August 9

”It is the simple things of life that make living worthwhile, the sweet fundamental things such as love and duty, work and rest, and living close to nature.” Laura Inglis Wilder

Transitioning to living on my own has presented its own challenges. Moving into a bare-bones apartment, without cable or internet, has made my weeks without my kids long and trying. Fridays and Saturdays are particularly challenging because of the extra free time without commitments. I can only schedule so much activity. What is helping me to cope is to focus on some of the basics of life. Doing laundry, washing the floors, cleaning the bathroom, all these domestic chores remind me of the need to take care, rather than neglect myself and my surroundings. They are simple yet provide a sense of satisfaction in a job well done and usually encourage me to keep focusing on recovery and outer circle behaviours and activities. So reading recovery material, working on exercises for my step study group, reaching out to a member or my sponsor, all these are more prevalent when the basic needs of living are made a priority. Getting back to the simplicity of life can ground me and help me to avoid spending too much time unproductively trying to simply fill my day.

Affirmation I need to take care of my basic needs as a building block to rebuilding a healthy routine and establishing a better sense of self.