Intentions Blueprint for 2022

Last week, I shared in my post, Mind, Body, Spirit, that intentions for the new year began stirring and forming in my mind. Today, on the last day of 2021, I made a blueprint of those intentions. As I’ve shared before, I abandoned resolutions because they always abandon me about three weeks into the year. Read More

Mind, Body, Spirit

The month of December always feels like a marathon with the day after Christmas being recovery. Husband watching football, daughter playing contentedly with her new array of toys and crafts. I am feeling the stirrings of not resolutions, but intentions. I’ve spent the last few months coasting and I want to climb back into the Read More

Choosing me 1,000 times

This morning I woke up sober for the 1,000th consecutive time. For some reason, it finally feels like a lot. Given that it took me so many starts and stops, I’ve never made it to quadruple digits and it feels like an achievement. I’m reading the lovely Catherine Gray’s Sunshine Warm Sober, and totally relate Read More

Sunnier skies

Last night, my husband told me about a coworker who is having trouble at home. He and his wife are arguing frequently and it’s taking a toll on their marriage. My husband asked if alcohol was part of the equation and he admitted that it is a nightly thing for them. He then suggested that Read More

Choosing Better Rhodes

In my last post, I wrote about how being sober can make one feel like the odd one out in social settings. Today, I want to share why it doesn’t have to feel that way. My family spent Thanksgiving at my sister’s house and while I arrived with some apprehension about family dynamics, politics and Read More

Odd Woman Out

Yesterday, our school staff had a catered lunch to celebrate one of our co-worker’s 60th birthday. She was just returning from major surgery and mentioned that she can’t do drugs (pain medication) but “gin and tonics helped.” (Many laughs and nods). The conversation that played out among the group had no fewer than half a Read More

Sometimes, It’s Nothing

Do you know what I did today? Nothing. To some that may sound boring or unambitious. But for me, it was self-care, and surprisingly satisfying. Life has returned to its busy bustle, and I’m going to take a page from the pandemic playbook and incorporate days of nothing when I can. My week includes working, Read More

More Firsts

My middle son is going to his first Homecoming dance this weekend. I have so enjoyed witnessing the nervousness of the big ask (complete with a handmade sign and candy), the thoroughness of the wardrobe coordination, and the weightlessness of floating through the week with a big first waiting at the end. My oldest is Read More

This is hard

I know we all can agree on the observation that life is especially difficult right now. Pandemics, politics, natural disasters, social injustice, general un-ease about the future. I wonder though, will we look back on this time, say 20 years from now and say that it impacted or affected our lives long-term? Or is it Read More

Problems to Solve or Processes to Manage?

Two and a half years into my sobriety journey, I am learning problems are not often solved permanently. They can manifest from a variety of sources and are not always alleviated by a single solution. In short, if a problem keeps recurring, it is usually a process to be managed. In my first year of Read More