I am so happy it is Friday. I need a weekend at home with no real agenda. I remember a time though, in early sobriety when the weekends caused me a lot of anxiety. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. I was so used to spending the weekends partying and recovering. My circle of friends had shifted so I didn’t really have anyone to kick it with. It was hard and pretty damn lonely. So I thought I would share the things that helped get me through those weekends. I am not listing cooking because I feel that is sort of a given.
Photography - I bought a camera and started getting up early to catch the good light. It provided me with adventure, creative expression and perspective.
Bath Time - I went to Lush and got an arsenal of bath bombs, turning my tub into the place to be on a Friday night.
Puzzles - I started collecting kitschy food themed puzzles from the 70’s. They continue to be one of my favorite ways to spend an evening. While the images are not incredibly appetizing they are hilarious and working puzzles makes your mind move differently. Highly therapeutic.
Old Journals - I dug out all my old journals and made a list of all the things I talked about doing but never did and made them a priority. Except learning Spanish… I still do not know Spanish. I also ran into a lot of past hurts in those journals.. I spent nights writing letters of forgiveness to those people and then burned them. Releasing us both from the past/bullshit between us.
Shedding - I started getting rid of stuff. I spent nights digging through the things around the house and letting it go. Making regular trips to goodwill and having yard sales. Something about physically getting rid of things helps with the letting go of things emotionally. I do think things hold energy but I also think it primes your mind (and your heart) for releasing all the things you need to in recovery.
Dessert - If I got the urge to go out I would dress up and take myself to a fancy restaurant for dessert. It thrilled my sweet tooth and the night owl in me. PLUS it kept the sweets out of my house so I did not over do it because as I have mentioned before, my sweet tooth was a BEAST when I first got sober.
What do you do on the weekends now you are sober? Or if you are thinking about going sober what do you see yourself filling your weekends with?
Day 270: Buckwheat & Almond Financier with a little yogurt, the blueberry and pomegranate compote I made last week with fresh bloobs and some pistachio/cashew dust.