Dry January Meets Mother/Daughter Weekend
Sometimes I worry that I consume more alcohol than I should. As I have mentioned before in my blog, there is a lot of alcoholism in my family. So, I worry. Worrying is one thing; doing something about one's concerns is another.
I decided to try this Dry January thing. It was much easier than I expected. Part of that is because I am nowhere near as stressed or busy as I was before I retired. When I was working, there were days when I would call my husband on the way home from work and warn him that I needed a martini stat when I got home.
When I told my daughter about Dry January, she said, "But Mom, MOTHER/DAUGHTER WEEKEND!!!!! Just like that: MOTHER/DAUGHTER WEEKEND!!!!! Yes, we had been planning a Mother/Daughter weekend with our dear friends from Maryland and we had decided that January 24 through 27 would work for all of us. My daughter seemed genuinely horrified that I was planning to stay sober.
Here's the thing: on the best of days, totally sober, even when working, I talk to people. I talk to total strangers, no matter how they look or where they are. I remember engaging in conversation with a...let's say "questionable character" whom I met on the streets of Philadelphia while walking to work one day. There he was, standing on the corner, in filthy ragged clothing. He had what appeared to be the remains of scrambled eggs (or something) hanging from his beard. I smiled at him and said, "Good morning! How are you today?" To which he replied, "I was going to take you down, but since you were nice, you can go."
When I have been drinking, I talk to anyone, and loudly, and with sometimes questionable vocabulary. SO LOUD, SO IRKSOME, SO ANNOYING.
We picked up our friends at the airport on Friday morning, drove to the hotel, checked in, and found a place to have lunch. The cocktails on the menu were enticing. I caved. They all knew I would. I did last for almost a full 24 days...and for that, I am proud.
In my next blog, I will tell you some (not all) of what happened Friday night. I decided that having two gin martinis after three weeks of abstinence was a great idea. It wasn't.
I decided to try this Dry January thing. It was much easier than I expected. Part of that is because I am nowhere near as stressed or busy as I was before I retired. When I was working, there were days when I would call my husband on the way home from work and warn him that I needed a martini stat when I got home.
When I told my daughter about Dry January, she said, "But Mom, MOTHER/DAUGHTER WEEKEND!!!!! Just like that: MOTHER/DAUGHTER WEEKEND!!!!! Yes, we had been planning a Mother/Daughter weekend with our dear friends from Maryland and we had decided that January 24 through 27 would work for all of us. My daughter seemed genuinely horrified that I was planning to stay sober.
Here's the thing: on the best of days, totally sober, even when working, I talk to people. I talk to total strangers, no matter how they look or where they are. I remember engaging in conversation with a...let's say "questionable character" whom I met on the streets of Philadelphia while walking to work one day. There he was, standing on the corner, in filthy ragged clothing. He had what appeared to be the remains of scrambled eggs (or something) hanging from his beard. I smiled at him and said, "Good morning! How are you today?" To which he replied, "I was going to take you down, but since you were nice, you can go."
When I have been drinking, I talk to anyone, and loudly, and with sometimes questionable vocabulary. SO LOUD, SO IRKSOME, SO ANNOYING.
We picked up our friends at the airport on Friday morning, drove to the hotel, checked in, and found a place to have lunch. The cocktails on the menu were enticing. I caved. They all knew I would. I did last for almost a full 24 days...and for that, I am proud.
In my next blog, I will tell you some (not all) of what happened Friday night. I decided that having two gin martinis after three weeks of abstinence was a great idea. It wasn't.
Candor, humor (perhaps indulgence?) it's all here. No wonder you are recovering - ha!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to Part 2 . . .
Aw, thank you, Marian!!! I haven't even gotten to the good part...yipes!!! ;-)
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