Hey folks.

It’s freaking hot.  I am not joking.  It is SO hot, I can barely stand it.  Austin and I had to wait for the sun to go down to go run on the trails last night, and even so, I ended the run completely drenched in sweat.  But that IS one nice thing about summer running – rather than starting the run off freezing and eventually warming up well enough to sweat, you sweat the ENTIRE time, and I feel like any thing that is lurking – whether it be stomach yucks from your antibiotics, gross food, or a simply terrible attitude – will be eliminated with that run.  It’s kinda like hot yoga!

So anyhoo, I’m on week two of being sober for this month, and I have to be honest with you.  I feel like I’ve cheated a little bit because I was sick for the first week-and-a-half, two weeks.  I was on antibiotics, which says RIGHT THERE on the label not to drink with them. Which has never stopped me before, but this time, I was so, SO profoundly ill, I didn’t want to really drink anything.  So overall, it hasn’t been super super difficult, even thought there were a few times this past week, when the thought of a drink PLUS a like, cigarette sounded great.  And I don’t smoke.

When it has been hard?

• I had a really, really rough week at work.  My normal response is to flop down on the couch and crack a beer.  But I made a promise to you guys and to myself that this month wasn’t going to be that sort of month, so instead, I went to a coffee shop, and worked to untangle the work mess I found myself in.  But I sat on the street, and saw a lot of people eating and drinking delicious things, and I sort of wanted to join in the fun.  Total FOMO.  But it was for the best.  I recognize that wanted to crack a beer as a response to stress is not necessarily a healthy way to process my feelings.
• I went to a real bar on Friday night to watch the soccer game, and it was a drinking-themed event.  I was able to convince the bartender to make me something that kinda looked beveragey.  And again, it’s not to pretend, it’s more to just have something in my hand to sip.  Then we went next door.  I sort of whispered to the server about O’Douls, and she started yelling about it to the entire table, so everyone at that bar should think I’m good and pregnant now.

Overall, it hasn’t been too hard.  But as I start to put myself in more of these regular situations, I have to think ahead.  I have a meeting off site on Wednesday.  There may be beer there.  What is my plan?  I’m going to take Austin out to eat for his birthday…where are we going slash what am I going to eat/drink so I don’t end up being a slob.  Planning ahead has been key for me.

Anyhoo, all that said…how is your week going so far?