This second year of sobriety for me became an "all gas no breaks" kind of year for me. A couple months after my year culmination, my grandfather had gotten into a major car accident which left him with a fractured sternum, severe hearing loss, and the car being totaled. Since May 2024, I have been living with and taking care of both my grandmother and grandfather, taking them to their appointments, organizing pills, picking up prescriptions, cooking all their meals, cleaning them, the whole nine yards. While living here and taking care of them, I have learned more about my family history, more so where my alcoholism stems from.
Having become more educated in my family history, I had decided to enroll myself back into school as I had taken a hiatus for about 4 years. I chose to enroll in the coming fall semester to start knocking some of my general education classes such as English 101, Men's Health and Fitness, as well as a Yoga course, all of which I aced. I am very proud of myself for sticking my neck out, trying something and actually enjoying it. Taking Yoga was probably the best part of semester, as its teachings surrounding the eight limbs of Yoga went hand in hand with the content I had been previously exposed to in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Having completed Fall semester, I had gotten caught up with the holidays at my restaurant job and was a little late signing up for Winter semester. Fortunately I was lucky enough to snag a seat in a 5 week Spanish 001 course, which I finished in a week with another A! (Porque yo hablo espanol poqito). During my winter break I had honed in more on my personal growth by trying to find the balance between work, school, taking care of my grandparents, as well as leaving room for myself. The second week of January, my grandpa came down with pneumonia and he was hospitalized for about two weeks, all the progress he made in his recovery from the car accident in May is back to square one.
Today I am enrolled in Spring semester, taking 20th Century U.S. History, Logic in Practice, as well as Interpersonal Communication. I continue to go to my meetings at Shepard of the Hills on Monday nights, work on my emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health, as well as seek ideas on how to spread the knowledge I've learned with others who seek to get clean, or start a new chapter in this life. With Grandpa slowly getting back on his own two feet, I remain here by his side with grandma to take care of them while I continue to push and strive to build the best version of myself I can become. Be the best son I can be, the best grandson I can be, maybe one day be the best father I can be. Who knows.
For this coming year, I would like to share more about my story, the things I've learned through various books, teachings from fellow AA members (Anonymously), tactics and methods I've used to stay clean and sober and so much more, to those who seek recovery, redefinition, and rejuvenation within. I know two years is not a lot. By doing this it is another way of holding myself accountable for my sobriety, just like picking up photography as a hobby, or going to the gym five days a week, or doing Duolingo everyday, something to keep yourself motivated and always moving in the right direction.
