Sober dance!
Today is my 36th anniversary (or “birthday” as they say in the 12-Step programs). On February 8, 1988 I stopped drinking, by the grace of God. I was pretty young at the time, just 27 years old, and my father had died of a heart attack about ten months previously. I was going through a divorce. I was a hot mess. But little by little, as I remember it, I couldn’t stomach alcohol at all anymore. I can remember taking a sip or two and becoming horribly sick, dumping the drinks down the sink. Beforehand I could drink any GUY under the table, and I weighed all of 98 pounds soaking wet. This was new territory.
I had started drinking as a kid, about 12 years old probably, at a school dance. Middle school, that is. This was back in the 1970s, so think about it, even at 27 I had already had my fair share of booze because I’d been drinking about 15 years already. My body and soul had had enough.
Many recovering drunks turn to their higher power of their understanding and ask the age-old plea: To remove the DESIRE for alcohol. It’s a “thing” in the 12-Step programs. “I asked God to remove the DESIRE for alcohol.”
I was given a great gift then, at age 27, because literally the desire was simply taken away without my even asking. Oh, I wanted to drink. But my body rejected it. That may be the singlemost thing I’m grateful for when I look back at that time in my life.
After becoming clean and sober, my life became extraordinary. I had the best job in the world. I was already working there at the time, and stayed until my retirement a couple of years ago when Covid hit the travel industry hard and it was clear it was time to leave the business. Another time that my higher power stepped in. Enough already, get out of the travel industry and stop working so hard!
But I digress. I had the best job in the world. I never completed college, because I got the perfect job. To be hired by two college professors, and I didn’t even have a degree yet, and never finished getting it, was probably unheard of in those days. But I and many of my colleagues fell into the same category. That may seem to some as “what kind of company was this?!” but it worked. My bosses were geniuses and fun to work for, and they knew a good worker when they saw one. They knew who would fit in and who wouldn’t.
Some parts of my life weren’t perfect. But sobriety enabled me to do so many wonderful things that I may not have done. All while being a workaholic, admittedly. Hey you gotta be addicted to something (just kidding). Ok, maybe I’m also addicted to dogs, cats, music and a few other things!
Eventually, the gift of sobriety enabled me to leave chilly Massachusetts and settle at the beach on the Carolina coast, meet the love of my life, get married, retire so I could enjoy the remaining years with my rapidly aging pets, and just simply enjoy great health and happiness.
So, today celebrates all of that. Sobriety is a great gift. I never, ever, ever think about alcohol. Sometimes people around me feel bad that they’re drinking in front of me. I couldn’t care less. Really. It does NOT bother me, so stop worrying. Alcohol is not a feature of my life anymore. I am not that young woman anymore. I let her go three decades ago. I coexist. If you drink, great. Have at it. I don’t judge, and I don’t crave. I’m not jealous. I’m happy for all of us.
The 12 Steps works for EVERY problem in life. Someone close to you died? Turn to the 12 steps. Lost your job? Your home? Your relationship? Are you in serious debt? Turn to the 12 steps. It’s a program for LIFE and LOVE.
But don’t just take my word for it. Check out some marvelous words on the topic by fellow Substacker S.J. Perkins:
Wedded bliss
This week (a week ago today) was our 4th wedding anniversary. We went on a cruise in the Bahamas, and it was not as great as the Caribbean cruise we took BEFORE our wedding (which ended up being our honeymoon, in effect). But it was still a lot of fun. One stop got canceled due to high winds and high seas, so we were aboard (bored) ship every day except one! hah! It was still loads of fun, and full of memorable tales to look back on as we “Old People In Love” embark (ha see what I did there) on our FIFTH year together. Whaat?! So, happy anniversary to us!
Here’s a pic I took on our cruise:
It’s a dog’s turn
A couple days before THAT was our dog, Charlie Brown’s, “gotcha day”. We were aboard ship at the time, so I couldn’t give him a proper shout out. He was at the pet resort that takes such good care of our pets when we travel. Charlie is 12 years old now, and really has become the best dog in the world. He’s such a sweet old soul, yet very misunderstood. Charlie has one sound, and one sound only. It is often misinterpreted as a growl, but my wonderful husband figured out that it’s just the only sound the ol’ hound dog knows how to verbalize. Petey, our little dog, likes to bully Charlie, who could take him out in one swoop if he wanted to, but doesn’t. Charlie lets little Petey control him. Picture this 70-pound hound/St. Bernard-ish thing, letting a little pipsqueak push him into a corner. Yep, that’s our Charlie Brown. We love him so much. Twelve years went by in a heartbeat. As I had written about a couple weeks ago, a bunch of people close to me lost pets in January (when I wrote about them, some were sick, and have since passed away). So, if you’re a pet person, give your pets extra hugs and attention. Their lives are so short, and they are valued family members to all of us pet lovers.
Puppy Bowl XX
Can you believe it’s been twenty years since Puppy Bowl began? I used to do blogging and Twitter chats with Subaru, the one-time biggest sponsor of Puppy Bowl during Puppy Bowl, back when Twitter was fun and Puppy Bowl was new. I’m not sure if Subaru is even involved anymore. But…. the big news… TWO of “my dog people” are featured in Puppy Bowl 2024! I’m so excited!
First, one of the puppies playing the big game is Big Man, a pomeranian/chihuahua mix who was being taken care of by the folks at Great Dog Rescue of New England. I used to volunteer for them when I lived in Massachusetts, AND I adopted my dogs, Charlie Brown and Cooper (they are litter mates, by the way) from GDRNE. (They’re having their annual Puppy Love Valentine’s Day event the night before, on February 10th).
Big Man has since been adopted (they film Puppy Bowl ahead of time), but still this is great fun, and I can’t wait to see one of our own in the big game on Sunday.
But wait, there’s more! The folks at PrimePet Rehab right here in Myrtle Beach have a full-on TV advertisement running during Puppy Bowl!! Nationwide! PrimePet, you may recall, is the wonderful animal rehabilitation center that made my Petey walk again. Heck, made him run, jump and play again, after he had a ruptured disk in his neck in 2022. To say that I’m beyond thrilled is an understatement. Dr. Walsh and his team are extraordinary people and deserve recognition for their amazing rehabilitation services. If you live in the Myrtle Beach area and have a pet with an injury or serious mobility issues that may have a chance to be cured with physical therapy, please ask your vet for a referral to PrimePet. They are awesome, and I’m forever grateful to them for helping Petey recover from his injuries.
Puppy Bowl lasts three hours and starts at 2:00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, February 11th. You can tune in on Animal Planet, Discovery, Discovery+, TBS, truTV, or Max prior to Super Bowl kick-off.
St. Francis Animal Center Mardi Growl
This Saturday, February 10th in Georgetown, SC is St. Francis Animals Center’s second annual Mardi Growl. The event is from 12:30 - 4 p.m. at East Bay Park in Georgetown. Parade line-up starts at noon in East Bay Park. There will be all kinds of fun activities throughout the afternoon — all proceeds go to the shelter to help the pooches and kitties!
Livin’ On A Prayer
In entertainment news, Jon Bon Jovi, whom I’ve seen in concert so many times I can’t count anymore, was recently honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year. MusiCares is a program that provides funding for kids to learn music. It happens to be 11 years ago this week that Bon Jovi held the famous “blizzard concert” at Mohegan Sun arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. I was there. The actual concert, the FIRST show of their tour that year, was effectively canceled due to the blizzard, but the band and fans were snowed in at Mohegan so they still performed. My friends and I drove down to Mohegan as soon as the State of Emergency was lifted by the governors of both Mass. and Connecticut, and we caught the last four songs of the show. We were able to walk right up to the stage! No assigned seating. It was the thrill of a lifetime, AND I won $100 on slots at the casino! Boop! That specific show was also the last time Richie Sambora played with Bon Jovi. He walked off the tour that night or the next day, due to family issues which have been well-publicized and explained since. At the time it was shocking, but how lucky we were to have seen his final performance with the band (which was fantastic as usual).
There is loose gossip that Richie will join the band again soon for at least some shows on an upcoming reunion tour. But so far, that’s only a rumor. Richie was supposed to be at the MusiCares event, but more family issues prevented him from attending. We keep our fingers crossed that it will happen some day (unlike my OTHER favorite band, Three Dog Night, which hopelessly could never get past its problems and now… too late, too many members have died.).
There is also going to be a Hulu documentary on Bon Jovi starting in late April, so if you have a Hulu subscription, get ready to set your DVR! The documentary is a multi-episode limited series and celebrates the band’s 40th anniversary. Well, we are just full of anniversaries today, aren’t we?
B-b-b-b-Bad!
And finally, Myrtle Beach may be progressing to getting actual big-name acts in town! Wow! I bought my tickets this morning for George Thorogood and the Destoyers. They’re coming to the Carolina Opry in April. I’ve seen George & the band a few times. He usually plays small venues (Cape Cod Melody Tent was one). Anyway, George is extremely talented and the shows are always great fun. For Myrtle Beach to have a big name (other than the Country Music Fest which is a separate thing in and of itself) is big, big news. Let’s hope more famous acts start coming to the Opry. That would not be b-b-b-b-Bad!
Wanna be entertained (groan)? Here’s me doing two Thorogood play-alongs on the drum kit about a year ago. I’ve improved since then, really, I have.
Say, all you Myrtle Beach readers out there (are there any?)... on Saturday, February 10th (that's tomorrow) there is also a Mardi Paws event at Market Common, and it's the first ever Mardi Gras-themed dog event in Myrtle Beach. I mentioned the Mardi Growl in Georgetown in this post, so choose the one you want to attend. Market Common may be closer for some folks, but Georgetown is always fun. I've been to doggie events at both locations and either one is great!
Here's the Market Common event info: https://www.wmbfnews.com/2024/02/08/city-myrtle-beach-set-host-first-ever-mardi-paws-celebration-market-common/?outputType=amp