blog for February 15, 2021. Monday
Delayed gratification
We’ve all done it. Some are better at it than others. I think as kids, most of us were trained in waiting for the big unveiling or present by waiting for Christmas, Birthdays and other events. I bet you were one of them kids that peeked, weren’t you? Lol
I might have poked and prodded and peeked a time or two, but mostly, I like to wait for the moment when it will be the most fun. When everyone is there, waiting, watching together. When I get a bag of goodies, I save the best for last and slowly enjoy the good stuff. Seems much more gratifying that way.
Well, I gotta tell ya, I’m feeling that same kind of anxiousness waiting for us to get all vaccinated and for us all to get back to a semblance of normal (whatever that really means) by Spring…? Maybe? Ya think? I sure hope so.
Recovery has taught me a lot of lessons about delayed gratification. First of all, if you’re in a twelve-step program then you know all about getting chips and taking cakes. Coming up on milestones in our journey of recovery is exciting and rewarding, it’s self-gratifying. I remember each chip I received during my first year became a big damn deal to me. However, it was the one-year chip that was off the hook gratification! I had completed one whole year of holidays, birthdays, death days, anniversaries of this and that. The ups and downs of daily life, the ins and outs, and the seasons.
The seasons each have their own set of rules. For instance, the season we are in right now, winter, causes my “Seasonal Affective Disorder” to kick in. I’m a SAD sufferer. In case you don’t know, that means that when the days are short, dark, gloomy & cold- so am I. I have to fight off depression and sadness, even “stink’n think’n” can fly through my head. I’ve been aware of this malady for many years and try to take it all into consideration when I’m feeling so down or depressed in these months. Add lockdown and a year of no school for the boy and it really affects me. Next weekend, he finally gets to go be with his cousins for the week-end! Yay! As he waits for that time, he will have a lot gratification when next week-end comes.
Considering the Covid Pandemic and all this time in lockdown, I’m using the delayed gratification concept that I’ve learned in recovery. “All good things come to those who wait.”
As with last week, don’t quit five minutes before the miracle, I’m still waiting, two more days until the 2nd shot. I can’t wait to get it over and done and feel a little safer out in the world. To go see my kids. To see my friends, have the sun in my face, the breeze in my hair. I know you all want the same thing.
I’ve been hearing all kinds of reports and seeing pictures of how much it’s snowing all over Texas right now, and in places that it doesn’t usually snow. Some of my people are enjoying it, others are hating it. I think it could be a God send. Bad weather keeps people indoors more than when we have nice weather. I’m saying that because it will help slow the spread of the virus to stay home and indoors. We are so close to the end of the worse of it.
As with waiting for anything good, our lives are worth waiting a little while longer to ensure that we come out of this alive and well. So many people have died, many are still suffering and way too many addicts are relapsing and not getting the help they need. For me, I can’t wait to go to a live meeting. Maybe you already do, some places are not as bad as where I live. My state has had the most positive cases and deaths. We’ve lost several friends just in the last four months.
We will all be coming out of this soon. Again, Spring will be here in about a month, then summer and people will get out, with a little more confidence. The parties will start up and people will be drinking and using more and more. That will be their gratification. For me, hugging those I love and miss will be my gratification. Living my best life as much as possible.
Question of the Week: What have you been putting off during quarantine that you are looking forward to when things open up?
