Day 86 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I got to help a friend celebrate their sobriety anniversary.
Serenity Prayer
The people I’ve met are incredible, and they come from all walks of life. I really appreciate it when I meet people like me – people in their 30s with 10+ years of sobriety. We’re in similar phases of life professionally and in terms of our recovery. I can relate to most people in regards to their program, but it’s special to have friends with who I share so many other similarities as well.
One of those friends celebrated a sobriety “birthday†today. She’s biologically younger than me, but in regards to the program, she’s “older†than me. I love it.
Day 85 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I learned about urban gardening!
Rosie enjoyed her first visit to Changing Hands
My condo has a good-size concrete patio. Since we moved in, I’ve wanted to do something with it besides brush Rosie on it. A few years ago, I was impressed and envious when my friend Thomas did all-edible landscaping around his house. Especially now that I’m eating less processed foods and more vegetables, I thought it would be fun (and hopefully relaxing) to plant a small garden.
Tonight Rosie and I got a basic education on desert gardening at a talk by Greg Peterson of The Urban Farm at Changing Hands in Tempe called “Jumpstart your Fall Garden.†Greg told us how to have healthy soil and the best types of sun exposure for growing things. One of his key lessons was “observe your surroundings.†Pay attention to what’s growing, where it grows, and what microclimates are in your garden area. My concrete patio gets western sun exposure which should be good for gardening from mid-September until early May.
One of the most encouraging things Greg said was, “I’ve killed more plants than you have.†Historically, I’ve been afraid to grow things because I have a track record of killing plants – including a cactus. My goal with my garden is to have the experience of tending plants and I hope I break even in regards to what I spend setting up my garden (and I’m doing it on a budget) and how much food I harvest from my plants.
Greg also told us about the free desert planting calendar on his website that tells you the best time to grow certain plants. Based on his calendar, I should plant broccoli, cucumber, green beans, garlic, and peas this winter and hold off on planting squash, peppers, and melons until the spring.
I hope to devote some time during the next few weeks to observing where the sun hits my patio, getting pots, soil, seeds, and plants and setting my garden. Greg also suggested that we name our urban gardens. I wonder what I’ll call mine.
Day 84 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I did my own thing today – whatever the spirit moved me to do.
Sorry I don’t have a photo from today’s protest. Evo & I did the Topless Protest in 2013. I felt really pretty that day too. (Photo by Sheila Dee, used with permission.)
Often my weekends are used to catch up on errands, chores, and rest. Many times, I feel like I’m doing the things I “have to do†rather than the things I “get to do.†Today felt like a “get to do†type of day, even though the activities were mostly similar to other weeks.
One of the things that made today special was the Topless Protest. This is an annual international event to bring awareness to the fact that men and women are treated on equally under the decency laws. This is true in Arizona – men can be legally topless in public but women are required to cover their areolas at all times (unless they’re breastfeeding). At the Topless Protest, men and women are often shirtless but cover their areolas to show that the law should be the same for all people. As a person who believes in gender equality, I believe the law should be changed so that there is one rule for all people.
I felt really pretty at this event. I wore green shorts and a pair of dark silver star-shaped pasties. I also wore contacts, make up, and put glitter in my hair. Meeting other people at the protest was fun, but the actual march was so delayed that I had to invoke the Law of Two Feet and bail.
So off I went with the rest of my day – running errands, doing laundry, writing blog posts, and doing some prep cooking for the week. Nothing was extraordinary, but because I was doing whatever I felt like doing in the moment, I felt happy.
