Wow, it's hard to believe that 2011--and 1 Year in the Forest--is almost over. This year has been remarkable, and experience I will remember forever and something I'm proud to have accomplished. After giving up alcohol for a year and blogging about it, where do I go from here? One thing is for sure, I've decided to keep 1yearintheforest alive. But what to write about?
A few months ago, someone asked me what I was going to do after my year was up. I jokingly said that I was going to stay drunk for a year and blog about that. But obviously this was in the mild sense of humor. Although my year is not up, I feel great for the experience both physically and spiritually. One thing I still want to do is to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, and I might do that before the year is up. If not, I will attend a meeting in 2012. As far as 1yearintheforest.blogspot.com is concerned, I think my next year is going to be about sugar. Not just sugar alone, but processed confectionery treats sold in the public arena. At home, we make healthy snacks with ingredients, and I might just share some of those recipes in the coming year.
So, what has 2011 done to me? Well first off, I learned much about myself and how I deal with depression. I've already known how I deal with stress, but the after affects of stress, and it's manifestations, have alluded me in the buzz of the 'comfortably numb' effects of two quality microbrews. Alcohol is insidious in this way and sometimes, you can't see the forest because of all the trees. Looking back, I've always had a conscious awareness of alcohol avoidance when something major is stressing me out. Back on New Year's Eve, 1992, I discovered that my ex-wife was having an affair while I was deployed to Korea for a year. My buddies and I were all set to head out for drinks and celebrating the coming of 1993 when all of a sudden, I wasn't in the mood to drink, or be around people. All I wanted to do was to go home and deal with the situation. I've always had that reaction to "sobering" events like that, never to run away--always diving in to fix the situation.
Speaking of "Fixing" this year has also helped me not feel the need to fix things, run things, be in charge of things, Etc., and all that! Yes, Don, the OCD guy has scaled back my projected-proactivity toward others and it's very nice not having to save the world all the time.
Another mark of 2011, and all the changes that have occurred, is that I've had to let go of some relationships that weren't in the best interest of either parties. A few years back, I started on a learning quest about the benefits of surrendering one's ego. There are many books on the subject, a few by Eckhart Tolle, and after reading his works on the ego and humanity, The Power of Now and A New Earth, I have a new live view on my own egotistic motivations in the world. It's amazing when you realize that some of your passions, motivations, and endeavors were ego motivated. Some of you may not have this situation, and some of you may not be able to recognize it yet, but there have been a lot of things in my life that I did out of desire, but later I learned that my ego was motivating me to be so. For readers, I highly recommend Tolle's Stillness Speaks as it was my favorite read in his series. This book flows like poetry, liken to the proverbs of the bible.
One example of this is my passion for aviation. I've always wanted to fly, even from the young age of five or six when I'd dream of wearing swim flippers and I could jump up into the air, kicking my legs for liftoff. I joined the US Air Force partly due to a lack of jobs in Michigan in the 1980s, but also because of all the military branches, I'd love the aviation side most of all. I think my internal passion drove me to become a pilot, along with encouragement from other aviators, but I realized that sometimes the label of "pilot" or "aircraft owner" sometimes dominated my need to present myself. Safely, I can confess this, and I'm not concerned how others feel about this, or what comments come from those of you that respond to my blog. Your recommendations, suggestions, or feelings are welcome, have little impact on my life, and are your opinions--you're very welcome to those opinions.
So in the coming week, I'm co-hosting a New Year's Eve party at my buddy Michael's house. BBQ, Beer, Wine, and music to go with the fellowship and festivities. Everyone is welcome to come...just RSVP via my email listed a the top of my blog statement or phone me on my cell. Look for more on the end of 2011 soon.
Happy holidays!
Don
