September 15, 2025 - A Good Day

 Fall is definitely here. The sun is shining, but as Nancy put it, it's not a day for sun tanning. There's a bit of a breeze. Still, it seemed like a good day for a barbecue. It's a charcoal smoker so every time I want to use it, I have to clean the ashes out from the last time I used it. Reminds me of working in Swiss Chalet which I did about 40 years ago. Before you could cook the day's chicken, you would first have to dump the grease bucket. Smelled gross after sitting there all night. Greatest cure for a hangover. If that didn't make you puke, nothing would.

Cleaning my barbecue is much easier. While I was doing that, I noticed that I hadn't cut the grass in a while. I haven't been cutting it very often this year because it hasn't been growing because of the lack of water. So, I mowed it. And trimmed the edges with the whippersnipper. I had a bag of dirt that I bought for something, can't remember what; I used it to fill in a few holes the rodents had made so they could tunnel under the skirting. Filling those in with dirt won't do any good, but it was entertaining thinking that it might.

While all this was going on, I made a few friends on social media. Well, honestly, I was already friends with both of them. One guy I was just re-connecting with, and the other person I sort of know already and I'm just getting to know her better.

I recorded my weekly podcast today. I don't upload it until Wednesday but I like to have it ready to go and now it is.

So, it's been a good day. 

September 14, 2025

 I overheard a conversation today on a topic about which I disagree. I was tempted to insinuate myself into the discussion so that I could make my opinion known. But, then I realized that not every one wants to know my thoughts on certain subjects, so I did something out of character and kept my mouth that.

I did make comments to the people I was with about the same subject. It concerned a book that was recently written on a subject that is familiar to me. The original book was written in 1939 and this recent book was the Plain language version of that book. It's true that the language used in the old book was often outdated and not in common usage these days, and the language in the new book used terms that most everyone these days understands. I concede that point. However, the message in the new book is a watered down version of the message in the original book.

Back in the day, I used the dictionary a lot to look up words that I was unfamiliar with. The theory is that if you read a sentence and there is a word in that sentence that you do not understand, you might not understand the sentence. If you do not understand the sentence, you might not understand the paragraph. Nowadays, you can just google words like that, but we didn't have Google back then.

My thoughts are you don't need a plain language version of a book. You just need the original book and either a dictionary or a cell phone. Maybe it's because I'm from a different time zone.

September 13, 2025 - Distorted Perceptions

 I made a post on social media that tavern food is good, just so long as I don't have to go to the tavern to get it. We're having chicken fingers on a bun so chicken burgers right and I thought french fries would be a good side. I know people claim that french fries cooked in an air fryer are healthier, but really folks, they are gross. The reason they call them french fries is because you fry them, in deep fat. The best method, according to most chefs, is to blanch them first, then deep fy them a second time.

Some people just have distorted perceptions of reality. It's like Harm Reduction. What's up with that anyway. I'm a recovered alcoholic. I no longer drink. I did not recover from alcoholism by reducing the harm it did to me and the people in my life; I recovered by completely eliminating the harm it does to me and the people in my life. And I do not believe in the marijuana maintenance program. Substituting one addiction for another is like switching seats on the Titanic. The ship is still sinking and you're still on it.

September 12, 2025 - Love Is Also A Verb

 I recently made a commitment to spend more time updating my blogs. I update The God Box every morning, and I had made a decision to update this one each night before bedtime. Last night it slipped my mind and about 11:45 pm I was scrambling to get it done. So, I have revised my original plan to Update The God Box in the morning and update Mulgrave Lane later in the day or evening. So, currently it is 430 pm and I have a bit of time on my hands so here we are.

Today has been a good day here. I was awake at 8 am, did the morning ritual which consists of asking God as I understand Him for a little help to get through the day, then I do a couple of readings, one from an AA book and one from an Al-Anon book, then I pull a word from my god box. I share that word with 50 or so people that I'm connected to on a daily basis and then I write a little blurb at my other blog, The God Box. It's a carryover from the days when I used to journal. Now, I blog.

The word today was Love. Thinking back, this morning's blog entry was good but as the day progresses I amost always find other things to say about my word, as I relate it to the day's goings on. Love is one of the words that is just as powerful as a verb as it is as a noun. I baked cookies today. We're going to a meeting tonight and we're also going to a program at the church tomorrow morning called Blankets of Hope. Me and Nancy and about a dozen other ladies knit blankets to give to those less fortunate than us. It's a way to spread around love. The cookies I bake are also a way to do that.

After my morning coffee, I spent about an hour with a person that I sponsor, just talking and giving her some hope and guidance. That's another way that I express love. Someone once asked me what was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I replied that it is the look in an alcoholic or addict's eyes  once they realized they did not have to live the way they had been living.

As I said, we're going to the speaker meeting tonight. I'm not the person speaking, but someone mentioned to me that she'd like to go if she had a drive. We're getting a drive there and there's an extra seat in the car. That didn't take much thinking. Doing a favor for someone with no thought of getting anything for it is another way for me to express love. having said that, by doing for others, I do get something in return. I get to keep the gift that God has given me, the gift of Sobriety. But, that is something I am always aware of and it doesn't really come up during that moment when I agree to be unselfish. If that makes sense.

September 11, 2025

 My word this morning was Trust. I figured I'd bring it up as a topic this evening, but I turned the one word into a slogan we are familiar with - Trust God Clean House Help Others. Helping others is a good way to do service work and it feels good to carry a bit of hope to others especially new people. But, it's hard to carry a message to others until my own affairs are in order, so I should get my shit together first. I should, as they say, clean my house first. And, before I start working on myself, which can be a tough thing to do, the first thing I should do is place my trust in God or a higher power if the word God is difficult for you.

I carry the message a lot, through sponsorship. Not all the people I sponsor actually get sober. I have to frequently remind myself that because I ought not to take the credit for getting them sober, I also ought not blame myself if they don't get sober. I simply encourage them to find a higher power and help them to establish a relationship with that higher power and then whether or not they continue the steps is really between them and their God. It has very little to do with me.