Sobriety Plus

I've added a few more parts to my life and incorporating them into my sober life has been interesting.  Most of my sobriety has been about attending ETA meetings, talking to other ETA members, working with my own sponsor and working with pigeons of my own.  Outside of maintaining a home for my hubby, my (almost) grown daughter, and the dog, this was pretty much what I did during the day. Unless the cutest grandchildren ever born came to visit - then all other activities were suspended for the duration of said visit.  It was nice and comfortable and I enjoyed this schedule for years.  But then I decided to expand my horizons.

Working out of my ETA induced cocoon is an uncomfortable process; an exciting change, but uncomfortable nevertheless.  I'm learning some more about "...bondage of self..."  Isn't   that   just   wonderful   ?  Nothing can compare with being smacked into reality regarding the ways I tie myself up with nonsensical, absolute things I must do.  Who says I have to do these things?   Uh... that would be me.  Would the world (or even a part of my own world) fall apart if these things weren't done a certain way - the way only I can do them?  We think not.

The main thing on the radar I missed is this: There are 24 hours in each day.  This cannot be changed, altered, modified, stolen from (to use on a different day) or bargained with.  Thus!!  When you are adding something to the 24 hour segments of your life, you're gonna have to change something.  (You can probably tell I'm a college graduate.)  I can have my pigeons come to my house instead of me going to theirs; a 1.5 hour savings for each pigeon.  We could eat out or take out on the 2 busiest days of the week; a 3.5 hour savings for the week.  Someone else (read: almost grown kid) could stop by the store to pick up the 4 things I forgot; a 2 hour savings each week.  Gee, with a bit of manoevering I end up with 'freedom of self'!  What I need to remember is that I am the only one who can instigate bondage of self or freedom of self.  As it stands, apparently this is one of those things I get to learn over and over.  Oh goody.

Have a good and sober day.