New Years Resolution

2012 is coming up fast.  Today is Christmas day.  I am having a wonderful X-mas with my wife and family.  Dinner should be ready soon.  I helped prepare the veggies.  I have been reading my Guitar Player magazine Mom bought me a couple of days ago.  It has a lot of inspiring articles in it and I have picked up a few tips which brings me to my New Years Resolution.

I love music and at one time I was a professional musician playing the drums.  I have listened to a lot music over the years.  I have listened to everything.  Classic rock, hard rock, heavy metal, soft rock, blues, jazz, pop, old fashioned country, modern country, classical music, and opera.  The only kind of music I will not listen to is rap.  I find the lyrics offensive.

Last X-mas I received a acoustic guitar with a pick up in it.  It's a GWL guitar.  It has a wonderful sound both as an acoustic and electric.  I must confess I haven't played it much over the last year.  A few weeks ago I started getting down to business with it and started playing a lot.  I also purchased guitar lessons which teach me how to play rhythm, lead guitar with a pic, and how to finger pick.  I also have tons of music books on different genres.  Gospel, rock, country, rhythm and blues, and jazz.

I have decided that my New Years Resolution is to learn how to play the guitar.  I want to become really good at rhythm and lead guitar.  I also want to bone up on my singing abilities and become a better singer (which at the present moment isn't very good).  I am going to spend 90% of my spare time practicing, reading up on music theory, reading guitar magazines, and buy more guitar lessons to work on.  I am always talking about my destiny.  Well, my destiny is to become a successful musician.  I love music and I love making music.  Eventually I want to get good enough to either join a band or start up my own band.  I do have to decide what genre I want to learn to play.  I like so many different kinds of music I am having trouble deciding just what genre I do want to learn to play.  At the present moment I know several gospel songs, a few rock songs, and a Christmas song.  I will have a problem deciding because of my OCD but I will overcome this and make a decision.  Once my decision is made I will definitely get down to business.

This is my New Years Resolution and I will stick to it come hell or high water, despite my OCD.  I will not let myself change my mind and get side tracked.  I am going to become a successful musician.  Period.

An Update

I haven't written anything for my blog lately so I thought I would write something tonight.  I thought I would write an update on what's going on in my life.  I am still recovering from my schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, addiction, and alcoholism.  On December 6th this year I will be clean and sober for 12 years.  My wife and I are going to do something special to celebrate.  My wife had a lot to do with me staying clean and sober that long.  She was a real big help to me in this regard.  She is very special to me.  Without her I would be like a little lost sheep in the wilderness wandering around aimlessly.  

I am still working hard.  I still write for the CMHA newsletter called "A Mental Health Perspective."  I still write for, format, and put together the Schizophrenia Newsletter published by the Kings County Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society, and I am still collating (putting flyers together).

Kim and I have been really busy with her business.  We have attended a lot of craft shows this year.  We have one to do tomorrow and then we are done for the season.  We will be starting up again next fall.  Plus we will be attending the Farm Market downtown a few times during the summer months.

For fun and relaxation I do a lot of research on the net and play computer games.  I love intellectual activities.  I love doing research and writing.  I would love to go to university but that's not practical.  It would take to long to get my degree and it would cost to much money.  I have decided to do my own research and become a self-taught expert on the subjects I decide to research.  I also want to start writing essays and research papers.  Maybe even some day have them published.

When I want to take a break from it all that is when I play computer games.  I am not very good at them but I have a ball playing them anyway.  I love the challenge and they are fun to play.  Playing computer games takes my mind off of everything and I get wrapped up in my game.  It is a great change from all the work that I do.  I need to have balance in my life.  I also take time out for my marriage.  Kim and I spend a lot of time together and we do things together.  We love travelling together, and eating out together, when we have the money.

I try to have a balance between my marriage, work, and rest and relaxation.  I also take time out for my friends.  I feel that  a social life is very important to one's mental health.  I still take my medication the way it is prescribed.  If I stop taking my meds I will get ill again.  I make regular visits to my psychiatrist.  I also have a good support system in place.  I have Kim, my psychiatrist, my mom, and other mental health professionals in my life.  When needed I always have someone to turn to for help.  Many times I turn to more than one person.  That gives me more options to consider when I seek advice and help for my problems.

Overall I am living a great life.  I love life and love being alive.  I am living in recovery.  Recovery is truly possible.  I am living a life of meaning, purpose, and am a productive member of society.

I would like to say to my readers.  Good luck in your own recovery.