Good Morning and May Your 2017 Be the Best It Can Be

Hello to all -

As I have gotten older and life continues to "happen", it is hard for me to just cheerily say "Happy New Year!" to folks. This is especially valid because I try to get to know those around me pretty well so I don't fall into the trap of making basic assumptions about them that may or may not be true. This is actually one of my biggest faults - I tend to assume things about folks based on their behavior without giving full thought to the range of reasons for behavior. An easy example of this is assuming that someone is a snob when really they are just shy. You get the picture.

So many of those around me and who I have associated with deal with addicts in their lives every day. Or other things - like money troubles, loss of a job, loss of a loved one, worry about kiddos in school etc. So, with this in mind (knowing that having a "happy new year" may just not be possible for some folks), I wish that you all can make 2017 the best year that it can be for you. For some, you will simply not be able to make things that great due to circumstances you cannot control (remember, you cannot control the alcoholic or addict in your life; you can only control your reaction towards them) but for others, maybe this year you can makes things a bit better for yourself. I certainly hope so.

I periodically look up Sandy James who wrote a very short-lived but well-done blog, "Taking Back Me", about the dilemmas of what the heck to do with an alcoholic spouse. Her thoughts and reactions closely mirrored mine and I found the writings useful and affirming. Then she suddenly disappeared. Which actually worried me - did she die, get injured or ill, get beat up and/or threatened by her husband? It seems I will never know. But, I did find some useful older essays by her on some sites that you may wish to explore:

http://www.myaddiction.com/blogs/s/why-the-alcoholic-husband-doesnt-hate-his-wife

https://recoveryexperts.com/rebuzz/journals/wifes-perspective

Peace and blessings to all.

"What fresh hell is this?" --Dorothy Parker