New Year's Resolution, Same As Last Year...

For all of my adult life, and some of my teen years as well, I've had a love/hate relationship with vodka and beer. More love than hate, really. Both daughters enjoy a drink as well. I'd say that I don't know where they get that from but, of course, I do. At age 32, Ruth seems to have learned to appreciate the benefits of moderation. Hannah and I do too, but that's more about frequency than quantity. When she or I start in, we're on a mission. So out of Hannah's concern that we may be out together on a perfectly pleasant walk somewhere and SPLAT! my liver could fall out onto the sidewalk, Hannah challenged me to a month of total sobriety. That was last January,2014. We both completed our 31 days successfully. I marveled at how well my workouts went in the gym each morning and how limber I felt during the day. Not being a rocket scientist, I couldn't figure out why at first. I told Hannah that I really didn't like myself when I was drinking nightly, but frankly, I don't like myself stone sober day after day either. I really need to be able to throw a string of firecrackers into the fire of life, at least once in a while. We agreed to do the same challenge this January. Tomorrow. (That sounds really soon...) The penalty for breaking the pact? A reset. We have to start the 30 days all over again if we have a drink. So we'll start in on the 31 day plan again at midnight. After the month is over? I'm heading down to South America to see Hannah in Medellin. We plan to celebrate our mutual sobriety... with lots of cold Colombian beer...