Easy ‘Sixer’ yesterday. I had no substantial thoughts concerning drinking or beer. This despite it being a Thursday Night Football evening. Rarely has a day gone by where I haven’t thought about having a beer, but yesterday was one of those. Without Drinkie’s constant nagging, I’m hopeful that this is the beginning of a new phase in my sobriety journey.
Zero ; Sixer ; M: 156 ; C: 118 ; P/U: 75 ; W: 4.5 mi
No Weigh In
A Chat With Drinkie
I did have a brief visit with Drinkie yesterday morning during my meditation practice. Of course, any thought, desire, or emotion that comes wandering into my mind during meditation is automatically subject to extra scrutiny.
When I’m meditating, my mind is on high alert. I’m relaxed and calm, but vigilant. As they parade through my mind, each thought is put through the rigorous paces of RAIN. I recognize it, allow it, investigate it, and release it (non-associate).
This way I’m able to return my focus to the practice at hand, whether that’s mindfulness of breathing, a body scan, mantra, etc.
Perhaps my little sit down with Drinkie in the midst of my morning meditation convinced him to hit the road for the rest of the day. Maybe, it’s worth inviting Drinkie in for a brief visit each morning for the purpose of getting our ‘sobriety discussion’ out of the way, bright and early.
The power of my morning routine continues to create positive outcomes most days. This makes me incredibly happy I committed to it a few months back. I’ve been doing it long enough now that it’s a habit. At this point I’m more likely to give up my morning coffee, than mindfulness meditation and the activities surrounding it (journaling, yoga, hiking). Never thought I’d say that, but there you are.
Stillness Is The Key
I recently started reading Stillness Is The Key by Ryan Holiday. In this book, Holiday discusses, among many other things, the importance of routine. He makes the case that routine is necessary for finding and cultivating stillness in one’s life.
When we not only automate and routinize the trivial parts of life, but also make automatic good and virtuous decisions, we free up resources to do important and meaningful exploration. We buy room for peace and stillness, and thus make good work and good thoughts accessible and inevitable.
– Ryan Holiday, Stillness Is The Key
It turns out that my sobriety journey has led me to check all Holiday’s boxes for setting up and sticking with a predictable routine. And quite accidentally, I might add.
I find it curious that I somehow arrived at this place naturally and organically. I am only now reading Stillness Is The Key, as my routine is already a deeply entrenched habit. Yet, I can’t help but to wonder if this may be indicative of my tapping into something greater than myself. Some higher power that is suddenly beginning to guide me on my sobriety journey.
I find that the more I let go of alcohol and marijuana addiction, the greater the gravity I feel pulling me forward. I feel less anchored in the past or badgered by The Judge, and I am more present. Time is slowing down. I am more focused, more productive. Each day I wake up feels a little brighter.
Sorry, Drinkie. There appears to be less and less room for you in my life the further I walk down this road.
Onto Day 97
