Simple September

[SnoopyC]

Good morning friends...

Lav, the weather has cooled off, high 77, humidity down, it has to be coming your way! Thanks for the encouragement, no alcohol in my life, again, ever. For any reason. It has to be that way and I want it that way. Lovely to hear you had such a good time with your daughter and granddaughter, what a blessing.

Dill, it will be an adjustment mentally regarding the divorce and how relationships will change. It is out of your control, and hard as you are so far away. Maybe you can take a trip down there and spend time with your daughter. We are here to support you.

Cyn, how does our gratitude meter slip away? Being mindful of all our blessings truly makes our lives richer, more abundant. Hope you find the lost dog and can get ahold of him.

Pauly, you sound good, I am feeling better and better, hanging on to that and focusing on have a full honest life.

Have a great day.

[dill]

I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.
~Lao Tzu

Thank you Star for starting our September thread. I was somehow taken by surprise this morning that we have turned a page on the calendar. What a difference a day makes! The very air feels changed somehow. Your suggestion of a trip to be with my daughter is a good one. I worry about her and the pain she must be feeling. Ending a significant relationship is so very painful, even if it is necessary. Perhaps I should simply ask her if there is anything I can do to smooth the way for them.

Lav, welcome home! I'm glad you all had such a good time. Now back to the routine, eh?

Pauly, I think the reason your hb could just easily put al back in its place and you can't is simply genetic. I truly think some of us are genetically predisposed to al dependence. After all, they say alcohol dependence runs in families. Any history in your family tree? I hate the words 'alcoholism' and 'alcoholic'.

Cyn, hello and how is the dog search going? I heard a funny sound this morning that was similar to a bleating. I looked out the window and saw a young deer in the yard calling for its mother. That went on for several minutes before he disappeared into the woods. It made me think of you bc I wanted so much to be able to go out and help that little deer but I knew I couldn't and that by even trying to approach it I would increase its fear.

Have a great AF Thursday everyone!

[Lavande]

Good morning Star & everyone, happy Simple September!

Star, we are apparently in the path of tropical storm Hermine, making landfall in Florida today. It's making it's way to our area on Sunday. What a pain for everyone on a holiday weekend.
All I can do is prepare, get some bottled water in & batteries for flashlights, etc.
I am glad you are firmly set on your path forward, AF all the way

Hello to Dill, Cyn & Pauly. Have a wonderful AF & grateful day!

Lav

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, thanks for the kick off Star,let's make this a happy, positive month Lav,Kell is supposed to go to physical therapy 4 days a week but she doesn't, I know it's hard between work, Louie and wanting to relax on her days off,she bought some tiger balm and says it helps a lot,I was teasing her yesterday about smelling like a senior citizen haha,I'm so over this allergy crud! All I do is whine it feels like, it's hard to keep up with life when I can't even focus, found my Hylands tablets and that worked great...for one day oh well, I'm just gonna pretend it's not happening, my coworker has it really bad too,she's been to the docs twice and he just gives her claritin which we both say does not work! Bobbi and her bf are in town this week for another catering job, then I won't see her until Christmas, we haven't discussed Kells pregnancy yet but I know she's against it, hello to Dill and Cyn,I hope we all have a great Thursday

[paulywogg]

We all posted at the same time!! Haha! Dill,I don't like those words either but yea my mom drinks a lot but she's not as bad as I was,no day drinking for her ever,my biological sperm donor died from cirrhosis at 53 he was a daily vodka drinker from AM to PM and a horrible, abusive human being, but hubs' dad was an alcohol abusers too? He was really bad so I guess he was genetically predisposed too,I guess he just put mind over matter and don't over think it? Anyways on to happy thoughts from here on out

[treegirl]

Good morning all -

Thanks, Star for starting us out! You sound good - I know that you are exercising your Gratitude and Lavanitude muscles!

Pauly - I read what you shared about your journey on the last August thread page. I think we all have our version of your story -- you've made great strides, and will continue to. I loved your simple gratitude list! Great job with that - I had to 'reel it in' yesterday, as I was getting pretty cranky about feeding humans, feeding dogs, cleaning out endless cans, etc. Then I thought - wait! I have a loving husband, 2 great dogs that stay home and don't run away, I have the ability to feed myself good food -- what is my problem!???? So I made a promise to myself to make a gratitude list out of whatever is bugging me. I'll see how that works!

Dill - I think your offer to your daughter to 'help smooth the way' would be so appreciated by her. It's a vote of confidence in her ability to handle all this, but also an arm to lean on. And THANK YOU FOR THE QUOTE! That is one of the best ever - I think I need cross-stitch it on a pillow...

Lav - so glad you had a good time. I love the idea of you taking a September trip - sometimes those shorter ones are the way to go!

RE: the awol foster. The pup is hanging around one particular house, and now at least is taking food from a bowl that we're leaving. She's too skittish to approach, so I guess the rescue people will have to figure out how to actually catch her - she's not even approaching her foster mom and the dog from that household when they come there. But at least we know that she's eating... that's some comfort. She's been on her own for over a week now. Oh well, we can only do what we can do...

Wishing all a great AF Thursday --

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Dill, loved the quote and it is so true, to have those characteristics in your life make a good life for yourself and for others. It was so beautiful out yesterday, I was able to be outside for a time during the day, and it felt like fall. A few more days like this, we are so lucky.

Lav, oh no, not a tropical storm! Well, at least you had your time at the beach before it hits. Good idea to get the supplies in. I am feeling that I have to keep my mindset strong, not even allow any thoughts that are not heading in the AF lane any room in my head. Focus on gratitude, benefits of being AF, and enjoying feeling good, being alert, making plans, having energy, and all the good things that go along with living AF.

Cyn, will the tropical depression get to you to? Hope you have a good weather weekend. Sometimes I get the same way with lots of stuff to do around the house, but have tried to manage to keep my current life with minimal home duties. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Pauly, those darn allergies! Any plans for the weekend? Hope Kell continues to feel better. I get that she is time limited for the physical therapy, hope she is able to figure it out. Interesting that her sister is against the pregnancy. Yikes, hope there is no drama.

Friday is here again, have a good one.

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, Star,I'm with you on keeping the AF mindset, I may feel horrible with allergies but at least I'm not making myself sick with liquid poison! I'd say it's great to be clearheaded but I'm not, there's an allergy med commercial where the guy is pouring cat food into his sons cereal bowl cuz he's so out of it....that's ME haha! Hubs and the kids were sneezing yesterday so I think it's just weatherchange, it did sprinkle a little bit yesterday, Lav,you keep your self safe with that storm coming, if anyone else is in that area be careful too,I got everything done yesterday to renew my hair license so that's a plus, there a a sanitation test we have to take online and print out a certificate,well nobody has a printer so I had Brady save it on a flash drive and go to the library to print it, I gave him $10 cuz I was so appreciative and cuz I didn't want to go, I've been reading a Terry McMillan book and I can't put it down! books just suck me in,especially hers cuz she's a funny, smart,empowering writer,well I've rambled, hello to Dill and Cyn,hope we all have a great AF Friday

[treegirl]

Morning all -

Hello Star, you early bird! Hope your Friday goes well --

Wishing all well and happy and good weather. Lav so sorry that you have a storm coming in.... so far I think we are escaping here.

I was out early feeding the foster pup, who is still on the loose, but eating. And visiting a deck where they placed her bed. Maybe she's calming down enough to recognize her foster mom and actually come to her - who knows? I think the pup is having the time of it's life - getting to hunt and travel in the woods all day, a bed to sleep on and food left for her - every dog's dream! My pups are enjoying the early morning walks as well, and the air and light are so beautiful outside now.

I will be meeting with a client later today, planning their move in next Tuesday - I'm excited!

Wishing all a happy AF Friday!

[treegirl]

X-post, Pauly! Good for you for getting all that done. Happy Friday!

[dill]

Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.
~Og Mandino

Hello Friends, I found this quote by Og Mandino and I thought it would be a good one for us here. I read a book by him called, A Better Way to Live about his personal story. He was a down-and-out alcoholic (yuck, there's that word again) and this book is his story about how he hit bottom and then turned his life around. It's an older book (1990) and an even older story!

Not much happening here at my volunteer job so I thought I'd take a moment to pop on and wish you all a happy and AF Friday!

[Lavande]

Good afternoon fridnds,

It's a beautiful Fall type day today, the day before the storm arrives, go figure.
I'm doing a little hurricane cooking - stuff that will keep when we lose power, ha ha!
Looks like Labor Day weekend is a washout on the east coast.

Star, stay positive & everything will be fine. You have all the tools you need, you've got this!

Cyn, I imagine if the weather turns in your area tgat runaway pup may come looking for shelter. That's how I ended up with Girl Dog 13 years ago. A giant storm just literally blew her in to my life
I hope your job goes well next week, exciting!!

Pauly, I wish Kell would make the time for PT. Learning the proper exercises to help strengthen her core muscles would be a huge help. She has a whole life to live with a painful back - not good. She could be doing a lot to help herself & make things easier.
I hope there's no family drama this weekend. Relax if you can

Dill, I hope you do get a chance to spend a little time with your daughter during this transition. Sometimes it's comforting having a familiar, loving face around :hug:

Wishing everyone a pleasant AF rest of the day!

Lav

[SnoopyC]

Good morning...

Cyn,, I am an early bird most of the time and like these hours to mess around on MWO. I am already enjoying my Saturday morning! I think you are right about the foster dog, what a life right now with the perfect weather. Once summer I babysat a friend's cat who got along with my kitty great. They spent every night outside, came in about midmorning, ate, slept all day and were out on the hunt again. The best summer of their lives!!!! I love the early morning hours too. And dusk, what a beautiful time of day. Glad you are enjoying being home a bit and outside. Good luck on your job on Tuesday.

Lav, hunker down with supplies, good food, and generator. It's kind of scary though, so be safe. I do feel that I know what to do re: being AF and as each day passes, feel better and stronger but still on guard. Also, had a bad craving yesterday, not sure for what, but was hungry and tired, so stopped for take out and ate, I immediately felt better. Somehow I have to find a snack in the afternoon so I don't find myself in that position. Really listening to my body right now.

Pauly, hope your allergies lessen, key is to find out what you are allergic to, then you'll know what to do. Any plans for the weekend?

Dill, what a lovely quote, I ordered the book for a penny! Can't wait to read it. Have a lovely Saturday.

Doing well over here, mindfully being grateful for all I have and everyone in my life, including all of you MWO family. Have a good AF Saturday.

[dill]

Hello All,

Star, your plan to have an afternoon snack really is a very good one. It is sometimes the simple things that make the difference.

Lav, I hope you are spared the loss of power, etc. I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

Pauly, When I finish my current book (which will be awhile) I'll request a Terry McMillan book from the library. Do you have a particular recommendation?

Cyn, yes I would say that pup is having the time of its life! But it sounds like the dog will be reunited with its foster family soon. Fingers crossed.

Now it is confession time. I blew it yesterday. I am so ashamed to admit it. The reason was simple. I started a diet 3 days ago. That is always a huge trigger for me and I let my guard down. Luckily I was safe at home and I didn't black out, altho my memory of the evening is quite vague. I'm so upset with myself! Back to day 1.

[paulywogg]

Morning friends, Lav,I hope the storms are too rough on you,yesterday I took a walk in the morning and it was so humid(for Vegas peeps) I was hoping my daughters bf would be at the gas station so I could hop in his car haha! Star,it took a couple of weeks but now I'm more in a mindset of living an AF life,that first week or two when I was feeling totally mucked up from allergies I was having daily cravings but I just posted on the daily thread that Kell and I tried a new place called Sin City subs and I had a turkey, bacon,provolonesub that was amazing and I'd rather go out and try new food places than drink my day off away or be nursing a hangover, glued to the couch,throwing up more than likely, ugh gross!! Hylands allergy tablets are making me feel tons better, I completely forgot about them! Had some in an old purse and started them again, Dill,Terry McMillan swears a lot I dunno how you feel about that haha,she wrote"Waiting to exhale" and "How Stella got her groove back" she writes about black women taking control of their lives and being strong, independent women in a funny,endearing way,I finished my book last night"The interupption of everything" the main character goes through ALOT of stressful situations and not ONCE does she"need a glass of wine" I really liked that cuz in most books writers think it's just so cutesy to put that freaking line in there over and over, what kind of diet did you start? I cannot let myself get hungry, absolutely not! I carry around jerky or nuts they seem to tide me over,Cyn,hope the runway dog gets his act together, Winslow likes to run out every Sept and Oct,not sure why maybe he smells girl dogs around that time? Or hes just a brat! Really don't want to work today yucky, anyhoo off to find a food,oatmeal or eggs and Turkey sausage? See where my gut leads me,have a great AF Saturday