Day 243 (8 months)

8 months.

What I have realized after 8 full months of alcohol-freedom is that there is truth to the idea of enjoying the journey.

When I stopped drinking I kind of felt that there would be immediate, noticeable changes in my life.  There weren’t.  I was disappointed and kept looking for the immediate changes but what I realized was that in my quest to look for the immediate I was ignoring the subtle.

Does that make sense?

Everything in life is a process and when we decide to slow down and stop focusing on the destination, the journey, (i.e. the process) becomes that much more enjoyable.

All the changes that I was looking for:  clearer skin, better sleep, better focus, etc. have been achieved only now I realize that those changes simply opened the door to more changes.  

• Since my skin is clearer I don't feel the need to pile on the makeup, so I'm saving money.  
• Since I'm getting better sleep waking up at 4AM to work out is not a struggle, so I'm getting more exercise and enjoying it.  
• Since I'm more focused, I'm re-discovering things about myself that I thought were lost forever.  

The journey never stops.  Each milestone reached is a step to another milestone.  When you think about it, when you reach the final destination, it is the FINAL DESTINATION.  I’m in no hurry to get there.

I just want to keep moving, growing and learning.

243 days.