When I was in high school, I loved the clothing store The Limited. I spent hours with my friend, trying on sweaters and jeans. She was a shopoholic and had more money than me, so she often came away from our trips with bags stuffed full of the latest line. I remember one fall the Read More
Category: Recovery
Joy in the Dark
“Things are getting heavy…and yet, I think I see the light.” Me It’s raining on this Friday the 13th. This morning I went to the lab to have bloodwork done for my knee surgery next week. Outside, the clouds, heavy with condensation, mimicked the heaviness of my heart. Businesses are closing again in our area. Read More
Want to or Have to?: Willpower vs. Intrinsic Motivation
A decadent chocolate dessert. A generous pour of chilled Chardonnay. An enticing display of the new fall line in your favorite storefront. The aroma of your favorite cigarette. Stimuli designed to trip you up, yet again. We all have our bad habits. Our battles that we’ve spent far too long fighting. Yet, we feel like Read More
Where I Need to Be
This Tuesday, I return to my classroom, which will hopefully be filled with healthy, socially-distanced students all eager to learn. One can only hope. This may last a week, a month or a school year, but I am determined to bring my best self with me for as long as it lasts. I know in Read More
Roadblocks to Intentional Living
I’ve been diving into the process of intentional living and sharing my journey here. In my first post on the subject, I talked about clarifying your priorities, passion and purpose. Once you do this, you can consciously decide what to include in the contents of your day. When you know what is most important, you Read More
Setting the Intent to be Intentional
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the word intention, and more specifically the concept of intentional living. My friend and fellow blogger, Barb, has written about it, most recently here, and I believe she is a great example of living with intention. Not only intention but attention, as she often writes about unique and beautiful items Read More
That Chapter Had to End Before a New One Could Begin…
And it finally did. Eighteen months ago today. I ended the chapter I had been stuck in for what felt like forever. That chapter where I played the role of an victim, stuck in her circumstances. Stuck in an endless cycle of weakness and remorse. I poured out the wine glass, and ended the most Read More
The Prescription for Sobriety
I finally went to the doctor yesterday about my knee. I’ve been seeing this GP for 25 years now, and he also is the doctor for my husband, three children and ex-husband, so he probably knows more than he wants to about me and my family. I hadn’t seen him in awhile, so I shared Read More
What Does Living Look Like, Then and Now?
On Friday, March 13, 2020, the day of my one-year “soberversary,” the world shut down. I’m not a superstitious person, but sometime I will share with you about a Friday the Thirteenth I had years ago that caused a missed flight, missed wedding and a relapse, among other things. Anyway, back to this year. It Read More
Judge Me When You Are Perfect
Judgement (noun): the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions. Judge (verb): to form an opinion or conclusion about These days are full of negative thoughts, occurrences, words, interactions and feelings. Of course, that is my judgement on the current state of affairs, after carefully considering and sensibly concluding. Lately, I’ve been Read More