and those around us.
Giving up is NOT an option.
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 7,808
I should not post the link to the site where I got the ornament, but it's Old World Christmas. I had a hard time not ordering hundreds of dollars' worth of ornaments. I spent plenty anyway. I give nice ornaments to family members as sort of a tradition. We are not big on large gifts (except if there are children involved - they get bigger things).
ours de petit cerveau
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: London, UK
Posts: 1,630
good theme Mags 
"A man is born gentle and weak.
At his death he is hard and stiff.
Green plants are tender and filled with sap.
At their death they are withered and dry.
Therefore the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death.
The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life.
Thus an army without flexibility never wins a battle.
A tree that is unbending is easily broken.
The hard and strong will fall.
The soft and weak will overcome."
- Tao Te Ching
“The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm.”
- Confucius
I think cake instead of alcohol counts as bending.
"A man is born gentle and weak.
At his death he is hard and stiff.
Green plants are tender and filled with sap.
At their death they are withered and dry.
Therefore the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death.
The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life.
Thus an army without flexibility never wins a battle.
A tree that is unbending is easily broken.
The hard and strong will fall.
The soft and weak will overcome."
- Tao Te Ching
“The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm.”
- Confucius
I think cake instead of alcohol counts as bending.
Giving up is NOT an option.
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 7,808
Bim, I also ordered the narwhal ornament for my granddaughter. For some reason narwhals are really popular with little kids these days. She has a big plush narwhal that she loves a lot.
Thanks for the Tao and Confucious, Andy. I love that.
Thanks for the Tao and Confucious, Andy. I love that.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 25,373
I saw that narwhal. It's like six inches long! Beautiful.
I didn't order any, too large for my tiny tree and too spendy for me right now. Thanks for the browsing session, though!
*edit to say, there are some tiny ones...I may still buy something. Page is open
I didn't order any, too large for my tiny tree and too spendy for me right now. Thanks for the browsing session, though!
*edit to say, there are some tiny ones...I may still buy something. Page is open
Magsie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: UK
Posts: 26,640
I love the narwhal! There’s some gorgeous tree decorations.
lunar you found a Jobu decoration.
Andy, nice words.
Marty, Enjoy your kayaking this weekend. I’m glad you got to see your grandmother before you went in jail. x
lunar you found a Jobu decoration.
Andy, nice words.
Marty, Enjoy your kayaking this weekend. I’m glad you got to see your grandmother before you went in jail. x
Member
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 32,374
Lately in my area a couple of trees have fallen down, in a car-park and in a city street.
I saw the headlines about the damage they caused and when I saw the photos my guess was confirmed: each was in a paved area,
closed off from rain, with almost no room for roots to develop and spread for life-giving nourishment.
I need to be open to a balance of wholesome refreshment for body, mind and spirit.
I saw the headlines about the damage they caused and when I saw the photos my guess was confirmed: each was in a paved area,
closed off from rain, with almost no room for roots to develop and spread for life-giving nourishment.
I need to be open to a balance of wholesome refreshment for body, mind and spirit.
OX
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Upper Left USA
Posts: 630
thanks mags!
cool thing about trees is they actually communicate with each other underground and will help each other by passing nutrients to each other through a network of fungi. Pretty amazing and is like how we are helping each other here!
cool thing about trees is they actually communicate with each other underground and will help each other by passing nutrients to each other through a network of fungi. Pretty amazing and is like how we are helping each other here!
Giving up is NOT an option.
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 7,808
I did think about you and Jobu when I saw that ornament, Lunar. I could have gone crazy ordering stuff. I restrained myself pretty well. I have more ornaments than I can possibly fit on a tree, having inherited ornaments from two different grandmothers, on top of all of the ones I have bought over the years. I gave a whole bunch to my older daughter a couple of years ago, so that did help. But still, too many. I do enjoy adding to the collection when I see really cool ornaments, though.
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