MythOfSisyphus

Well, my life is strange. Obviously we all went through (are still going through) a pandemic that has thrown us all a curveball but mine has been more eventful still. Some may recall that in the last 1.5 years I got Bell's Palsy, then recovered from that and totally my car during a bad ice storm after Xmas (sober, and I walked away under my own power), kind of recovered from that and shattered my shoulder in a fall at work. Never a dull moment!

Still, sitting here tonight I feel pretty grateful. I think maybe, like happiness, gratitude is as much a decision as it is a feeling. I'm still on work comp so I can't return to work yet but my shoulder is getting better. The free time has allowed me to contemplate my life, but also to renew some hobbies I hadn't made time for over the last few years. I'm sitting here now, warm home with a roof over my head. My little buddy, my neighbor's cat, has popped in to see what's new (and mooch some food!) and is curled up on my bed taking a little nap. Covid has disrupted the normal flow of life but so far (knock on wood!) me and mine have been spared and we're all up to date with vaccinations. One of the things I've been able to make time for has been RPG games, and I have a game tomorrow night. We meet live and all of us are vaccinated and careful so the risk is fairly low.

Life can be chaotic and unpredictable and it could all go to hell tomorrow! If it does, it does but today is good. Today is all we're given. I guess I'm thinking about this now because my next door neighbor just got out of the hospital a few days ago. He's been in three times in the last six months, due to his drinking. Brain damage now and each time is worse. Told me they told him to quit. I didn't push it, just listened. He's only two or three years older than me and he has that look...you can just tell he's not well. I'm not sure if he'll stop drinking but I'm pretty sure if he doesn't he'll die. There's not a lot left of him as it is.

Ten years ago that was me, dancing in the eye of a storm totally of my own making. I don't miss the pain and chaos of those years. It makes me grateful to have left them behind.

If you're reading this still somewhere out there in that storm, please know you can find the way back. Each day is another chance to get it right, to make amends and to make a change. But no one knows how many tomorrows there are. Nothing is guaranteed.

Covid still sucks, my shoulder hurts and the cat is shedding on my comforter! In a weird way all of those things are okay with me. I'm just glad I'm still here to experience it all. Tonight I'm grateful for all of it.

fishkiller

I too am grateful for this life.
Thanks for posting!

Dropsie

Dancing in the eye of a storm totally of my own making - love this, loved your post, you go!!

Mizz

Wonderful post, Myth!
I really like that you have a feline friend who has adopted you! It is quite special when animals befriend us.
The gratitude for your life and all the "happenings" shows me that you are living in the moment and you understand the value of being grateful. I think gratitude is a skill set. A muscle that must be worked and built into something strong.

It does seem to me that life hands us some BIG stuff. Our attitudes can make or break the situation. We get to overcome our challenges.

Keep on going. I appreciate you and am grateful you are here.

24hrsAday

Nice of you to Share That with US here at SR.. thank you!

DriGuy

I also experienced a bout of gratitude before sleep last night. Nothing out of the ordinary happened yesterday. It just occurred to me that I was grateful for being sober, not anything else, although I have much else to be grateful for, but last night it was just for being sober as I drifted off to sleep. Strange for two reasons: "Why now" after so may nights of sobriety? And second, that you posted something similar upon my awakening.

Scott2295

Thank you for your post Myth. I’m sitting drinking a cup of herbal tea on day 63 of my journey grateful for this quiet sober time on this cold snowy day.

VikingGF

Thanks for this post, I'm right along with you in the gratitude.

ZIP

Very thoughtful comments, Myth'.
Nice to hear you're doing well.

least

The great thing about gratitude is that you can be grateful for the same thing, over and over, and it takes nothing away from the gratitude itself. Like love, gratitude can be endlessly divided and not lose anything. Gratitude never gets old or worn out.

Every night in bed, I am grateful for the same thing - my dog Billie snuggled against me, and my cat Lily, snuggled against my other side. (I have another cat, Franny, but she only sleeps on the bed in the daytime.)

The wonderful thing I found about gratitude is that the more you look, the more you can see to be thankful for. Being grateful also makes me happier. There's been a lot of things in the last few months that have not been very good, bad back pain and neuropathy in my feet. But the first thought I had when the pain came on badly, was - Boy am I ever glad I don't drink anymore! How much worse would it have been if I had been either drunk or hungover in addition to the pain? So despite the unfortunate turn of events, I was very grateful for my sobriety.

Free2bme888

Congrats on 10 years!

Thats. A M A Z I N G. !!!

Thanks for posting, great visual.. so sorry about the neighbor 😔

MythOfSisyphus

Yeah, it wasn't any special bolt out of the blue, just another day. There's a very tiny sliver of me that's superstitious, like noticing and commenting on my good fortune will jinx it! Well, in a way that's the point, too. Gratitude is like a muscle that needs working out to develop. And even if I do have a bad day or things take a turn I'll be grateful to face things sober. If I die tomorrow then I will have still lived a pretty good life, and better than I'd have had if I was still drinking. In a way from here on out everything is gravy, and I feel like I'm playing with house money.

Hopefully your leg pain will get better @least! What a PITA that must be.


It remains to be seen for him. The ball is in his court and always was I suppose. I'll probably talk to him over this weekend and see what he thinks. My feeling from conversations with him over the year and a half he's lived here have made me think he doesn't want to change but who knows? He has new information now, and you never know where someone is in their journey through this world. Probably no one that knew me would have guessed I'd quit drinking until a year or so after I stopped.

MythOfSisyphus

That cat is running a great scam! It lives a few doors down and just cruises the neighborhood looking for suckers! Such a sweet, well mannered cat. He'll run to the door and if I let him in he politely investigates, then checks to see if I'm gonna provide snacks. Then he will follow me back to my bedroom where I keep my computer; I'll surf the net and he'll curl up on the bed for a little nap. Whenever he gets bored or is ready to hit the next "mark" he'll go to the door and meow. He has us all well trained!

Delilah1

Thanks for sharing this post, I am with you on gratitude, it really makes a difference. I work hard to stay focused on the present moment and be grateful for it. Sometimes I let worries or anxieties creep in, but try hard to refocus on where I am right now.

DriGuy

If I were inclined to believe in jinxes, I don't believe gratitude would be one of them. If everything went south tomorrow, I would never be sorry for gratitude I had in the past. I don't know if I actually exercised my gratitude muscle. It's more like I just embrace it as fully as I can when it's there, but the effect is the same as exercising a muscle. It encourages growth.

lol

Triggered

I feel grateful that I can click on this site and find inspiring posts like this.

Thank you Myth

MythOfSisyphus

It's a cold night and the snow is coming down! But I'm safe and warm. No need to make a run before the liquor stores close! My neighbor's cat is curled up my bed (little scammer makes the rounds of the neighborhood, suckering us all out of treats, pets and some entertainment!). Tomorrow and the days after will undoubtedly have challenges but I'm in better shape to face them sober.

DriGuy

Well MythOSis, now you have done it. Every night for the last week, when I get into bed, I've been taking time to bask in the gratitude of my sobriety. Not only is worth the effort because it's so pleasant, but it also seems to shut down much of that other noise in my head that interferes with my sleep.

MythOfSisyphus

That's a good idea! I think I will try it myself, listing the things I have to be thankful for as I prepare to drift off to sleep. Thanks, that's a good plan that I will try myself.

Dustitoffman

I will take this advice and have a go myself.
Thats if I don’t forget it cos my head is like an office shredder at the moment.
Things go in and just disappear.
Well at least other people get a laugh. It’s so frustrating!