2:46 pm
Just popping on here really quick to say hi, to say that I see you and I hear you, to say that I am still here and still wanting to be engaged with my sober community (though, I do know that most of my old “friends” have moved on, in one way or another). I am still here, and I just want you all to know that I never not think about this blog, it being the one constant that connects this new me to that old me. And while I do like the new me–who has evolved even in the past few years, not just the almost-12 (yipes!?!?) since I started writing this blog–I cherish the old me, too. The me who led me to you.
On that note, I AM here for a reason, and that’s to just give a very quick life update. Long story short, we bought a home!!! It’s been many years in the planning, but we finally pulled the trigger on the place that we’ve been renting for 2.5 years. Is it the house of our dreams? No. BUT, there are many, many wonderful things about it. And, it feels SO good to be able to call something our own, to being able to put our stamp on it (we painted this weekend), and, well, obviously, to not have to pay rent anymore and to not have to be at the whim of some landlord or the housing rental market. And, we’ve got a big yard, so no one can ever tell my dogs that they aren’t welcome in this house. Haha.
On another note, for my big 5-0 birthday this year, I chose to take a trip to France to mark, ahem, 30 years since I studied and lived there (I did a year abroad, starting with a month in Tours and living the rest of the time in Paris). I cannot fathom that, while 30 years doesn’t seem that long ago, 30 years from now, I’ll be 80. If I’m lucky. I try not to think about it too much, but I have felt this increasing urge to just do things now, before my time is up. Anyway, our trip is mid-April.
Another April event: my mom is making a move cross-country to live closer to one of her children (who, as it happens, is my older brother). Not sure if anyone remembers the drama with him and his “wife,” which dates back, gulp, a full decade to 2014; but he and I have essentially not had any kind of relationship since then. So, it should be interesting to see how it plays out, with Mom living within a 20-minute drive away. I suppose it might be as simple as, they keep their distance and just don’t come around whenever I visit Mom.
Hmm…yeah, so all that. What else? Oh, how could I forget: I got Covid over the Christmas holidays, and that really sucked. In fact, I still have neck pain, almost two months later, and I feel like Covid “unleashed” a mild arthritis throughout my entire body, from ankles to knees to lower and upper back, in addition to not being able to turn my head. Maybe it’s just me turning 50 in a few months, but I really don’t want to believe that.
Anyway, I hope all are doing well! Stay tuned for hopefully more regular posts!