Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Twoderful Tuesday

[ Home sweet Home....]




Oh, what a day it's been. Got lots of house keeping stuff done and laundry and all sorts of minor and meaningful chores. And a couple of (ahem) interesting phone calls.


There's a guy here locally who is a chronic relapser, just moved to the area. He has a cousin here. Anyway, this guy's been hitting on and using up all kinds of newcomers. He charms 'em and manipulates his way into their homes and their cars and their drawers. He's been here about 4 months, I think and he's relapsed twice. (I know, it's shocking). Anyway, I had just told one of my sponsees who was getting drawn into his web to "Be Careful" when she confided one day that she was driving him places, and he calls her cell or texts her constantly. I explained to her that my observation of his behavior was the same as that of his cousin, who is long time sober and has a nasty habit of hanging out with all these young girl newcomers in the program. It's disturbing to me and when I first moved here it made me crazy. I said, he's developing his "harem" and it will take you down. (He had already been in the home of one of my sponsees who was sober long enough to know better...she couldn't hardly get him out once the bloom was off the rose.) I have been working with her since she firat got sober. I really do not want to see her drunk.

To make a long story short, the roomie of my sponsee was one of the other girls he called several times a day. He called her to say goodnight, and actually said the words "You're the last one of my harem I'm calling for the night..." Well, you can imagine the rest. My sponsee calls me, all hysterical and saying oh, my god--you were so right , blah blah blah...and her roomie calls her sponsor (who is one of my sponsees) and the gist of it is, SHE goes to a meeting and confronts him about his behavior and now ther sparks are flying. I'm LMAO...nobody seems to think it's as funny as I do. Anyway, tonight after she got off work, mine calls and says he's been texting her all night, he called her at work and was screaming at her...he hates me and he hates the other and he hates another (all sponsors of these girls)...and how he talked to his sponsor , who (he says) told him, "don't worry, you did nothing wrong, you're just paying for THEIR problems"...and oh-my-gawd. The confronter says all she said to him was very casually "So..I understand you think you have a harem?" This boy has his panties all in a wad...and is screaming at anyone who'll listen apparently. Amazingly enough...he has not called ME. LOL


OH...dear. The fun just keeps on coming...


I'm grateful tonight for oldtimers who were very clear about a few inportant things when I first got sober.


I'm grateful to not be 25 or 30 years old anymore.


I'm grateful to have babies who sometimes listen.


I'm so very grateful that my self esteem isn't contingent on anyone else today.


I'm blessed that I got to survive my own early sobriety long enough to actually get this way.


I'm really blessed to have a sense of humour. I'm meeting my sponsee (the confronter) at a noon meeting tomorrow where this guy will probably be. I can't wait...


I'm grateful to have this blog where I can put things out there and have a look at them from a bit of a different perspective.



Nighty night.



Namaste.

Manic Monday

(Dueling rocking chairs-a must for every homestead!) Click to enlarge


It was a day full. And I mean FULL. lol This is part of the problem...when you live where I do and you try to only go to town a couple of times a week, you have to jam a lot of stuff into that one day. Sometimes it's a little...well... frenetic. And Monday was one of those days.


But, it's done and I'm home and ensconced in my little world once again. We are feeding the neighbor dogs, and they get fed morning and evening, usually around 8 and 5:30...it's not a chore, really, they are sweet dogs and I have the best neighbors in the Universe. But I had to finish up the crazy- packed day and then pick up husband from his 10 hour shift and then come home, feed the dogs, make dinner (actually it was only leftovers tonight, so I got lucky, lol, though I did still make a salad.) and then clean up after dinner and then hit the computer after a little tv with himself.


I love my life. It's full and it's contented and it has it's share of satisfaction-on a lot of levels. I am blessed to be me, and to be happy with that today. 'Twasn't always the case.




I am especially blessed today. In addition to all the things and blessings and people that bless my life, I have the awareness to know that I can go back to that misery any time if I'm not vigilant. Today was a memorial service for another one of us. The verdict is in and his blood alcohol was through the roof. I just hope he died quickly. A broken neck can't be a good way to go, although I'm sure it beats a few other alternatives I can think of offhand.


Time for sleep. I can barely see. I was up at 5 AM and it's been a looooooooong haul today.



Namaste.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Seriously...Sunday??

(AAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWwwwwwwwwwww)
These are the long stemmed roses and Asiaztic lilies my hubby gave me for VD....) (And the Dove chocolate and beautiful card.)

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Well, the weekend is finished and so am I. lol I am so tired tonight after a day of service and meetings and just good old sober fun stuff.

Have so much catching to do reading that I cannot even begin to start it until tomorrow or the next day. My internet connection has been iffy and spotty all weekend. It kept freezing up and I'd finally either get so frustrated I'd just turn off the computer, or it would throw everything I had written out into the netherworlds.

But it seems better tonight.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all. Hope everyone's was as good as ((Pammie's))).. * snork!

I'm off to bed. I promise to catch this stuff up soon!!!



Namaste.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

12th, Thursday. February

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It's said that You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. My BFF Dorothy Parker said "You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her think." I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle.




I opened the women's meeting tonight and only one woman came. It was apparently exactly the right woman. We sat and talked and laughed for an hour. Then we closed up and went home. We both have double digit sobriety and back problems. lol All you need for a meeting is 2 drunks and a coffeepot.




I have a Maxine cartoon on the wall by my computer. It says "Now that I'm older, I thought it was great that I seemed to have more patience. Turns out I just don't give a shit." Somedays, that sums it up.




I don't get all panicky and excited about stuff anymore. The tides of life ebb and flow and my reactions just wear me out. I am reminded of "What goes up must come down." If I just hang on and wait, things generally right themselves. And it's not my doing.




I'm sure grateful to be sober. And content. And planning my gardens for this spring.


I'm sure blessed to have so much stuff in my pantries that I need to inventory them and straighten things up so I know what I have.


I'm grateful, today, to be a woman who's "out there" enough to be able to do some good in the world, even if it's only a tiny bit.




I'm grateful to be who I am. That's a big jump for me.




I'm glad to be going to bed early tonight. Like right now.








Namaste.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Tuesday's Tuesday

[Need a ride? Seamus the wonder dog...] click to enlarge

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Watched Stump the Sussex Spaniel win Best of Show at the 133rd Westminster Dog Show tonight. It was pretty cool, he is 10 years old and the oldest dog to ever win. Pretty neat...

I am heading for the bedroom, have to get up early (5) and take hubby to work so I can keep the car for the chiro appt. I'm getting acupuncture tomorrow too. It's almost midnight already...sigh...time seems to fly when I am sitting in front of this computer. Why is that ??

Had a great day with my critters and am ever blessed by their unconditional love. I used to know a guy who always said "Everything I know about LOVE I learned from my dog." I get it, now. lol

Memorial service for my friend Ray has been set up for next Monday. I hate these things, they stir up all kinds of emotions in me and feelings of loss. I have had a lot of loss in my life. Maybe this is the Universe's way of giving me a chance to work it all out. One more of those life on life's terms things that I'd just as soon do without.

I have a gratitude list a mile long tonight. Suffice it to say that I am grateful to be sober and to be happy, joyous and free most of the time.

I'm meeting the Sandman....

Namaste.

Tuesday's Monday...

[The long road home....]







Just could not manage to post last night, even though (as you can imagine) I had a lot to say. LOL


It was a day of mixed emotions, as one of our members was found dead in his apartment. Fully clothed, in the bathtub. Neck broken, from a fall apparently. This guy was one of the beloved "characters" around here. Came around the rooms for years and could never get this thing. Finally got dry and stayed that way for almost 3 years, when he relapsed once again at Christmas time. That was his one chance, I guess. He could never get sober again. He had just come out of a VA rehab and was drunk again within hours. I hope he didn't suffer...he lived alone and I don't know how long it was before someone found him. On the other hand, the fight is over for him. RIP.


I am blessed that I knew this guy, in his better moments he was a shining example of how anyone can get sober if they just don't quit trying. He was also a shining example of what happens when we think we can try it one more time.


I am blessed that I had my last drink in June of 1990 and have not found it necessary to do any more research into the deadly game of alcoholism so far.


I am blessed to be a part of something bigger than me, that gives me hope.


We had a wet drunk in the meeting yesterday, and I got one more bird's eye view of ME when I first darkened the doors of AA.


Full of gratitude from a preview of life in the drunk lane...and the knowledge that I don't ever have to drink again if I don't want to. So, I have to keep doing the simple things that keep making me not wa nt to.



Namaste.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Simply Sunday again

{Miss Lucy...the day she ate a bumblebee and her head swelled up like a big melon.} There's never a dull moment at the Kelley Zoo...

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I am tired tonight and need to be in bed, so I am stopping in for just a sec and reiterating how grateful I am to be sober and loved and contented.





I had a brush with R.I.D. yesterday, asnd I didn't like it at all. lol I used to LIVE there.





I have to be up at 5 AM to see the inlaws off and then to take hubby to work. I didn't get but 4 hours sleep last night and have been tired all day.





Life is good in this slow lane....and I am blessed.

Sweetest of dreams, all....