“Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” (Deepak Chopra)
Day 143 AF!!
Another successful week in recovery, a good week in general. I have several topics in my queue for this photography project, often mentioning at the end of each blog post which topic I am leaning toward in the next post. Again I am letting last week's intended idea simmer for a while, and addressing an interesting issue that arose in the past day. This relates to hearing and silencing the "addictive voice".
I am a member of the Japanese Gardens in Portland, OR, a place of calm and beauty. A sanctuary for contemplation and an always enjoyable photography location. I have been thinking of a visit soon, early morning with my camera and fewer visitors. This morning I received a promotional email from the Gardens, announcing fund-raising activities and promoting a special event. The event was labeled "In Praise of Time - Celebrating a Century of Japanese Whisky". (The text of the event is included below for reference, the misspelling of whiskey is theirs, not mine.)
I read through the details of the event, thinking, "No, probably not for me", and moved the email to my trash bin. Later in the day I thought of scheduling a visit to the gardens, specifically for photography, and damned if I recalled the "Whisky" celebration, a thought forming, my inner voice whispering, and I paraphrase, "Hey, that's a cultural event. It would be safe. The people there wouldn't be "alcoholics". You could go and not drink."
"NO", I thought in response to that line of thinking. I stopped the thought train immediately, knowing that the addictive voice would next be telling me, "Hey, maybe you could control it, maybe just one .... you're handling it." NO! Instead, I chose to recall my experiences of relapsing, lulled into complacency by that alcoholic siren call, and the pain and suffering that always resulted.
This was not an urge, I had no desire for alcohol, but I recognized that addictive voice from my past relapses. My success here was in being self-aware, practicing mindfulness, recognizing old thought habits, and staying true to my recovery. Perhaps the addictive voice will always be with me, hopefully never strident or painful or frequent, but a voice I must remain wary of.
Staying mindful and strong!
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“In Praise of Time” Celebrating a Century of Japanese Whisky
July 21, 2023 / 5:00 - 9:30 PM / Portland Japanese Garden
In reverence of nature and the craft of whisky, Portland Japanese Garden and Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library are partnering on a very special event. This experience of world-class gastronomic immersion will gather luminaries from the world of whisky – including House of Suntory’s Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo – to Portland.
This once-in-a-life-time gathering of some of the world’s most critically-acclaimed spirits & culinary experts features:
Shinji Fukuyo (Japan) – Chief Blender, Suntory Whisky
Dave Broom (UK) – Spirits Writer & Critique
Marybeth Boller (US) – Executive Chef & Culinary Experience Curator
Jim Meehan (US) – James Beard Award-winning mixologist
Evening Itinerary
Location: Portland Japanese Garden at 611 SW Kingston Ave. Portland, OR 97205
5:00 PM | Doors open
5:30-6:00 PM | Custom tour of Portland Japanese Garden
6:15-7:15 PM | Exclusive tasting program by Shinji Fukuyo, Chief Blender, Suntory Whisky
7:30 PM | Special culinary experience produced by chef Marybeth Boller, and curated mixology by Jim Meehan, esteemed writer and James Beard Award-winning mixologist.
8:30-9:00 PM | Fireside chat with Shinji Fukuyo and Dave Broom
9:30 PM | Evening concludes
https://helpmestop.org.uk/blog/2020/08/addictive-voice/