Karen's Blog 26/07/2021

 Testing, Testing, Testing?                                23rd July 2021

Thursday:  Today I have challenged myself.  I have been invited to my brother Tom’s, for Sunday lunch along with some of our family.

I don’t want to turn up empty handed, and also want to make sure that there is something alcohol-free for me to drink.

So, I have bought a bottle of Raspberry Lemonade, a bottle of Appletiser and a bottle of Shiraz.

Not just any old bottle mind, but a bottle of my favourite Shiraz.

It’s sitting, quite happily, unopened in the kitchen.

I could have left it in the car with the alcohol-free drinks, but I wanted to test my resolve.

I have:-

Picked it up, felt the weight of the bottle in my hand, read the label, and salivated at the thought of the taste.

I have not:-

Opened it, smelt its fragrance, or drunk the contents.

Friday:  It’s still there.  I didn’t think about it at work today (mind you I was rushed off my feet!)  In fact, it never even crossed my mind until I went into the kitchen to cook dinner and there it was, silently watching.  And that’s where it stayed – untouched – I didn’t even need to move it out of the way to prepare dinner.  The feeling of it being there was different this evening – last night I was drawn to it, wanted to examine it, touch it.  I had no desire to do that tonight.

Saturday:  That bloody bottle did nothing but get in my way today.  If I moved it once I moved it a hundred times.  No matter where I placed it, it was in my way.  Trying to prepare dinner for visiting family AND make my contribution for tomorrow’s lunch at the same time whilst attempting not to knock it off the work surface onto the floor was nigh on impossible.  Now, the easiest thing to have done would have been to open it, drink it and put the bottle out for the bin men.  But you know what – the thought never even crossed my mind (well not until just now when I typed the sentence!!).  Instead, I shoved it out of the way behind the slow cooker then wrote myself a ‘reminder’ note, which I Selotaped to the back door just to make sure I don’t leave without it tomorrow.

Sunday:  Do Maserati’s come with indicators?  I assume not given what I witnessed on the A27 on my way to the New Forest for lunch today.

Tom, Mum, Doreen and the two Michelle’s had already discussed “the elephant in the room” and decided that a “dry” lunch was the order of the day as they didn’t want to lay temptation at my door.

How very sensitive and kind they are to think of me.

How very surprised they were when I turned up with a bottle of Shiraz!

As it turned out, Mum and Doreen drank tea, Tom, the two Michelle’s and I stuck with the Raspberry Lemonade (highly recommended!) and Appletiser.

I was quite happy to leave the bottle with Tom and Michelle who, I’m sure, will enjoy the Shiraz once they’ve cleared up and walked the dogs.

*

I don’t know that I could, should or would recommend this as a course of action, and I did have a back-up plan (hubby was to open the bottle, pour it down the sink, wash the sink out and get rid of the bottle).  However, what this deliberate act has done is to prove to myself that I can manage around alcohol when I am feeling strong.  

Karen Brown

26/07/2021