Four Years

I am pleased to announce that a week a go today,  I celebrated four years sober.  I am very proud of this accomplishment and know I would not be where I am today without my decision to stop drinking.  Although I still struggle with bi-polar and addictive tendencies,  my mind is better able to navigate these challenges without alcohol clouding my judgement.  I have access to such a broader scope of my mind and have the ability to process my thoughts a little easier.

I am near the end of the landscaping season and am really looking forward to some down time.  I am so proud of all our crew has accomplished this year.  It amazes me when I look back at the jobs we finished with such a small work force.  We got a good start on a stone job yesterday and knocked off four properties for fall clean up last week.  We finished the biggest fall clean up on Tuesday morning and that was a big relief.  I am confident that the rest of clean ups will continue to go smoothly.  Heather, Jessie and I work really well together and have established a good rhythm thus far.  It appears that we will go through all of November so we have about three weeks left.

I happened to be off early on Wednesday afternoon and found myself watching the Dr. Oz show.  He had Celine Dion as a guest and she was very insightful.  The one comment that stuck with me was when she was discussing her large family growing up.  She said that they never had money but, that they were never poor.  It made me realize that it does not matter what material things we possess as long as nurture the relationships in our lives.  She spoke highly of her parents and the values they instilled in her..

My mind has been relatively quiet of late.  I did struggle for part of Tuesday.  It was nothing in particular affecting me,  I just found that my mind was racing and I was having difficulty slowing down my thoughts.  That did pass though and was able to finish the day strong.  I do not believe I cried all week which was positive.  I am not ashamed that I break down sometimes, as I believe that it helps to let emotion out.  It was simply nice to maintain a healthy balance for an entire week.

Hope you have a a wonderful weekend.  Take care,  Shawn.


 “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations