Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

[dill]

“One must simply take the days of their lives as they happen. If you spend time worrying over what is to come, which may or may not happen, then you will only be wasting precious days you will wish in the future you could have cherished a bit longer.”
― R.J. Gonzales, Mundahlia

Happy New Year One and All! May this be the first day to a wonderful new year full of blessings and AF living: aka 'real living!'

[Stargazerlily]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

Happy New Year to all!!!!

Celebrate January, 2014. I am going to make changes, positive ones of course, and my main goal is HEALTH. This covers all I must do to live the best I can every day. We are just coming out of a miserable time at my house, so it is vital to be positive and make healthy choices, DAILY. I want to watch my words, be careful to speak wisely and hopefully. My NYE was boring, fell asleep, but so what. I am off today and want to enjoy myself, so I will. Hope you all have a great first day of 2014.

Dill, thanks for starting us out.

Lav, hope to hear from you soon.

Pap, hope you are feeling well.

Rusty, hope your new year is great.

Happy new year.

[Darkest Diamond]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

Thank you dill for starting this thread, hello to Stargazerlily (amazing name) look forward to getting to "know" people better and looking forward to a sober new year. .... starting with "Gentle January". I so want to get back to being the real me. Today for me is day 5
DD

[Lavande]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

Good morning friends & Happy New Year to all!!!!

Thanks for the start up Dill! I have read so many versions of that quote over the past few years & have done my best to take that advice to heart
As a former control freak I feel blessed & at peace now, really! I wasted a lot of time & precious energy in my life trying to make everything 'go right'. No more!!

I probably have posted this link before but just in case I didn't:
Your Guide to Wellness - MindBodyGreen.com

There's a little bit of info for everyone on that website

Star, wishing you peace after your tumultuous holiday!
Please trust that everything is going to be OK. Maintaining & working on your own health & wellness will benefit not only you but everyone in your home

DD, congrats to you on your 5 AF days!
We have kept this thread going for quite a few years now, please join us

I will be putting together a traditional 'good luck' meal today for anyone stopping in. Pork & sauerkraut, always smells good from the oven.
Wishing everyone a wonderful AF Wednesday!

Lav

[Jolie]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

Happy New Year!

Sorry I've been MIA for a time - all is good with me. Trip to San Antonio was fabulous! Hubby and I are getting along better and I have a much more positive outlook. Looking forward to a wonderful sober 2014!!!

Dill - wonderful quote - thanks for starting the new year!

Star - hope the new year brings you peace and happiness. Sorry you've been having a rough time - hope things get better for you.

Lav - Happy new year my friend! Ughhh - snow predicted for Thursday into Friday and I'm having a baby shower for my DIL on Saturday. Trying not to stress about all there is to do. It will get done one way or another.

Hope everyone has a great day - probably catch some of the bowl games with hubby - I'm a huge football fan so I'm loving this day for sure.

Peace to all!

[Rusty]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Dill-thank you for the timely and sincere quote. I used to dwell on worrying about the future, and after a lot of hard work to change my thinking, I just let each day "evolve" as my mom says. My sister says that by worrying about the future, about something that may NEVER happen, that we only borrow trouble, and she's right. Dill, I have a question for you: Does your daughter drink? I know she's coming into town January 5th which coincides with your son's last day or rehab, and I was just thinking that if she doesn't drink, you will have a totally AF household. If she does drink, will that be hard for you? I am sure your AF status will give your son positive reinforcement.

Thank you also for the lovely new name, "Gentle January." Yes, let's ALL be gentle....to ourselves, with our words to others, especially when they are struggling or making choices that we don't necessarily agree with. Harsh words tend to come back and haunt me in other ways. Anyone else feel the same way?

Darkest Diamond-:welcome: Congratulations on your 5 Days AF!:goodjob: It's probably about 2:00 PM in the UK so what are you up to today?

Star-I hope 2014 is better a year for you than 2013.:l

Pap-I am totally loving your positive attitude, and the change in lifestyle/eating. I'm glad you were able to connect with someone from the Retirement Board. I know you are dreading going back to work, and talking with a retirement counselor will sharely help you plan for the years ahead.

Jolie-welcome back! We missed you!!!! I am so glad you had a relaxing time in San Antonio, and you and your husband are getting along better. My nephew moved there a little over a year ago from out west and he just loves it. Oh yes, today is the Rose Bowl Parade, the game....I love the festivities.

To everyone else....Lav, Cyn, and anyone I have forgotten, Happy AF New Year on this 1st day of Gentle January.

[dill]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

Rusty, yes my daughter does drink. There was a time a few years ago when I am pretty sure she was drinking too much. But more recently she seems ok. She takes her parental responsibilites very seriously so partying is on the back burner. When they visit they will sometimes go out and purchase a red wine to go with a meal, but I am not in the least tempted by red so that works out. I am pretty sure I have mentioned this before but maybe not. My daughter started her own business last year at this time. She owns a wine bar! She sells specialty wines by the bottle and also by the glass. Her business is flourishing and has surpassed her original first year projections. It's very exciting.!

:welcomeD, nice to have you post here with us. Congrats on 5 days!

Lav, thanks for posting the link. I'm going to look at it after I send this. We had pork roast today too but passed on the kraut. I am the only one here that likes it and I had some last night.

Star, you always focus me on trying to live well and eat healthily. I like the suggestion to to choose words well. I have to be conscious of that as well. Especially in moments of upset or anger. Is you son continuing to improve?

Jolie, glad you are back and that the trip served to reduce tensions fory you and hb. The bowl games are on here, too. Even tho I can't acutally sit and watch (something about having grandchildren around....) I like keeping my ear tuned to them.

[cyntree]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!

I am thrilled that a new year has begun - it seems for all of us, 2013 kept roaring right up to the very end (I had a pipe burst in my garage yesterday - tons of water, all over everything) - good riddance!

Thanks Dill for starting us up, and for the quote. I have read back just a little - Star, what a harrowing time you have had, no wonder you are exhausted. Good for you for keeping at it until you finally got the right diagnosis. Best of luck as you go forward!!!

Papmom - I missed your health trauma completely -was it a heart attack?! Holy Cow! Well, you seem to be adjusting to your new health plan well - good for you.

Lav - bless you for continually sharing your wealth of resources. You are a beacon of light to all of us, and truly a great friend.

Dill - I can hear the exhaustion and fear through your writing - good for you for taking charge and getting your sails set to pick up the positives in your life. You go girl!

Rusty - so happy to hear about your lovely party - I could just see you there as the hostess-with-the-most-ess.

Jolie - so nice to see you here again!

DD - welcome, it's comforting and challenging here, in all the best ways.

I finally have my life back, and many tales to tell, and issues that I look forward to having your feedback on...at any rate, I'll be here each day for January - that's the start of my resolutions for 2014.

Bless you all - (and hey, did you notice, we've shifted toward the light?)

[papmom3]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

Hi Everyone!

Dill-thank you thank you thank you for the quote! Just what I needed but I suspect you knew that LOL!!

Cyn-so glad to see you! I am on pins and needles to hear what has been going on with you! Yes, I had a heart attack on Dec 9th. They put a stent in to unblock one completely blocked artery and meds/diet/exercise will take care of the other 60% blockage. I've totally embraced this new way of eating, sort of like I embraced going AF. Not looking back. Everytime I think of klondike bars or a Big Mac I see myself on the hospital gurney, in pain and being poked and prodded. Most of all I see myself having to use those gd bedpans every hour and how dignity went right out the window! I seem to be doing fine now but my new normal is not running around until I collapse in exhaustion. I have to pace myself and try not to get antsy because things aren't getting done as quick as they used. I'm also thinking about early retirement which is scary but exciting at the same time.

Star-how are you and family doing today? Is your son feeling any better? I'm so happy to hear that you are committed to positivity and light instead of darkness.

Rusty-you back to work tomorrow? I am going to try real hard not to look so far into the future. If it's worked for you and Lav then it should work for me!! Thank you for the encouragement.

Welcome DD!! I sure hope you are not just passing through. We're really a nice group-I promise! We can help you stick to the last quit you'll ever have if you let us.

Jolie!! Glad your back girl and feeling better about things! Sounds like the trip was really nice and you and hubby cleared up a few things.

Lav-did you have a full house today? I bet the aroma of that pork and kraut was very enticing!! I'm not a kraut girl myself but I can just imagine how cozy/comfy your house was today!!

I slept until 9am today but didn't go to sleep until after 1am. Totally forgot to watch the ball drop-was on another channel- but I did take the boyz out at 12:04 and wished them a happy new year. This morning I continued with the dining room declutter and finally made some progress. Dishes, laundry and then a Burn Notice marathon since 2pm. Yesterday I worked on 2 budgets-retirement and go back to work. As long as I keep my demo job I should be able to keep ahead of everything by about $50/month no matter which way I go. Whew.

Very nervous about the snow storm. Blizzard conditions tomorrow nite into Friday. The accumulations for my area keep changing-9", 13" 12" 8". I'm hoping it will continue to do down down down!!!

Have a nice nite everyone. See you tomorrow!!

[Lavande]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

Jolie, good to see you back & hear things are going well for you
I had a baby shower for my daughter three years ago this month. Despite the ice & snow on the ground everyone showed up & it went great. Have fun with it all!!!

Rusty, hope you are well & planning on having an excellent year

Dill, I ended up tossing the pork & kraut in the crockpot ~ it was great!
My grandsons & their mother came over for dinner. I knew the boys wouldn't be interested in what I had cooked so I did some quick chicken meatballs in the oven for them. Turns out they wouldn't eat them either - I give up :H

cyn, Happy New Year to you friend!
Looking forward to hearing from you on a daily basis, like the old days
I just had to have a plumber in to repair a broken pipe in my shower - how did I manage that? The house was 10 years old last summer, wasn't expecting it to fall apart just yet!

papmom, the last I heard the prediction is 7-8 inches for this area. Just enough to be a pain in the butt! I have to go watch the boys tomorrow morning & try to squeeze in a Curves visit too before it gets too bad out. DON'T even think about lifting a shovel, OK?

See you all at some point tomorrow!
Lav

[Darkest Diamond]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

Greetings to all and thanks for so many welcomes, I really appreciate it, day 6 for me today.
Papmom so sorry to hear about your heart attack, that must have been frightening, you seem so positive on the right sort of eating etc. I do hope you gain strength quickly.
Rusty you asked what I was up too, have been doing a lot of cleaning and visiting family quite a bit too.

[satz123]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

Hi everyone
Greetings from Ireland.
I am still in holiday mode - the Army Thread is not - so decided to see what is happening on the boards outside the barracks.
Had my first sober Christmas & New Year in decades AND enjoyed it :yay:

[dill]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

Greetings All,

:welcome: Welcome Satz. So, you are AWOL from the barracks, eh? We'll keep your whereabouts quiet. AF is a wonderful way to spend the holidays, isn't it? It takes a bit of an effort, but it's so worth it!

DD, can you tell us a bit about you? I don't know if you've been reading our thread to know about each of us, but just to fill you in on me, I'm a recently retired school-based speech therapist. Two adult children each married and with children. I have 3 grandkids. My son had to move back home (coinciding with the timing of my retirement) so my retirement has not gone quite as hoped. He and his wife are separated and will be divorced. I have a 2 year old and and 8 year old under roof at the moment! They should be moving out in the near future tho. As far as drinking, I was a daily wine drinker (to wind down at the end of the day) and was functional for many years, but sometime after the kids left the nest, my drinking increased steadily until it was a problem. I was using as to isolate. I was hiding and sneaking beause I was drinking way more than a "normal' person. So, I had to stop! Here I am. Lucky for me, no major repercussions took place, but they eventually would have.

Cyn, I look forward to having daily contact again! We missed you.

Star, Lav, Papmom, Rusty, Jolie, I am quickly running out of time here. Must get the granddaughter up and out to daycare, then I have a morning of volunteer time at the food pantry. The winter storm has hit, so the driving will be tricky. Couldn't drive in this with a hangover, that's for sure!!!

[Stargazerlily]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

Good morning...

So glad NY's Day is OVER. I am happy to be going to work, need to get out of this house. My son is slowly getting better, another doctor's appointment today. We have at least another foot of snow, and it is still coming. Really cold. Hard to keep cheerful in this weather, huh?

Hello to Dark Diamond, tell us about yourself. I am a 50 something professional, married, love cats, books, and healthy living. Just never had a good consistent off switch relating to alcohol, no big events, just over time feeling sicker and sicker, wanting to let go of something that has the potential to destroy me. Need and love the support here, the sharing of each person's path, and the friendship. Once thing about drinking too much, the isolation over time, the secretiveness, feeling alone in the world, the only one with this problem. You are welcome and encouraged.

Cyn, great to hear from you, hope you can post more often, now that you are free from outside work.

Jolie, glad things are working out better for your personally.

Rusty, thinking of you.

Papmom, once thing about snow, we will always have more. Isn't it hard to focus on the present time, not worry about the future? It takes practice and for me, different self-talk. Right now I am ok, everything is fine. All my needs are met, right now. Stuff like that, and the funny thing is it is all true! The worry track I play over and over is not even true. Eating well is an ongoing habit. I just read a great book, Heavy, about a mom helping her seven year old to a healthy weight. Fascinating, and a lot of work. It says a lot about how some of us (me) like to finish everything on my plate, while others consume less, naturally. borrowed from my library on my tablet. Hope you have a good day.

Lav, Maybe you will get to relax today, but I know you love the flow of family in and out of your loving home. Thanks for the support and great web sites, I currently need them.

Dill, enjoy your day and thanks for taking the time to post.

Have a safe productive day. Celebrate Life.

[Rusty]

Gentle January ~ AF Week 1

Good Morning, Friends!

Top 'O The Morning (here, anyway) to Satz (I have never been to Ireland, and I want to go as I am 1/4 Irish):welcome: Glad you're still in holiday mode, and why isn't the rest of the Army? I love the Army Thread. Some of my favorite people are over there: Jackie Claire, Tiptronic, DreamThinkDo, Mollyka. I miss One2Many and StartingOver. They were always so supportive of new people. Love 'em. Great people.

Diamond-I am an almost 53-year-old woman, never married, no kids, and I live alone. I own a business and travel quite a bit. I was a moderate drinker with no problems with it until my career in the automotive world became oppressively stressful, and my drinking spun out of control at the age of 46. Stay with us. We're a loyal bunch. Let us know how we can help you, too.

Cyn-welcome back! Sorry about the burst pipe! Can't wait to hear what you've been up to since leaving your job.

Star-I'm glad your son is feeling better. What an ordeal and a colossal blunder on the part of several doctors. I hope 2014 is better for you.

Dill-yes, I had forgotten that your daughter owns a successful wine bar. Thanks for refreshing my memory. I'm sure the food pantry will be a welcome break for you today.

Lav-boy, your grandsons were picky eaters yesterday, huh? I hope you have a peaceful day. Did you see in my last post that a stinkbug from PA crawled all the way to my condo in WI? :H

Pap-I continue to marvel at your commitment to health and not creating the worst scenario in your mind when it comes to going back to work, retirement, etc. It takes a lot of effort, I know.:l

I had a very quiet NYE and NY...dinner with my family, some exercise, watched the Rose Bowl Parade and some football. We have been clobbered with snow here and at some point, I must drag out my cross-country skis and do some skiing. Today, I am caring for my friend who had hip replacement surgery. I have a long commute to pick her up and take her to her doc's appt. and then run errands but I am thrilled to do this for her. She's very alone and sad. I'm determined to make her laugh today.

Have a lovely AF 2nd January!