Wish I was? - Now I am!

Every Saturday morning without fail, I swim a mile at my local pool. I swim fairly fast managing the mile in 35 minutes which is not bad for breaststroke, and for my age. As I counted the lengths in my head this morning (a sort of constant running total building up stroke by stroke – other lap swimmers will know what I mean) I also started planning what I would be achieving over the next few months, and with an impending house move there was much to plan, all of which is exciting. I find that swimming laps really helps to focus my thoughts.

I remembered afterwards how when I was still drinking I used to also swim on Saturday mornings (somewhat slower and often using a support float as one or other of my feet would be out of action); but instead of planning wonderful things I was going to do in my life, my thoughts would be on other less exciting things or creating a fictitious persona for myself as a means of escape. I used to wish I was younger and more healthy, and free of money worries. I used to wish I had been someone else such as a famous explorer or an astronaut, I used to wish I had done things differently in my life, and I would fanaticise in my head as I swam. What a shame I wasn’t happy being the person I was.

So not only does quitting drinking give you a wonderful sense of freedom, it makes you happy with who and what you are, and it allows you to plan for a wonderful future knowing some useless drinking habit isn’t going to get in the way and spoil it all for you.

So be happy, be free, be full of the future, and quit the drink forever!