Something like 17 months

513 days sober and smoke free today! HOLY CROW… My main big question is: “Where is all of my extra money?!!” Lol, only joking a little bit on that one. I honestly can’t imagine where I would be financially right now if I was still smoking and drinking (my nomo app says that I have saved in the vicinity of $10k over the past 17 months). I did go a little wild with spending money the past year, pampering myself, going on some great trips and weekend getaways, buying out all stores in my general vicinity of their chocolate supplies…  things that I never would have been able to add to my life without going into financial crisis if I was still spending the $ on wine and cigs like I was before I quit.

I started a second job just before Christmas, and I love it. I feel like my plate is very very full right now though. Sometimes it feels a little overwhelming and thanks to my complete lack of time management skills I do feel anxious quite often. 2 jobs (1 full, one part), 2 board of directors commitments, 2 kids getting married in the next year, 3 dogs, a car that isn’t too old but has 370,000km on it (just praying it hangs in there until at least 600k!), a long distance boyfriend, a grandson that I wish I could see more often (that’s a whole other story, and one I am finding common among other moms of the dads) and a 17 yr old that I really need to connect with more. I have had the occasional “Oh gosh it would be so nice to go home to a glass of wine” or “it would be so nice and relaxing to just sit around the bonfire with a spiked hot chocolate” but I have been able to pull myself back to reality pretty quickly by thinking about how good things are WITHOUT the booze. Without the hangovers and without the missed evenings, without the embarrassment of waking up and having to do damage control, etc etc… etc. I find my peace and my energy in nature. To quote the words of another blogger on here that I just read “I am learning about the therapeutic power of nature and being outdoors – this cannot be underestimated.” It really truly can’t.

I hope that you’re all doing well, I feel bad that I haven’t been on here much at all lately to keep up with how everyone is doing. ❤