Would I do it again?

Wow! I looked at my calendar and we’re almost done with January! I’ve been very busy working on the sequel to Immortal Alcoholic’s Wife and my new book, “Huh?” ABCs of Understanding Women, that I have been amiss at keeping up with the blog posting. I do apologize for that.

I’ve also been plotting out my book tour and adding all the new locations onto the map. I have a nifty little program that plans the best route for hitting all my stops in an organized manner. It’s the coolest thing. So far, it has me going to Florida then coming back to Virginia for a break and then going north as far as Maine. I can’t wait for that fresh lobster.

I’m going to be including some mini-seminars along the way. There will be free admission with the purchase of two books. More details and a calendar will be posted when the plans are finalized.

Topics for the mini-seminars are going to be what is suggested by you, my readers. If you have a topic you would like covered, please post it in the comments. Also make sure you add your nearest city and state and I will plan that topic for your area.

It has only been four months since Riley’s passing and I have visited friends and family as well as going to the gym and library. The freedom I’m experiencing has been wonderful. There is life after caregiving an alcoholic.

There are a million reasons for people to stay with an alcoholic and just as many for leaving. But now that I’m not under the day to day stresses of taking care of Riley, I can say without hesitation, having my freedom is very nice. If I had it to do over, I would probably have done the very same thing. Remember that it wasn’t for Riley that I took him back, but rather for my daughter.

Riley was fortunate that he had a place to go and a person to take care of him. Most alcoholics have driven away most people who once cared about them. Although Riley had a large social circle, he did not have friends who were willing to deal with the complications of end-stage alcoholism.

I have been invited to participate in a program on “unconditional love.” While I can see no possible way to give unconditional love to an alcoholic, I believe we can give that to ourselves. In doing so, we can forgive ourselves for whatever is haunting us, and begin to live a life of hope instead of despair. Watch for details, here on this blog about this up-coming program.

A new book came on the market today thru Amazon.com. It’s my latest creation which was inspired by the man in my life, Sam. One day, after explaining my point of view, he wrinkled up his eyebrows and say “Huh?” I responded with something about him not understanding woman in the least. His response was “Write me a book.” Never tell a writer to write a book unless you’re serious. I wrote a book. “Huh?” ABCs of Understanding Women is a simple read with an alphabetical listing of words defining explanations of what women mean.

There is an explanation of what it means when she says she wants an “honest” man. There’s a reason why she never has anything to wear when her closet is packed. Definitions of an open relationship and monogamy are included. There’s also a handy little guide to gift giving and the five days of the year that always required a gift.

The book was written purely as an entertainment piece and not to be construed as dyed-in-the-wool exact explanations. Although, I believe, there is some good advice between those pages. It’s really only a book of common-sense. But, hey, I’m a woman… so the explanations might be a bit slanted.

Let me be clear, Sam has not read the book and is hesitant to do so. I believe he thinks the book is filled with “man-bashing”, but that is not the case. In fact, I believe women will be more offended by the book than men. So, if you do read the book, please send me a comment so I can pass it on to Sam. Since I wrote the book for him, or at least was inspired by him, maybe he will change his mind and read it after all.

Just a reminder for all of you who need help with your taxes. Gina Mewes is available to help with all your tax needs, especially if you believe you may be in “tax-trouble.” See the note on the side of this blog for contact info.