I am at a business meeting in South Beach (Miami). This is another place awash in alcohol. And I've been OK.
Walking down Ocean Drive last night was entertaining. There are a zillion restaurants and bars- all well inhabited with exuberant crowds. Lots of alcohol was flowing. Mr. and a friend and I ate at one of the quieter places, a seafood restaurant. Mister had his two glasses of red wine, and friend and I sipped club sodas with lime. (Friend is having a mostly non-drinking 2014 for ideological reasons, not "no off switch" problems like I have, but it was still companionable not to be the only person at our small table not-drinking).
When I first started this 100 day challenge, I asked Mister not to drink when we were in restaurants together, and he was kind enough to agree. A few weeks ago I told him I didn't need that support any more- and I don't.
Despite all the alcohol flowing here, there are two things (besides getting to spend some awesome down-time with Mister) that feed that always-hungry part of my soul- that I used to quiet with alcohol.
#1= Women in my field are a minority of practitioners. There are many I have known for 20+ years as well as some younger ones I've gotten to know more recently. I realize they are a kind of 'family' for me, although we are geographically far-flung around the US. I have decided to be more active in maintaining my contacts with them rather than just meeting up randomly at conferences. They are delightful, inspiring and living-life-fully people whom I really enjoy!
#2 = South Beach is a hotbed of Art Deco architecture- so much so that the variant here actually has its own name, Tropical Deco. And Art Deco is my Very Favorite style. This afternoon after meetings Mister and I plan a long long walk around the Art Deco neighborhoods, a Deco-Photo-Safari! Besides making glass beads, one of my other artistic outlets is making wonderful modern quilts- sort of a hybrid between what Grandma used to make and abstract modernism. I have always meant to try working in a series of quilts- so now I am going to do it. I will pick out half a dozen or so of my very favorite buildings, and design building-inspired quilts incorporating colors, motifs, etc, from each building in its corresponding quilt. And another hearty form of Soul Food for me.
This morning I am feeling "Who needs alcohol anyway?"-ish. It was harder last night when the host or hostess of each restaurant was accosting us with "Half Price Drinks!" "It's Happy Hour all night here!", and I was hungry. But I did it without alcohol, had a good time, and had an awesome night's sleep (which would not have happened after drinking alcohol).
Each night without alcohol makes me a little stronger at Saying No for the next.
Walking down Ocean Drive last night was entertaining. There are a zillion restaurants and bars- all well inhabited with exuberant crowds. Lots of alcohol was flowing. Mr. and a friend and I ate at one of the quieter places, a seafood restaurant. Mister had his two glasses of red wine, and friend and I sipped club sodas with lime. (Friend is having a mostly non-drinking 2014 for ideological reasons, not "no off switch" problems like I have, but it was still companionable not to be the only person at our small table not-drinking).
When I first started this 100 day challenge, I asked Mister not to drink when we were in restaurants together, and he was kind enough to agree. A few weeks ago I told him I didn't need that support any more- and I don't.
Despite all the alcohol flowing here, there are two things (besides getting to spend some awesome down-time with Mister) that feed that always-hungry part of my soul- that I used to quiet with alcohol.
#1= Women in my field are a minority of practitioners. There are many I have known for 20+ years as well as some younger ones I've gotten to know more recently. I realize they are a kind of 'family' for me, although we are geographically far-flung around the US. I have decided to be more active in maintaining my contacts with them rather than just meeting up randomly at conferences. They are delightful, inspiring and living-life-fully people whom I really enjoy!
#2 = South Beach is a hotbed of Art Deco architecture- so much so that the variant here actually has its own name, Tropical Deco. And Art Deco is my Very Favorite style. This afternoon after meetings Mister and I plan a long long walk around the Art Deco neighborhoods, a Deco-Photo-Safari! Besides making glass beads, one of my other artistic outlets is making wonderful modern quilts- sort of a hybrid between what Grandma used to make and abstract modernism. I have always meant to try working in a series of quilts- so now I am going to do it. I will pick out half a dozen or so of my very favorite buildings, and design building-inspired quilts incorporating colors, motifs, etc, from each building in its corresponding quilt. And another hearty form of Soul Food for me.
This morning I am feeling "Who needs alcohol anyway?"-ish. It was harder last night when the host or hostess of each restaurant was accosting us with "Half Price Drinks!" "It's Happy Hour all night here!", and I was hungry. But I did it without alcohol, had a good time, and had an awesome night's sleep (which would not have happened after drinking alcohol).
Each night without alcohol makes me a little stronger at Saying No for the next.
What I'd give for some South Beach sun ;) x
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