The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Good morning to you all. I hope you've had a wonderful weekend. I have been on vacation this past week and what a riot it was! Learned alot about myself and recovery too.
Hubby has been a bit bored since his foot surgery 15 weeks ago. It always seems like my vacations lately have been spent taking care of him. I'm not complaining, but how much fun is that? (He would do the same for me if the situation were reversed.) Now both of us have this "challenge" being who we are. We're the type of people who need to plan to be spontaneous. How crazy is that? So we decided to mix things up a bit.
Let me tell you: we had a ball. The rule of thumb was we would keep the medical appointments, but then whatever we did was whatever we did. Now that's a hard thing for me, because I make lists of where we need to go and what we need to get done, etc. Yes, I can be a bit OCD. But we stuck to it. One day we decided to head out on a long drive, and 6 hours later we came home. We had the music on and we were singing away. We didn't have a clue which roads to take (this normally makes me very uptight) but we went with the flow. We got lost (well temporarily misplaced! )! But because we didn't know where we were exactly we came across some beautiful state forest land. We found an old friends home. Another day we stopped at farm stands, one day we went garage saleing. We were barely home. Yes we were careful about his foot. We always packed a cooler with his ice paks, extra meds and of course something to eat & drink. In that respect we "planned it." It would do us no good to have fun if we got into trouble. We have come home so exhausted that we would lie on the bed barely able to move.
Okay so the things I had "planned" to get done, didn't get done. Who cares? The closet will still be there for my fall vacation. The world didn't end because I didn't oganize my first aide kit. I'm laughing at the fact I need to go back to work in order to get some rest! He says he needs me to go back to work so he won't be dead from exhaustion! HEY WHAT'S THAT MEAN? So here I am on my last day, and we're too tired to go fishing! Since when does that ever happen? Oh well. We are still going to get into trouble! Piper needs her bath! Any volunteers?
The lessons learned are many: 1) Life is far too short not to have fun. 2) If you're not laughing and smiling more in your recovery, give it up. 3) Always take the road less traveled, it's a blast. 4) Even an old recovering alcoholic can show an old OCD woman like me a great time! 5) If you need to go back to work in order to get some rest, you're vacation was sooo worth it!
Much love and blessings to you and your families.
Live strong, The exhausted Karilynn, Hubby and Pipers Kitty
-- Edited by Karilynn at 16:25, 2007-08-05
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It's your life. Take no prisoners. You will have it your way.
Sounds like you and hubby had a wonderful time!!!! My recent trip to Disneyland was like that too. I soooo needed to get back to work so I could rest!! lol
One of the first things my sponsor told me to do was to be more spontaneous, and she tasked me with something kinda interesting. Somehow she knew that when I mow my yard, I ALWAYS mow it exactly the same way. I had basically calculated the most efficient pattern I needed to get the job done. She had me start mowing it backwards or just different. That was 2 and a half years ago, and I haven't mowed it the same way twice since. It is fun and makes me smile every time I do it! This last time I mowed in diagonally!!! Holy cow! Talk about spontaneous!!!!!
Gotta get to church, just wanted to say good job on the vacation!
And if you get any volunteers to bath Pipers, send 'em over to do Norbie and Midori, they need a bath pretty bad!
I loved hearing about your vacation, and from one planner to another, let me just say, congratulaltions! Family vacations were something we rarely did when H and I were together, always chalking it up to a lack of time and money. Big regret, especially since we most likely won't have the same family unit again. I also believe it was not a healthy thing for our marriage. But, I now vow to vacation with my kids. They are actually coming home today from a spontaneous trip to Utah spent with their cousins. Of course I didn't go, but I believe that the fact that they went on 12 hrs notice is going to make the trip even more memorable than if it was planned.
Have a wonderful day and get some rest!
Blessings, Lou
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Every new day begins with new possibilities. It's up to us to fill it with the things that move us toward progress and peace. ~ Ronald Reagan~
Sometimes what you want to do has to fail, so you won't ~Marguerite Bro~
Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water and have both lids lifted.
Obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids (you may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape). CAUTION: Do not get any part of your body too close to the edge, as his paws will be reaching out for anything they can find. The cat will self-agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from your toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.
Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a "power wash and rinse" which I found to be quite effective.
Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door.
Stand behind the toilet as far as you can and quickly lift both lids.
The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet and run outside where he will dry himself.
Sincerely, The Dog
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Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit ("Bidden or not bidden, God is present") - Erasmus
There is no guarantee that there will be a tomorrow. This is NOT dress rehearsal!! You only get one swing at bat, so give it your best shot! Life goes by so darn quickly, WHEN does anyone have any time to spend worrying, complaining, banging your head against a wall? there are so many things to do to make yyourself feel better at any given time.
Now I am not saying here that you cannot get upset if something bad happens, but remember that depression is just as addictive as anything else that is bad for you. Sometimes its nice to have a drink, or an extra peice of cake, etc. but MODERATION is the key. If you feel bad about something, give yourself a few hours a couple of times to let yourself feel bad. Wallow in it a bit, but then remember that in a year, this probably won't matter and you will be okay. Then get up and get busy living the rest of your life. Worry never fixed anything. It is simply one of the most useless emotions one can have. You can always turn a negative emotion into a positive action, and that is what the real stuff of life is...actions. When I am mad, I do something physically strenuous, when I am sad, I give myself a spa day, when I am scared, I find something relaxing to do like read a book or sit in the sun. You get the idea.
If you get lost, someone will be along soon, sit tight for a few hours. You will be OK.
If you didn't plan too well for a trip, just take it as it comes, you will try something new no doubt.
If you have to mow the lawn, put on your iPod and dance your way through it, damn the pattern! LOL
Just my take on it all...take what you like and leave the rest.
)! But because we didn't know where we were exactly we came across some beautiful state forest land. We found an old friends home. Another day we stopped at farm stands, one day we went garage saleing. We were barely home. Yes we were careful about his foot. We always packed a cooler with his ice paks, extra meds and of course something to eat & drink. In that respect we "planned it." It would do us no good to have fun if we got into trouble. We have come home so exhausted that we would lie on the bed barely able to move. 
