The Kids Camping June 2010
I’m leaving on a camping trip vacation. I’m getting all aggravated about the blog. (If you even want to call it aggravation. It’s more like a mild itch.) And then I got to thinking (always a leap of faith) who cares if I skip a couple of weeks. My words are not so important that anyone will indeed suffer without them.
(That being said, you will note, I am still typing.)
Who is more important? A calm mom packing the camper, helping her kids learn to pack, helping, helping, helping … or you, the reader?
I pick me and my family.
This is the crap I would be pouring a cocktail or twelve over. I’d be ranting all day about how overworked, over-stressed, and over-whelmed were the preparations that only a bottle of booze could bring me down to right size.
After it brought me to right size, it brought me to the floor, an argument, and ultimately a horrid hangover. Not good!
That’s the post this week. I want to be kind to my husband and children while we pack, because the vacation starts “before” we leave. I needn’t preach all this sobriety-rocks, tranquility-is-real, zen, love-is-the-answer stuff if I’m going to go rage on my family when it’s “family vacation time.”
Oh my goodness, is this what it means to put first things first ???
Heading to the Colorado River for boating, tubing, skiing, and wake-boarding. And we do it all sober and it’s AMAZING.
I love you and I’ll see you when I get back.
A Beginner’s Tip:
Get a permanent sobriety date, (if you don’t already have one).
Don’t change it.
Ever.
Never.
For any reason.
(Not even a trip to the river.)
Love your post! Had the same dilemma and as always you are the genius who puts our thoughts into words 🙂
I feel lost the first week off the blog, it practically itches me to get back to it but as you say… family comes first and in the end I get a whole load out of it and come back with my batteries recharged… everyone is happy 🙂
Wishing you a wonderful vacation! Come back refreshed for the new school year!
Yay. We are driving right now. So glad I stepped out of my way. Already relaxing. Lots of love to you
Have a great time Lisa! I left you a “cookie” in my comments today, but probably easier to see it in Sean’s post here (I stole it from him!)
http://urtheinspiration.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/starting-here-starting-now/
Love you lots! Christy
Yay cookies. I think the thought of giving up cookies is the worst thought of all. Teehee
Thanks for turning me on to Sean’s blog. Just visited today for the first time. xox
What a wonderful post. We haven’t been on vacation for many years (I do not camp and we’re kinda broke right now) but I DO remember going on vacation and making my family’s life unbearable and feeling very “put upon”. So put upon that I deserved my bottle or three of wine. So sad.
And the hell of it is that I thought I WAS putting first things first.
Have a wonderful, tranquil and life affirming vacation. We’ll still be here when you get back!
Sherry
Sherry, Thanks for the sweet reminder. We’ve all been that woman. I know I was. It is so nice to genuinely want to be loving, because it feels good to love. This was the best camping vacation I ever took. I am so relaxed. Looking forward to getting over to your site and seeing what you’re up to. lots of love, lisa
A couple of weeks camping with family can really help cement sobriety. Have a wonderful time.
Cemented …. rock solid sobriety. We had an incredible trip! Thank you.
Have a great time!
Hi, I see you are new to my blog, so welcome. I will come find you and read yours as well. I usually reply ASAP, but with the trip I’m behind. Thank you for the well-wishes. We had a great trip.
Enjoy!!! Family is what matters!!
Sent from my iPhone
Thank you Lisa. We had a great trip!
Enjoy such a wonderful place.. Sober…
I was so excited to see you comment. Thank you for the well-wishes. We had a great time and we all came home sober 🙂
Enjoy yourself tons! You deserve it! And don’t worry! Your family is always the right choice ;). Your kids are beauuutiful, btw.
Lots of love!
Love you too. Excited to get over to my blog reading and see what’s up with my friends.
This post was just the lift I needed to start another week of summertime kid activities. First things first indeed… I need to repeat the mantra a few more times (and by a few, I mean a million) throughout the next 2 weeks…
Have a supercalifragilisticespialidocious vacation, and I hope we can connect when you get back!
Miracles,
Thank you for the kind-wishes.
We had a great time.
Looking forward to talking (again) soon.
Love you dearly,
Lisa
Love your beginners tip;) Have a great vacation with the family. Can’t wait to hear more from you when you get back!
Thank you for the comment. (Yay, you liked the beginner’s tip. Me too.) I’ve yet to get reading on my friends’s blog, but promise to pop over today and see where you’re at with your life. It means a lot to see you comment, so thank you. lots of love, lisa
We’ll live…lol.
Get out there, live life, have fun with the kiddies (cute pic!) and hubby. That’s why we get sober, right? (I say this more to myself than to you, who seems to have that part down pat). I just went camping for the first time in my entire life, and it was alright…had fun even (gasp!). And the further I was from checking emails, blogs, twitter, etc. the better it was. It was nice to take a small break. Good reminders to point us to where our real priorities lie.
Have a wonderful vacation, Lisa. You’ll be missed, but we’ll be here when you get back 🙂
Love and light,
Paul
Hey you,
Just wanted to let you know we had an incredible trip. I can’t remember the last time I felt so relaxed. I reread an earlier comment you made (2 weeks ago) and was finally able to reply. I feel exactly as you mentioned “where our real priorities lie.” For what it’s worth, I didn’t miss this blog or the internet for even one second. So nice to get away. So nice to feel what is truly important … loving my family, through loving myself, through loving my God.
Have a great vaca! Enjoy the family. Take in all the moments and and have fun sober! – Maggie
Maggie, Thank you so much for commenting. I absolutely love when people jump into the conversation. I did as you suggested. I took it all in and keep my focus on being loving and enjoying my family. There was simply …. no room … for a drink. Yay, I love staying sober.
I truly appreciate your blog, all your insights and wisdom that you so generously share with us, your readers.
I hope you fully disconnected from your blog, relax and enjoy a FANTASTIC vacation at Colorado River, sounds like an amazing vacation!
Your comment tugged at my heart. It means much to me to know that I connect with others who are in the same situation. Thank you for the kind and generous words. I had much guidance as I entered early sobriety. (I still have guidance.) You will be happy to know I did disconnect from all of it. I relaxed and took in nature and my family. It was a fantastic trip. Looking forward to learning more about you so I best come over and find your blog. with love, lisa
Rock On Lisa!! balance balance balance!! many say that Recovery must come first. However I believe that recovery should be your first thought, but family must come first. I mean think of it this way..if we are living and applying the spiritual principles found in the 12 Steps of our fellowship and on a daily basis you are applying them first to those you share your space with, family. …think of this: If you are practicing this pogram and applying the principles you are not going to leave a meeting, come home and kick the cat and spank the kid! Enjoy this moment to the fullest! you are building memories and you will never get this day back again. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is what others think you are.! Just like it says in our readingsm “Give youtself a break”. Love yourself enough to genuinly stay in the present moment. There is an awesome in us all and sometimes it takes the AWESOME of another to bring it out. So…Give Love, Receive Love, Be Love, One Love. love and respect xojen