Vegas, Baby…Vegas

If there is a place on earth for which I hold more disdain than Las Vegas, I have yet to see it. In truth, Vegas was never my place even when I was a drinker. Sure, I had some wild times here, and even a few that might be considered fun, but on the whole it’s loud and obnoxious and the main point in Vegas is debauchery. And still, I come to Vegas at least twice a year for my job. Believe me, it’s not by choice. It’s hard to be a sober guy in Sin City.

I’m here for my company’s annual Sales Kick Off which is part hype machine, part celebration, part learning, and part marathon. I’m surrounded by people who are pushing the limits of their bodies with drugs, alcohol, and PowerPoint. I spent the past two nights hanging out with coworkers and genuinely had a good time with them but I’m pretty well done at this point. There’s only so much hanging around in a party atmosphere I can take these days.

We’ve got very full days here. The first session is at eight in the morning and we go until six at night, followed by dinner and a party. This is just part of the job when you’re in sales. And it could be miserable for a guy in recovery, but I don’t let that happen.

I knew I needed a plan to keep my sanity here, so I made the commitment to myself that I would leave the socializing events as soon as I felt it was time and I planned to find a few meals that weren’t provided by the company — all the meals are buffet style at these things, it’s the only way to feed several thousand people. I was especially encouraged after a friend on twitter told me about a few good spots in my hotel, including an Asian noodle spot. I’ve made a point of getting some good meals instead of the buffet and passed appetizers that are on offer at the social functions.

On the first night, I didn’t keep my commitment to myself and I stayed out with the boys longer than I should have. As the conversation got repetitive and the drinking got harder I hung out as if I were trying to prove something. This was a mistake. I found myself questioning why I was hanging out. When I found the idea of a drink starting to sound good I made my way to the room. I was pretty worn out the next day. Social Fatigue had set in and taken it’s toll. Last night, I was truer to myself and bailed early. I was in bed and asleep by 9:30. It was good. Let me tell you, dealing with an 8:00 start is much easier without a hangover.

Tonight, I skipped the social event and instead had a date with myself. I made it to the noodle place, and ate some really great soup. Then I went to see Jackson Browne play in the Venetian Theater. Man, what a show! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a dude in his seventies play his heart out. He played a number of his greatest songs. It was artful and beautify.

I was most certainly the youngest person in the audience, and I’m sure some of the septuagenarians were wondering what the hell I was doing there all by my self, but I felt right at home. It’s so good to be comfortable in my own skin. I never would have done this when I was drinking. The idea of going to a concert by myself would have been horrifying. But not these days. These days, it’s great. Several times during the show, I thought to myself that I was exactly where I was supposed to be tonight. I was taking in great music, stone cold sober, and enjoying myself. For once, I felt like I actually belonged in Vegas and that it might not be such an awful town.

Gratitude and Experience, 28 October 2016

Gratitude

  1. Today I’m grateful that I seem to have turned the corner on my head cold and I’m feeling better.
  2. I’m grateful that I made it to a meeting last night after a 2 week hiatus.  It was good to be back in the rooms and to feel the warmth of the fellowship.
  3. I’m grateful that the sun is shining and the temperatures are cool.  I particularly love autumn weather.

Positive Experience

Yesterday morning, on the way to school Mr. Grey asked, “Dad, have you ever considered moving to where my cousins live?”

“I don’t know buddy, perhaps.  Do you think we should move there?” I asked.

“Yes!”

“Live in the same house as them?”

“Yes!”

“Don’t you think that would be a few to many people in one house?”

“Well, maybe, but we could live in a house near them.”

It makes me smile that the little man loves his cousins so much.  It’s also a pleasure to take him to school in the mornings.  Some days there is a little conversation like this one and others it’s a quiet ride — it doesn’t matter which one I get on any given day, I just enjoy having a few minutes with him in the morning.

2016-10-27 Gratitude and Experience

I’m starting a new series, based on the guidance from this article on Inc. I also must give credit where credit is due, my good friend HD started this recently, and his post today, was the kick in the ass that I needed to get started.

Gratitude

  1. I’m grateful to be alive today. Every day sober is a gift.
  2. I’m grateful that I have a good job that gives me flexibility as well as a good pay check.
  3. I’m grateful to be making positive changes in my life.

Positive Experience

Yesterday afternoon, as I was laying down to go to take a much needed afternoon nap, Mrs. TKD texted me asking if I could pickup Mr. Grey from school. Of course, I could and I did, but I would have rather taken a nap. When we got home, I gave Mr. Grey about an hour to blow off steam and then we got to getting his homework done. It want better than expected and we finished by about 4:45. He then went out on his bike and played with his friend up the street.

Mrs. TKD had a few things on her agenda last night, and so Mr. Grey and I had a boys night. While it wasn’t anything grand, we had a great night together. I took him to Chick-Fil-A as requested and he got to hang with some other kids as well as get a chainsaw made of balloons. Interesting choice, but it made him happy. Earlier this week, as a consequence he was forbidden to watch TV or play with electronics. I was a bit worried about what we’d do when we got home, but I found a stack of his books on my bed and we laid on the bed and took turns reading 20 pages at a time to each other. It was wonderful.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMDZP9ZgQBN/