Daniel G's Journal

[DanielG]

Another sick day. It was markedly better than yesterday, though, symptom-wise.

I did my morning routine without the coffee, and then went for a walk. I ended up having a two cups of coffee during the day, though. I'm not sure I'll keep up with the whim of no coffee. Cutting back does seem like a good idea, though. I did a bunch of cardio today, an 'exercise' bike ride through the river valley and then commuting to my cousin's place and back. I opted to skip my strength training since I was still feeling sick. Also, I got an email from a place and scheduled an interview for tomorrow at noon. To keep up the streak, I applied to a couple jobs as well. The bulk of the latter half of today was spent socializing with some of my friends who were also sick already with the same thing, I believe. I suspect I'm the one who spread it to them :(. My mom's boyfriend got sick today too.

I messed with my friends a bit today and we had a good laugh around it. Good-natured teasing kind of thing.

It's late and I can't think of much else to write. Good night 😄

One Thing That Went Well Today:

I have an interview for tomorrow 😊

Gratitude:

I am grateful for all the different fitness tracking apps. It's cool that people came up with these interesting ways of plotting data.
I am grateful for people's recommendations for things. It's a neat way to learn about new stuff and connect with people.
I am grateful for anime. It's one of my preferred mediums for enjoying stories.

2 Hours of Productivity:
Yes!

[DanielG]

This morning was fairly relaxed. I wasn't overly concerned about the job interview, and I did my usual routine. I also went on a bike ride through the river valley on the e-bike. There weren't too many people out this morning so it was a nice, quiet ride for the most part.

The interview itself went well. She didn't ask me many questions and essentially offered me the job on the spot, which was great. The job is at a hotel in St. Albert, a smaller municipality(?) just to the North-West of Edmonton. It's roughly a 45-50 minute commute by bus/bike, or 15 minutes by car. She gave me a quick tour of the kitchen and laid out some of what to expect working there. I accepted the position and I start on Monday!

When I got back from the interview, I laid down in bed and passed out for a while. I was pretty zonked; I think this sickness is still doing a number on me. My mom woke me up to take me shopping for work clothes and shoes. We found some without too much difficulty. The pair of shoes I wanted originally didn't have the two of the right sized shoe for me. As in, the box with my size had mismatched shoes, and we couldn't find the missing one that would fit me. It was okay though, they had another shoe that can serve just as well, it just has laces instead of being a slip-on.

When we got back, we went out to celebrate at a neighbourhood parking lot that serves as a food spot. There were two food trucks, a food shack, and the Pink Shack, which serves ice cream. We decided to try out all three of the hot food spots; I ordered a Vietnamese sub, my mom ordered some sushi, and my mom's boyfriend ordered some fish and chips. They were all delicious! We opted for ice cream at home.

After we ate, we ran into our friendly neighbour from down the street, Milly. She was having a bad day, but she was still quite pleasant to hang out with and talk to. I didn't get too close and opted to not visit in her house, since I was still feeling a teeny bit sick and didn't want to risk getting her sick. I still opted to go for my workout at the gym, though. There were like 3-4 other people who were coughing more than I was, so I didn't feel too bad. I think there's something going around the city maybe. The workout itself was good, I'm still using the Copilot app while I have the free trial. I walked back from the gym, and now I'm writing this out.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

I got a job today!😊

Gratitude:

I am grateful for ice cold water. It returns again! It's still awesome after a long day.
I am grateful for my body. When I treat it well, it works well!
I am grateful for this new opportunity with work. I am glad they hired me.

2 Hours of Productivity:
Sort of. Shopping for work stuff + interview.

[wheatbiscuit]

4 hours ago, DanielG said:

The interview itself went well. She didn't ask me many questions and essentially offered me the job on the spot, which was great. The job is at a hotel in St. Albert, a smaller municipality(?) just to the North-West of Edmonton. It's roughly a 45-50 minute commute by bus/bike, or 15 minutes by car. She gave me a quick tour of the kitchen and laid out some of what to expect working there. I accepted the position and I start on Monday!

Hey, way to go! A hotel kitchen - hopefully there's some regular contact with people who work elsewhere or stay in the hotel, or has at least a small view. 👌

[DanielG]

Late night journal 🌙

Lots of walking/biking today. And lots of socializing. Soccer tomorrow! And time for bed for me. I might come back and edit this a bit.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

Socializing was fun!

Gratitude:

I am grateful for opportunities to be of service.
I am grateful for the people in my life who make me feel uplifted when we have interactions.
I am grateful for cycling. It's a fun activity. I enjoy the sense of speed you get while still being able to appreciate your surroundings.

2 Hours of Productivity:
Picked up my work pants

Edited July 10, 2023 by DanielG
Finished up the gratitudes + what went well

[DanielG]

On 7/8/2023 at 2:26 AM, wheatbiscuit said:

Hey, way to go! A hotel kitchen - hopefully there's some regular contact with people who work elsewhere or stay in the hotel, or has at least a small view. 👌

From the sounds of it, the job will be highly collaborative with other departments; if I'm not busy in the kitchen, I'll be helping maintenance or something like that. I'm optimistic, all the people seemed pretty nice when they gave me a quick tour of the kitchen.

[DanielG]

A good day today 😄

I went about my regular morning routine to prepare myself for the day ahead when I woke up. I chatted a bunch with someone I met on the Healthy Gamer Discord about spirituality. He seemed resistant to considering the belief in something greater than himself. Just, subtle stuff, like his mind was closing on the idea of it. It's not like I was expecting him to suddenly adopt spirituality, nor was I trying to convince him he should, but it was still interesting to see the inconsistency between his professed open-mindedness and how he was actually reacting to someone sharing their experience with spirituality.

After that, I had my homegroup meeting. I opted to attend virtually today. I liked the meeting, lots of messages I could relate to. Not long after my friend picked me up for soccer.

Soccer was quite fun. I also got hit in the face with the ball, which broke my glasses. I played a little bit after that happened, but opted to sit out when the patchjob my friend did to fix them came apart. One of the players also got super angry and nearly fought some people after he was tackled from behind. He got kicked out.

When we finished soccer, we went to my friend's place for nachos. His wife made them; they were really delicious! Homemade pico de gallo, guac, and queso dip too!

I got a ride back home and now I'm writing this out. I'm feeling pretty tired, soccer kind of wiped me out, plus I'm cutting back on coffee.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

Soccer was fun!

Gratitude:

I am grateful for my homegroup. It's a solid group of folks.
I am grateful for soccer group. Aside from the one guy, they were all really positive and fun to play with.
I am grateful for the hospitality my friend and his wife showed me today. It was nice sharing a meal with them 😊

2 Hours of Productivity:
Not today.

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by DanielG
Added pics of nachos!

[wheatbiscuit]

17 hours ago, DanielG said:

it was still interesting to see the inconsistency between his professed open-mindedness and how he was actually reacting to someone sharing their experience with spirituality.

Maybe that's the old 'the harder you try, the more it eludes' deal! Was he still gaming? IMO people are usually able to 'warm up' to just about anything in a bit of time, so maybe his brain was anxious to get back to something else online and couldn't commit to that. 😛 

Sorry - unlucky with your glasses. I also could have crushed mine after them falling off my face deadlifting yesterday (spooky)!

Edited July 10, 2023 by wheatbiscuit

[DanielG]

56 minutes ago, wheatbiscuit said:

Maybe that's the old 'the harder you try, the more it eludes' deal! Was he still gaming? IMO people are usually able to 'warm up' to just about anything in a bit of time, so maybe his brain was anxious to get back to something else online and couldn't commit to that. 😛 

Sorry - unlucky with your glasses. I also could have crushed mine after them falling off my face deadlifting yesterday (spooky)!

Maybe? I'm not sure. It was interesting; he said the topic had come up a lot recently for him, with a bunch of different people.

And yeah, they're still functional thanks to a more rugged patchjob we did with glue when we went back to my buddy's place. I think I'm still going to get a new pair, update the prescription at the same time.

[Shonnasen The Light]

On 5/16/2023 at 2:06 PM, DanielG said:

I already wrote a lot for the introductory post, so I might keep this a bit shorter. I had a reflective walk after meeting with Cam tonight, and I think I'm addicted to video games. All the signs point to it, I'm just reluctant to let it go, I guess. I'm hopeful that things will turn out.

Gratitude:

I am grateful for my mom, who continues to be supportive and patient.

I am grateful for computers, that let me spill my brain vomit into some sort of cohesive thing that helps me express and formulate my thoughts.

I am grateful for delicious food.

Hi, friend. 

I am grateful for tasty food, too. And of course, I am grateful for my Mother, as well ^_^

What's "spill my brain vomit ..." ? You do some creative stuff on your computer ?    

[DanielG]

26 minutes ago, Shonnasen The Light said:

What's "spill my brain vomit ..." ? You do some creative stuff on your computer ?

Just a self-deprecating way of saying "writing out my thoughts". 😛

[DanielG]

Speaking of writing out my thoughts, I figure I'll write the journal entry early today.

It was my first day at my new job! I caught a ride with my mom early in the morning, and met my immediate supervisor/kitchen manager, Bobby. My first impressions are that she's a really chill lady who is good at her job, which should be good! Everyone was quite friendly and welcoming, which was also reassuring. The work itself was fairly typical. I was a bit nervous going in, and I'm definitely rusty, but I held my own for the most part. I didn't break any egg yolks which was nice, I was a bit worried about that. It felt pretty comfortable and familiar working in a kitchen again.

After my shift, I bought some bus tickets and caught another ride home. I went on a bike ride through the river valley to exercise/chill. It was quite peaceful as there were not too many people about. I also put my laundry through the wash, went on a short walk, and emailed the personal trainer from before to see about starting up some sessions. I made myself a nice salad for dinner too.

I had a bit of anxiety on my walk, which hasn't happened in a while. Just worrying about keeping the job, if I'll screw up this quitting games thing, stuff like that. I somehow remembered to say a quick prayer and the anxiety subsided, replaced with a more grounded awareness of my surroundings.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

The first day of work was a success!

Gratitude:

I am grateful for sharp knives. You definitely miss them when you use a dull one 😅
I am grateful for the people at my new job. Everyone was warm and welcoming, which helped me settle in today.
I am grateful for where I'm at. Things have definitely improved a lot.

2 Hours of Productivity:
Yes!

[DanielG]

Day two of job, and 60 days of no games!

I managed to get most of my morning routine in. I read my readings, prayed, had a coffee, showered, and brushed my teeth. No walk though, but I think that would be a bit ambitious given how early I start. I got another ride today from my mom. She said she's willing to give me rides for these early shifts whenever she's free, and that she feels rested when she goes back to sleep for a bit when she gets back home. Not a big deal.

Other than a brief hectic period where 4 people were watching me intently as I cooked, which felt vulnerable and scary, I had another good day at work. I forgot to put green onions in the hashbrowns, and when I did I put the onions on it was too many of them, right when the manager of the entire hotel was watching 😅. He chastised me for it, which felt bad. The lady who was training me said I did well, though. I just need a bit of time to get up to the speed they want; they're pretty happy with the quality of food I'm putting out. I took the bus back home, which conveniently came around the time I got off work.

When I got home, I changed out of my work clothes and set out for the gym. On the way, I ran into my neighbour from down the road Milly and her dog, Molly. As always, we had a pleasant conversation. We said goodbye and I made my way to the gym. The workout itself was pretty good. I opted to skip some of the leg stuff since I was planning on a length bike ride after, and have work tomorrow. I had brief friendly conversations with some of the staff before I left.

Back home again, for a bit anyway. I hung out with some friends on Discord for a bit before getting a phone call from my dad. He's going to be buying my gaming rig as his home desktop for internet browsing and other productivity stuff. Well, it's going to be put toward a "down payment" for a vehicle he would be selling to me. Since the parts are pretty new, I suggested half their retail value as a reasonable amount to be put toward the truck. He did the dad thing and said he'd value them at 3/4 of their retail price instead. He said whenever I'm ready and have time we can get the ball rolling on both selling the truck to me and giving him the computer/setting it up.

After the phone call, and saying goodbye to my friends, I hopped on the e-bike and went on an hour-long ride through the river valley. It was much busier today since I went at like, peak hours for a weekday. Still, it was a good ride. When I got back, I made myself a salad with some chicken and ate it as I'm writing this out.

Part of me wants to add more reflective stuff, since it's an early milestone for quitting games. I wrote a little message on the #success-stories channel on the Discord. This time I won't erase it after 10 minutes, lol. I always have a hard time celebrating things going well in my life. I think it stems from a fear of becoming egotistical, and probably past experiences sharing good news with people being met with indifference. I was also leery of making a message or sharing the milestone so that I wouldn't 'jinx it', or get complacent. Part of it is self-worth, too. It's definitely improved from where I came from, but I can still go to a place where I feel unworthy of love, attention, affection etc.

I want to stay vigilant that I don't latch onto something else as a way of coping with things. As someone who has been addicted to two different things now, I fervently believe that, if I'm not careful, I can get addicted to all sorts of shit. When I first sobered up, I didn't have access to video games and things went really well. I wasn't as mature, and much more intensive work in regards to my mental health and sobriety was being done then as opposed to now, but it felt more or less similar to how things are going at present. Things kind of got derailed a few times when I got access to video games. I wasn't ready to commit to giving them up then. Today I am 😄.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

60 days no games!

Gratitude:

I am grateful for my progress in weight loss. It's gratifying to watch the number go down.
I am grateful for my bed. It's a comfortable place to sleep.
I am grateful for my growing ability to process emotions. Today I had an experience with stress, vulnerability, and fear, and I didn't die 😆

2 Hours of Productivity:
Yes!

[wheatbiscuit]

1 hour ago, DanielG said:

Part of me wants to add more reflective stuff, since it's an early milestone for quitting games. I wrote a little message on the #success-stories channel on the Discord. This time I won't erase it after 10 minutes, lol. I always have a hard time celebrating things going well in my life. I think it stems from a fear of becoming egotistical, and probably past experiences sharing good news with people being met with indifference. I was also leery of making a message or sharing the milestone so that I wouldn't 'jinx it', or get complacent. Part of it is self-worth, too. It's definitely improved from where I came from, but I can still go to a place where I feel unworthy of love, attention, affection etc.

Gratitude:

Today I had an experience with stress, vulnerability, and fear, and I didn't die 😆

- My 2008 goals of 'maxing' an RPG character ran alongside a lot of tough conversations online, and very emotional music. I knew it cost me a lot to do it, so I didn't hesitate to celebrate. All the while though, I 'knew' that character would 'never be good enough' unless the entire game was complete. I actually might have avoided spending the second half of 2008 gaming obsessively (and then even maybe the next ones to come!) if the online friend I'd made during my first partial 'max-out' didn't tell me to 'keep going, noob.' Talk about feelings of unworthiness - I even beat him to it. It's not the player, it's the game, man (to repeat what I've read :X).

- And yet, doing so much mentally boundary-pushing gaming helped me at least through so much stressful, vulnerable and scary situations. It's just a shame that facing them properly/wholly only seems to use about half of that insulation. 

As matey as I can mean it, it was only day #2 working in a new place. 👌

Edited July 12, 2023 by wheatbiscuit

[DanielG]

I'm going to keep this short to get to bed early.

Work was good, settling in more each day. No real big ups or downs, just some flurries of bills that I got help with. I went out to a breakfast place for fun after work, the food was pretty tasty. After that, I went on a long bike ride through the river valley. When I got back home, I folded my laundry and chilled before my appointment with Cam. That also went well, came up with a few things to work on moving forward: getting my license back, figuring out the red seal stuff, and signing up for Salsa dancing lessons.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

I remembered a phone number completely (short term memory is coming back, it's been bad for a while)

Gratitude:

I am grateful for cottage cheese. Low calorie, high protein, and delicious. I think I already had this once, but it's still good.
I am grateful for the kindness my co-workers have shown me. It's been nice having encouraging people at work.
I am grateful for suggestions. I'm a typical alcoholic: tell me what to do, I'll probably resist it. Less so these days though, I think. Regardless, I appreciate when things are put forward as suggestions instead of orders.

2 Hours of Productivity:
Yes!

[DanielG]

Work's coming along nicely. I had a good workout today. I made a nice kale salad with some fresh kale from the market to help with dinner. The first Salsa dancing lesson was a success. All in all, a good day. I am tired, so time for bed lol

One Thing That Went Well Today:

Salsa dancing was fun!

Gratitude:

I am grateful for water. Always.
I am grateful for positive people. It's pretty awesome when you vibe with them.
I am grateful for the healthy habits that I'm developing. I find it gratifying to engage in things that are good for me these days.

2 Hours of Productivity:
Yes!

[wheatbiscuit]

5 hours ago, DanielG said:

Work's coming along nicely. I had a good workout today. I made a nice kale salad with some fresh kale from the market to help with dinner. The first Salsa dancing lesson was a success. All in all, a good day. I am tired, so time for bed lol

Kale! I gotta remember to buy some to snack on sometimes. This is a happy sounding day; hoping you get more of them!

[DanielG]

Work today was good. It was a bit busy in the early part of the morning, luckily the cook training me was around to help me out. I was fasting for some blood work I wanted to get done today, so it was a bit of a struggle without caffeine. After work, I had a nap. Then, I went to get the blood work done and had a coffee with my mom. The rest of the day I spent hanging out at my friend's place. We cooked dinner together! Pork chops done in a cast iron skillet, with a nice dry rub and basted in butter. We had caramelized onions and apples to accompany the meat. For sides, we had some coleslaw, corn on the cob, and garlic bread another one of our friends made. It turned out pretty good! We watched anime after dinner.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

Dinner turned out good 😊

Gratitude:

I am grateful for the people willing to help me out. It feels nice when someone has your back.
I am grateful for empathy. It helps a lot when people consider where other people are coming from.
I am grateful for anime nights with my friends. It's a relaxing and chill way of hanging out with people.

2 Hours of Productivity:
Yes!

[DanielG]

Saturday + Sunday were alright. I didn't do much Saturday, Sunday I attended the morning men's meeting on Zoom, my homegroup at 12:30, and went for a couple bike rides. I also made an appointment to tune up the e-bike. Monday I had a good day at work, went to the gym, and went to the eye doctor to update my prescription. I ordered a new pair of glasses and some trial contact lenses as well. I haven't made too much time for these journals, I'm writing this one out before getting ready for work today. Mostly just tired by the time I usually write them.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

Work was alright.

Gratitude:

I am grateful for the good spatula at work. It makes flipping eggs easier.
I am grateful for moments of relaxation. It's nice to recharge.
I am grateful for the patience of my co-workers. A lot of them are encouraging and reassuring.

2 Hours of Productivity:
On Monday, yeah.

[DanielG]

The trend continues, lol. I'm writing yesterday's journal before work in the morning.

Tuesday was alright. Work went okay. After work, I went to the dentist to get a filling done, got my bike wheel fixed, and popped over to Costco with my mom. After that, I went to bed real early. I can't eat until 3:30pm today or I'll wreck the filling 😅

I'm finding it odd that I have energy to do most things during the day, but the quiet reflective time, like this journal, seems to be falling to the wayside. Maybe today I'll make a more concerted effort to take some time aside to meditate/journal. I think it's important to spend the time with myself.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

The bike wheel is trued to perfection 😄

Gratitude:

I am grateful for inspiring music.
I am grateful for beautiful language.
I am grateful for the serenity I have around my life.

2 Hours of Productivity:
Yep.

[DanielG]

Yesterday's journal, today! It's likely the new standard going forward.

Wednesday was also alright. Work went okay, the kitchen got compliments on the steaks we cooked which felt nice. The person training me a rundown of how I'm going to be closing/opening the kitchen later on, so hopefully I remember that. I still had to wait for the filling to set, so I didn't eat anything at work. The timing for the bus wasn't nearly as nice as when my shift is half an hour earlier, but that's fine. The bus ride itself was fairly uneventful.

After work, I packed up my gym clothes and a book (in case the mood struck me) and walked to Iconoclast, the coffee shop, for the first time in a while. I had an iced Americano since it was decently hot. It still is really good coffee! I just people watched for the most part. After my coffee, I walked over to the gym. It was later in the day than I normally go, and it was quite busy. Still, since I'm mostly using machines and dumbbells, I had no issue waiting for equipment. Workout complete, I walked towards the grocery store, stopping through the nice public church grounds on the way.

I picked up a couple pork chops and some cottage cheese. I used to work at the store, and I think one of the employees recognized me when I went to check out and averted his gaze lol. It didn't bother me, I just found it amusing. Groceries packed away, I headed towards home. On a whim, I decided to buy some deep fried pickles to go from a local eatery. They didn't last the trip home, since I didn't want them to get soggy. They were really good!

When I got home, I seasoned the pork chops and fried them up. I saved one of them for later. I also had some salad with cottage cheese. It was pretty good.

I bought a bike tire on Tuesday for my pedal bike, intended to replace my 9 year old tire I had on it. I decided that I would put that on and take the bike out for a test run. It worked great! The bike ran pretty smooth. I still need to bring it in to the bike shop for a tune-up. The wheels probably need to be trued, and the rear brake cable is frayed to the point where it probably needs to be tightened or replaced.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

The bike tire fit!

Gratitude:

I am grateful for bike tire irons. They make putting on a bike tire WAY easier.
I am grateful for the consistency I've had with my fitness/weight loss journey. I am glad the occasional setback does not hearten me to the point of quitting.
I am grateful for coffee. Boy howdy I've needed it these past two weeks.

2 Hours of Productivity:
Yep.

[DanielG]

Thursday's journal on Friday morning.

Work went alright. It was busier than last week on Thursday. I was feeling a bit off, maybe from being tired. I burned my hand a bit, not too bad thankfully. When a bunch of bills come in at the same time I still find it overwhelming, but I feel like I'm steadily progressing. I had a BLT and fries for lunch, which tasted decent enough.

After getting a ride back from work, I biked over to my cousin's place. I had fun playing with the kids on the trampoline. I also made a salad, similar to the one I made last week, except this time I made the crispy tortilla strips I wanted to. My cousin made her lasagna, which was amazing as always. I didn't have much time to stick around, since I had salsa dancing lessons, so I basically wolfed down the food and took off.

Salsa dancing went okay. By the end of the day, my brain was frazzled, so things weren't sticking/I was having trouble following along, which was okay. I had already been off since the morning, so it made sense that I would have some trouble. I still enjoyed myself, and did my best to participate in class. One girl I danced with insisted on basically leading instead of following, off-timing, which was kind of hilarious to me. At least, it seemed really off-beat and off-timing. Ah well! Maybe I was just tired. End of the day, I had fun.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

The salad turned out pretty good!

Gratitude:

I am grateful for where I'm at in life. Even though the transition to working has been tiring, I think it's cool that it's happening.
I am grateful for my compassion towards myself when I make mistakes. It's not always there, but when I practice being gentle with myself, it feels good.
I am grateful for my bike. It's a fun way to exercise and get around.

2 Hours of Productivity:
Yep.

[DanielG]

Friday's journal on Saturday morning.

Work went alright. Since it was slow, they let me go home early. I had a coffee at Starbucks while I was waiting for the bus. One of the baristas messed up an order, so they offered me a free drink, which I accepted. It was a tasty juice-like thing.

When I got home, I helped my mom move some clay. It was definitely easier than I thought it would be, I think the strength training is starting to yield some results. When I finished helping my mom, I hopped on my bike and headed over to my cousin's again. I made a stop at the bike shop to set up an appointment to get my bike tuned up.

This time, we had takeout at my cousin's place. YEG Burger, pretty delicious hamburgers. I had two Go2 burgers and shared some fries. I also brought over some inari sushi that my mom had made (a traditional sushi of vinegared rice tucked inside sweet and salty deep-fried tofu pockets). Once the kids were in bed, we watched a bunch of anime. Pretty chill night.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

Work went well.

Gratitude:

I am grateful for waking up in the mornings. There's something gratifying about waking up when the sun's coming up.
I am grateful for the opportunity to help my mom today. It was something she definitely wouldn't have been able to do on her own.
I am grateful for the self-awareness I have. There were a few moments during the day where I caught myself in some negative thought patterns, and I adjusted accordingly when I noticed them.

2 Hours of Productivity:
Yep.

[DanielG]

Saturday's journal on Sunday morning.

The day off was nice. I went on two bike rides (50km total distance 😄 ), had a low-intensity gym session, had coffee and a roast beef sandwich (so good!) at Iconoclast, and helped my mom pick up some pea gravel. I also spent some time hanging out with people on Discord, and updated my resume a bit/double-checked I had all my documents backed up for when I sell my computer. All in all, decent day.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

I was cognisant of the bouldering I'm doing today and took it easy during my workout.

Gratitude:

I am grateful for cool breezes. They feel refreshing.
I am grateful for pepper. It's a nice tasting addition to most every dish.
I am grateful for God's grace. The opportunities and gifts I have been given are pretty cool.

2 Hours of Productivity:
Not 2 hours, no.

[DanielG]

Sunday's journal on Monday morning.

Another good day. I attended the morning men's meeting via Zoom. It consists of a bunch of men I met back when I sobered up in BC 7 years ago. The overall vibes were extremely positive, a lot of gratitude and men doing well. It was inspiring for sure. After the meeting, I went on a walk and hit the farmer's market, picking up some hummus and a couple pastries. I also attended my homegroup meeting at half past noon. It too was a good meeting. I wore more form-fitting clothes since I was going out after the meeting, and one of the members mentioned that I "looked like a whole new man." My neighbour also commented on my weight loss yesterday. It's not the sole source of motivation, but it is encouraging and gratifying to have people notice the results of the work I've put in.

After my meeting, my friend picked me up to go bouldering (rock climbing). It wasn't my first time going; I tried it out a few years back. I enjoyed it then, and enjoyed it this time around too. Definitely hard on the arms, even though I tried to use my legs more to push myself up. The place had pre-made routes, colour-coded for difficulty levels. I managed to do some of the second-level ones, though my arms got tired quickly.

When we finished bouldering, we headed over to a restaurant, Calle Mexico, to eat. My friend had been hyping up this place for a while now, and it definitely delivered! I had horchata (a sweet rice drink), tortilla soup, and some beef Barbacoa tacos. We also had some guac, salsa, and chips to share. To top it all off, we ordered some churros, and I also shared the pastries I had picked up from the farmer's market. Definitely turned into a 'cheat' day lol.

We headed to my buddy's place after the meal to chill before the movie we were planning to see. We played some badminton and hung out while the food digested. After a couple of hours or so, we headed to West Edmonton Mall to see the film: Oppenheimer! I enjoyed it a lot. Since the day had turned into a cheat day anyway, I opted to get a drink and popcorn to treat myself 😄 . I got home fairly late and went to bed after putzing around a bit to unwind after the day of socializing.

One Thing That Went Well Today:

I did better than I thought I would bouldering!

Gratitude:

I am grateful for Ian McKellan. He seems like a genuinely fun human.
I am grateful for delicious food. When everything hits right, it's a delightful experience.
I am grateful for the warmth of the sun on my face. One of those feelings that reminds me that I'm alive.

2 Hours of Productivity:
No.

[DanielG]

Yesterday was pretty active. I went on a few longer bike rides and a long walk. I took the opportunity to get my bike fixed a day early. My mom and I made some spaghetti and Caesar salad for dinner that turned out pretty good. Her boyfriend went on a grocery trip to get some missing ingredients, so it was a team effort 😄 .

One Thing That Went Well Today:

Spaghetti turned out delicious.

Gratitude:

I am grateful for the grounding quality of my breath. It's a good thing to focus on to get me out of my head.
I am grateful for the rooms of AA. Without them, I would not have my sobriety.
I am grateful for the acceptance I have around not being in charge of everything. It's a lot easier to deal with life when you're not trying to control everything and everyone.

2 Hours of Productivity:

No.