My Life Besides Sobriety
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Besides traveling to Boston for work, I have been crazy busy exploring my new town and its surrounding areas. I've found some pretty cool stuff to do, clubs to join, and festivals to attend. Below is a quick run down of what I've been up to.
Lee County Recovery Month Event
Last friday night on the way home from the airport after returning from Boston, I stopped at the Lee County Recovery Month event that I found on the SAMHSA website when I was reading and writing about recovery month. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I decided to be brave and give it a shot. It was at Gwendolyn's Cafe in downtown Fort Myers. I walked in to guitar players singing and playing live music. The crowd was modest with about 20 people there. I learned later I had missed Randy Henderson, the mayor of Fort Myers who was there right before I arrived, giving a proclamation officially recognizing September as recovery month in the city. I met some knowledgable and interesting women there. I learned about Street Chicks in Recovery, a group of women that offer recovery insight through illustrated stories, booklets, cd's and posters. I also met the lovely executive director of the Lee County Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida and we chatted about the upcoming 5K that benefits the coalition and me possibly writing a guest blog for them. All and all, it was a nice event and I'm glad to have made these new connections while celebrating recovery month.
Peace Day in the Park
Last Sunday my friend Leslie and I went to a festival in Cape Coral to celebrate International Peace Day. It was at a local park and included vendors selling food clothing and other peace-themed knick knacks, live music, yoga, hula hooping, belly dancing, art, and even a blood drive. The atmosphere was relaxing and fun. It was a great way to get together with like-minded people and celebrate peace and love.
Meditation Class
Last Monday I went to my first meditation class at the Center for Spiritual Living in Cape Coral. It was suggested to me by a blog reader and now new friend, Shannon. We met there and enjoyed the class together. This series of 5 classes concentrates on overcoming anger, irritation, and frustration. This particular class was called the psychology of blaming. A buddhist nun led a short meditation at the beginning and end of the class, and in between talked about anger and blaming. She read from a book, she joked around, and she answered our questions. Her voice was very soothing and I could relate to everything she talked about. She reiterated that happiness is a feeling that you only can achieve within from inner peace. She taught us that acknowledging anger and recognizing where it comes from is the first step towards changing your mindset. All of the meditation classes are based on the teachings of Kadampa Buddhism. If you know me, you know that this is the most spiritual thing I've done in probably...my entire life. The only time I set foot in a church is for a wedding. I have never considered myself spiritual, in fact I would consider myself an agnostic, who borderlines on atheist. This class felt right to me. I was learning, relaxing, and working towards inner peace. I will definitely be going back to the next class.
Besides these three fun events I've been keeping busy playing co-ed and women's soccer in Fort Myers. I went stand-up paddle boarding for the first time ever and saw a sunset that looked like a painting. I joined my local Democratic Women's Club in hopes of changing the world and standing up for what I believe in politically. I'm still doing CrossFit and I plan on attending Fort Myers Pride festival in a few weeks.
Some days I hardly have a minute to think about my sobriety. Sometimes I wish I had more time to devote to this blog and finding sober articles, books, and things to share. I guess being sober and having a renewed source of energy and drive has motivated me to do a lot more. I am still grateful for every single day because I know that this amazing life wouldn't be possible if I wasn't sober. So for now, I'm off on my next sober adventure, catch me if you can..