Red, red wine and a red wagon!

Oh, how I enjoy a great glass (or two) of red wine!! The pure pleasure of relaxing with a friend over a glass of wine, pairing wine with a fabulous meal or the indulgence of eating a piece of dark chocolate with a glass merlot or cab, sheer pampering to me! Believe it or not, I had never touched a drop of alcohol until I was around 40 yrs old. There were several reasons for my decision. Although my reasons were possibly well intentioned, I am not sure looking back that they made logical sense. I was raised in a very conservative christian background and in those days there was an unwritten rule that alcohol was of the "devil"  along with dancing, short skirts and too much makeup. I remember wanting to go to a dance SO bad I could taste it, I knew if I asked, the answer would be a resounding "no". By this time my mom was widowed with 6 children and I wasn't going to rock the boat. So I always obeyed the rules, even if inside I felt like I wanted to be set free. Guilt and "people pleasing" both were my motives for staying away from alcohol. Once I had children, I did not want to be a bad influence on them so we had absolutely no alcohol in the home, not even for cooking. I was adamant. I still lived under the "guilt" that somehow alcohol might be evil. Not sure this reasoning was properly placed either. I believe there is nothing wrong with a good glass of wine with a meal in front of children, it is a personal choice. Alcohol needs to be treated personally, respectfully, and carefully with discipline. I actually think it could possibly be a teaching opportunity for children. If you elevate the "mystery" of alcohol it can become more appealing. All that said, I made a decision 5 days ago not to indulge in alcohol for the next 3 months, I am on the wagon. So here is the honest truth. I enjoy red wine so much that there were times I would drink my calories (2 or 3 glasses) rather than eat nutritious food (confession is good for the soul). Weight Watchers recently changed their points program and I was horrified to find out my beloved red wine would cost me even more points. Wine, of course, is mostly empty calories but man, do those empty calories taste good!! My journey is about gaining my life and health back. I am not TRYING to gain my health back it is about DOING those things that WILL get me to further along towards my goals. TRYING in itself makes room for failure. DOING gets results. I will not give up my red wine forever for sure, but I will for now because I want to DO those things that will take me down the path further and possibly a bit quicker. I will be weighing in at Weight Watchers this next Wednesday and I will be in "Onderland" and you will hear me sing from the rooftops. Cheers!