Stronger and More Appreciative

The clouds of the past few weeks have cleared and my eyes and mind remained clear. I want to share while things are going well rather than just when I am upset. Everything is back on track. Everything is where it's supposed to be. For the first time in my life, I faced emotional hardships head-on. I dealt with, felt through the pains. People have been there to support me and I have the ability to appreciate and accept that support. I have been telling people that I've been dealing with everything the way I have been supposed to be...the mature, sober way. In doing so, I have grown stronger and stronger. The old saying, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Again, there's new meanings to old sayings that I never took to the time to realize. Through these tough times, I've learned that life and time is precious, love is powerful, and support is indispensable. Also, I learned that left on it's own without being in the moment with others, my mind can and will think of the most negative things possible, re-live the past, and dwell on pain. People need people...very true for me. I never realized just how much I forgot that I love to love, love to be loved, love to be a friend, and love to have friends. I went from always being with friends, to only calling when I was drunk...I always felt that I couldn't find things to talk about while sober, but when I was drunk, I could talk about anything...the only problem was that usually "anything" was a lot of anything stupid!!! I have returned to always being with friends. Not face-to-face, but through other modes of contact. You know, with the shit I've done I could spend the rest of my days apologizing. I am not going to though because simply through what I am doing and returning to my old self, I don't need to. People love the new, old me. I love the new, old me. My lifestyle change is in itself an apology and a showing that I didn't like who I had become. I love who I am becoming...a modest, humble greatness is what I will become (yes, I do sense the contradicting tone of what I just said). My aim is to be great in my own rights with everyone that is and will be in my life. I aim to make a change for the positive with anyone I come into contact with. Tough? Sure, but I will give it an honest try. I have to...it's the least I can do to give back. Without family and friends being there to be worried about me, angry with me, I probably would have never seen what was becoming of me. Without those same family and friends expressing their support and pride in me, I would be feeling and seeing that immediate changes for the better in me. This is where the modesty and humility comes into play. Without others, there would not be a chance for me to change for the better. I am not doing this by myself. I am doing this with your help. I am doing this for you. More importantly, I am doing this for me. Most importantly, I am doing this for us!

Thinking, thinking, thinking...terrible, terrible, terrible

Well this day has been mother of all struggles of a day. I wish I could really articulate what the shit I was feeling today. Off the charts! I sometimes feel like the biggest hipocrite on the planet. I share my feelings, know how to deal with situations, but when I comes time to deal and feel, I almost complete fall apart. As you know, I am not a praying man, but I actually asked for strength today. Do you know how hard it is to hold in emotions at work...on a contruction site...surrounded by dudes...OH SHIIT!!! There was awhile were I had my 7 month chip in my mouth and remembering where I came from. I understand where I was back then even clearer now. The anxiety that I was fill with was atrocious! I took some time to calm down, really reflect and figure out what the root of this internal chaos was all about. Sure my emotional plate is full. It's okay to be in a little rough shape, but JEEZ get a grip.
Life tosses us plenty of curve-balls. With me, being all sober and whatnot, I really try to grab this life of love by the horns. I've always done things to the extreme. Even now, I am up to my same extreme antics, but in the opposite direction. When things are going well, I dive straight into it with any caution. Funny, my Pops, told me to proceed with things with an optomistic cautioun. How about that? I didn't listen and rode the wave...lesson learned. I was told by a man to do everything opposite of what I would do before. I definitely try my hardest to do that...again, sometimes to the extreme. Where's the balance? I am doing it right now though. Instead of suffering with my own thoughts, I share it and get it out. It's freeing. Today, I did something completely opposite of what I have done in the past. It was the hardest things that I have ever done...you have no idea! In the past, I would fight and claw until I got what I wanted...by any means necessary. Today, I had to let go and not try to fight what's going on here. Letting go...that's what really dealing with my past is all about...especially if it negative. It doesn't matter what was said or done 10, 5, 1 day ago...its doesn't matter what was said 20 minutes ago. It's been said or done. Yesterdays reality isn't necessary today's reality. I need to accept that, but it's far easier said that done....
...you know what? It's change of tone time. I just came back from meeting with someone. I also came back from my Wednesday group. I shared, I listened, I feel great now. I heard from someone while on my program in Windsor say that if I could just cut all your heads off, I could cure you all. I never understood it. I never understood it until tonight. I realized my self-propelled terrible day was a result of far too much thinking. Thinking of the past. Thinking of expectations. Thinking of things that are out of my control. Thinking, thinking, thinking. It took me to be around someone else chatting about what's bothering me, chatting about this, that, and the other thing to get me out of that terrible thinking to begin to feel better. My mind, left to run wild, will make me go crazy...as it did today. I understand what the gentleman meant now. Easy up on the thinking that are negative, out of my control, and not necessarily true. Half-way through that group, I was smiling and feeling like my normal self. It's true...everything passed...moods, pain, negativity only to be replaced with a calmness, a peace, a contentment. It's not going to last forever, but I will appreciate and enjoy it while I have it.
Enjoy your night, day, evening...whatever it is when you're reading this.
Your friend,
Trev...Trevor for long :)

Double Whammy Challenge - I'm Ready

It's the last day of my 7th months of sobriety. Tomorrow is the beginning of my 8th. In the past 8 months, I've had my ups and downs. Most of it has been great. I've dealt with anger, sadness, and self-pity. There has been plenty of death around me...more than I would've liked. Someone I love is in very bad shape. I did follow through in my commitment to face, feel, and love yesterday. It was one of the tougher situations I've ever been in. For the first time, my brothers all embraced. We embraced around their father. We shed some tears. We laughed. We appreciated. We reflected. We felt. We were in unity. Love was in the air. Following returning home I sent them a text about how great it was to see them regardless of the circumstances, how special it was to see them as the fine young men that they have grown into. I let them know that their dad couldn't have done a better job. In my heart the world is a better place because they are in it. The world is a better place because Denis raised them the way he did. Right now, I would like to say, "Great job Denis!!" My one brother replied to my text letting me know how proud Denis was of me for doing what I have been doing. He always knew how great of a guy I was despite my problems. If there's anything to take away from this is that one, smoking isn't a good thing. Two, before his coma he was proud of me and I'm going keep this going. They say that we're only one drink away from being back where we were. I know that. They say that nobody is safe. I accept that, but I REFUSE to place others' love and pride for and in me in vain. My heart is too loving now to allow hurt to be placed on anyone else for my actions. I know what pain is like and nobody deserves it. Even in this time where I have another issue affecting me. I won't get into to it, but whenever I was in situations where my heart has been broken, I would place myself into such a deep intoxicated that I would be incoherent, belligerent, and a complete and utter disaster. I would do this to mask the pain that I couldn't handle. The pain of things that I did; my drinking being more important than others, or my cheating to boost my ego. The funny thing is that I would end up being even more upset later that night, ashamed and depressed the day after...not to mention hungover as all hell. Not this time. For once, my drinking or being disloyal hasn't got me into this situation. I can handle this one because my hearts been proper. I have nothing to be ashamed of. Where it counts, on the inside, I did everything that I was supposed to do because I followed my heart and listened. I placed others ahead of me...FIRST TIME EVER!!! This morning I made a commitment and asked today to basically accept things I cannot change and change what I can...ME, MY ATTITUDE, ANYTHING THAT I HAVE REAL CONTROL OF. The old saying be careful what you wish for...ya, very true. I've been told that whatever I struggle with ask for help in dealing with it. When I ask, I will be put to the test. I will be challenged. I have been put to the test. I have been challenged. A man once told me that if I want something, three things will happen. It seems obvious, but I need to focus on it for my betterment. I'll get it right away because I'm ready for it. I won't get it right away, but I'll get it later because I'm not ready for it, but at a later time I will be ready. Or, I'll won't get ever because there's something better for me out there. With that in my head, it does help my situation, but it doesn't take away the face that I'm hurt. With being hurt, I am going to go an array of emotions. What am I feeling? I'm feeling sadness, loss, anger, rejection (one of my biggest fears), confusion, betrayal, and so on. That's the toughest part. These emotions are helpful, useful, and necessary. It's what I do with these emotions. I am going to remain positive. I will accept the situation. I will not resent even though every bit of my alcoholic-self wants to. I was always embarrassed or self-disapproving of my situation (that I got myself into) live with parents, no license, etc. Again, this is all on me. I was always hesitant to approach people because of fears of not being accepted for my current, temporary situation. I put down those fears in hopes that me, my heart, my personality would trump those meaningless things. The same fault I work on everyday, runs rampant in virtually everyone else; judgement. Someone thing that I have struggled with my whole life, approval of others, is not only in me. It's everywhere. I am not alone. What I am learning here is that I and everyone else, at our root, have the same issues, same insecurities, same fears, same emotions. Where we all are on dealing with them are different. I must and will accept that. I will continue to work on my issues, day-in and day-out. I am still sober. This double whammy of shittiness is not knocking me down. I am going to continue to look up to where I am going. I will not stop moving forward for anyone, anything unless it's to do the right thing and help. I WILL BE THERE FOR THE PEOPLE I LOVE, ALWAYS. I will continue to love this guy, me. Not today, but maybe one day is something I will be open to. I will show caution when necessary. I will follow my heart. I will do as I say, as I promise. I will be true to others, but more importantly, I will be true to myself. If I don't know who I am or what I want, I can't possibly be true to anyone else. My heart's in the right place right now. 8 months tomorrow...7 months ending today. I guarantee that 8 months will come tomorrow because I am now up for any challenge or test...even if they come in pairs. I am now ready for my next step to the top. I am focused like a laser.