The Fun of Sobriety

I was listening to a Podcast about a woman that had taken two months off work to battle her Crohn's Disease with all the modalities she had heard help to heal this debilitating and mysterious disease.  She went to yoga, acupuncture sessions, meditation classes.  She ate no gluten or dairy and ate plenty of the foods that were recommended to heal her.  Her key tool in all she achieved was the one component that drove her sucess with more force that she could have ever imagined.  That key was her attitude.  Right from the start when she began this two month blitz of totally focusing on healing her illness, she decided with conviction that it would be FUN.  And it was.  Having fun and enjoying the process was her number one priority even above her hoped for outcome.  She feels that her final result (which she claims was wellness from Crohn's Disease) would not have been achieved without the essential component of 'having fun'.

This resonates with me for a number of reasons:

1. I can't stick to anything unless I am enjoying it
2. I get bored easily
3. I need immediate gratification
4. I live to laugh, dance, joke and tease
5. I could really get into the Fun of Sober Living

By way of applying the 'fun' aspect to my sobriety, I've decided to revamp my brain and it's attitude and incorporate the notion of 'play' into my recovery.

It's pretty exciting even at my age to know that by not drinking empty calories and making myself lazy with alcohol, I can spend the next few months morphing into the woman I was meant to be.  As I slowly transform from cocooned caterpillar to brilliant, free butterfly, I plan on enjoying every moment.  

I will not make monotonous promises to myself to eat whole foods, exercise daily, drink lots of water, take my supplements and avoid procrastination.  Instead I embrace these lifestyle improvements with joy and gratitude.  From today forward I now look at all the components of my recovery as evolving, exciting and profound.  I am thrilled to have the time and the opportunity to work at this glorious rebirth that is of my own making.  

The brilliant, multi-faceted butterfly of my own authenticity is emerging slowly and I am enormously grateful to those who have gone before me, shared their experiences and paved the way for me to happily embrace the care and tenderness that goes into deep, personal transformation.

I matter ! We are really just an accumulation of all our daily habits.  The vision I have of my true self is one of serenity, presence, vitality, love and self-discipline.  As I walk the walk of allowing those aspects of me to emerge through daily habits, I do so with enthusiasm and pride.

When I refuse the drink at the gathering, I quietly acknowledge that this refusal of wine is one of many small steps towards finally being all I can be.  To end my days knowing I gave myself the gift of authenticity, even at the ripe old age of sixty, will be worth every moment of apprehension and fear.

Learning something new and valuable every day.