Then and Now

Waking up hangover free rocks!! I never got many big hangovers but always woke up with dry mouth, feeling dull, listless and sad.  I have been taking much better care of myself since I stopped also.

Then: I brushed my teeth mid-morning and sometimes forgot
Now: First thing out of bed, they get brushed and at night sometimes too

Then: Bed head lasted all day
Now: My hair gets styled daily

Then: Bathed irregularly (not less than every second day, mind you)
Now: Take a long bath every evening that includes leg shaving, cream applying, body scrubs, etc.

Then: Practiced my hobbies of reading, knitting and playing the keyboard sporadically, if at all
Now: Spend time daily doing all three (my sober scarf is almost done)

Then: Planned but never succeeded in meditating or spiritual reading
Now: Daily meditation and spiritual reading

I am sure as time goes by, I`ll be adding much more to the mix.  I want to do more rebounding on my mini-trampoline and start eating a more vegan diet but everything takes time.

Another phenomenon that is lovely to report is that I`ve definitely stopped attacking myself in my head.  Those ``You are an idiot`` thoughts have been replaced with ``This is where you are now`` when I don`t follow through on planned goals.

I really want to get out in my community one or two evenings a week but the very cold temperatures have been dissuading me.  Spring will eventually come and maybe I`ll attack that goal then.

The snow is starting to pile up all around our new home.  It won`t melt now until May.  Winter is the season for quiet introspection and I just love staying cozy within these lovely walls recovering my soul from the clutches of alcohol.

My husband`s nephew has completed the painting I commissioned close to a year ago. It`s native themed with a dream catcher, a solemn native face, feathers, eagle and the colours of my bedroom which is where I am planning on hanging it.  Yves is a simple man who speaks no English and has led a harsh life.  His treatment of his elderly parents as they`ve aged has endeared him to me.  Despite his poverty it was he who offered his tiny apartment for Christmas dinner last year when no one else wanted to bother.  He is a talented artist and can use the money I am paying him although he doesn`t want to accept what I originally offered.

I can`t display the painting here unless someone can help me out.  It`s on facebook at the moment as we haven`t picked it up yet.