My Body Isn't Myself
Posted 6/18/2009

This seems weird: the longer I maintain an interest in the health of my body, the less I connect my body to my self. You'd think the opposite would be true.

I've heard that our bodies are our "vehicles" and we need to take care of them all my life. I understood the concept in principle, but never really got beyond that until lately. People talk about their bodies a lot. It's a favorite topic of conversation. As I listen to that now, it seems odder and odder to hear people talk as though the pain, or hunk of fat, or hair style, or whatever other body part they are discussing is actually part and parcel to themselves. It seems odd because the body has nothing to do with who we are.

That's not to say my body is not important to me. It is. Just read this website and you'll see that A lot of it is about the body. My body truly is the vehicle for my present soulful existence. If it's healthy, I'll last longer in this life and will be able to spend more time concentrating on fun stuff instead of dumb stuff like aches and pains.

But, even when the aches and pains, and more serious stuff, are front and center, my body seems no more attached to me than our Toyota. I learned a long time ago that if I don't maintain my cars, they break down. If something is broken and I don't fix it, they get worse. My body is exactly like that. That's why I exercise hard every day. I'm just changing the oil.

Taking my body out of the equation as to who I am makes life a lot easier. Taking care of my body as my soul vehicle does that too.

I was a Boy Scout for two weeks. I didn't like it much. But, the Boy Scout motto, Be Prepared, stuck with me. I've learned it's even more critical in staying sober and fit. I thought about that today during my run. This morning I made reservations for a cabin in the Smokey Mountains for Pat and I to stay in for a few days next month. As I was running along, I realized I was preparing for challenges I might face.

Before my last drink, I loved the beach. You can read about that here. At the beach, I didn't have to hide my drinking. I was, after all, on vacation and it was OK to drink. I drank while I made breakfast, then rode the waves to clear my head. A few drinks before lunch, then a nap. Sit around the pool sipping scotch in the afternoon, then more wave riding to be completely sober for dinner. There was nothing better than sitting on the balcony watching the ocean sipping White Russians all evening long. I loved it.

I haven't been back to the beach in sobriety. A cabin in the mountains isn't the beach, but it's close. There's a balcony with a hot tub overlooking a beautiful scene. Perfect for the White Russian deal. As I ran today, I was going through my alcohol buddies and who I would call while I was up there. Probably spread it around a bit so I can call a couple of times a day. Then, I worked through the food deal -- thinking about what I can eat while I'm there so I won't be OCD about it and at the same time not recreate my obsessions for brownies and French bread. I thought about running. I'd read a review of the cabin we'll be staying in that talked a bout a bobcat on the beach. I thought about searching Google for how many people get eaten in the Smokies each year.

Then, I realized I was planning and how that comes naturally now. To fail to plan invites total failure. Without planning, I risk triggering all the bad stuff I've learned to avoid. I've seen that happen over and over to others over the past seven years. Don't want to follow those footsteps.

Plan, plan, plan.
Be prepared.

Ignoring the Tools: Big Mistake. Huge Mistake.
Posted June 28, 2009

When you have a website, lots of information about visitors is available to you. I've had a month now to look at the stats for My Reclaimed Life. While I have no idea who you are, I do know the towns, states, and country you live in. I also know what pages you visit and how long you stay there. In the month since this website has been up, I've been pleased to see the numbers of visitors growing and the time spent on the site increasing. That's great. The website exists because I wanted to share my experience about getting better and that's beginning to happen. If you find it useful, please pass it along to others.

Now, to the bad news. Nobody's looking at the "Tools" pages. That's a mistake. A huge mistake. Whether we're talking alochol, cigarettes, weight loss, or life long exercise, the tools are what makes it happen long term.

I drank to change my feelings. I smoked cigarettes to change my feelings. I ate to change my feelings. If I want to stay sober, nicotine free, and maintain a healthy weight, I have to learn to deal with my feelings in other ways. That's not something that just "nice to do." It's absolutely essential. The "Tools" pages provide some strategies for doing that.

Give the "Tools" pages a try. Really, they're not hard to read. And, more importantly, they're the foundation for getting better.

Critical Planning
Posted June/18/2009

I was a Boy Scout for two weeks. I didn't like it much. But, the Boy Scout motto, Be Prepared, stuck with me. I've learned it's even more critical in staying sober and fit. I thought about that today during my run. This morning I made reservations for a cabin in the Smokey Mountains for Pat and I to stay in for a few days next month. As I was running along, I realized I was preparing for challenges I might face.

Before my last drink, I loved the beach. You can read about that here. At the beach, I didn't have to hide my drinking. I was, after all, on vacation and it was OK to drink. I drank while I made breakfast, then rode the waves to clear my head. A few drinks before lunch, then a nap. Sit around the pool sipping scotch in the afternoon, then more wave riding to be completely sober for dinner. There was nothing better than sitting on the balcony watching the ocean sipping White Russians all evening long. I loved it.

I haven't been back to the beach in sobriety. A cabin in the mountains isn't the beach, but it's close. There's a balcony with a hot tub overlooking a beautiful scene. Perfect for the White Russian deal. As I ran today, I was going through my alcohol buddies and who I would call while I was up there. Probably spread it around a bit so I can call a couple of times a day. Then, I worked through the food deal -- thinking about what I can eat while I'm there so I won't be OCD about it and at the same time not recreate my obsessions for brownies and French bread. I thought about running. I'd read a review of the cabin we'll be staying in that talked a bout a bobcat on the beach. I thought about searching Google for how many people get eaten in the Smokies each year.

Then, I realized I was planning and how that comes naturally now. To fail to plan invites total failure. Without planning, I risk triggering all the bad stuff I've learned to avoid. I've seen that happen over and over to others over the past seven years. Don't want to follow those footsteps.

Plan, plan, plan.
Be prepared.