Sober Birthday?!!!
Views like this can give you a different perspective on things.
My Horoscope by Yahoo:
There could be some unexpected developments where your financial situation is concerned right now. Just don't let yourself get too thrown off by any surprises today. It might be a good time for you to re-evaluate some of your attitudes towards your money and possessions anyway.
For my actual birthday, I was completely SOBER for the first time in 15+ years. Why would someone who usually drinks himself to the point of blackout for his birthdays want to be sober?
Well, let’s roll the clock back a few days before my birthday. One of my school friends invited me up to his cabin in Lake Tahoe. There were just four of us (+1 Jack Russell) with an open schedule. We had tentatively planned on coming back from Tahoe on the day of my birthday so that I could join my friends back home to ritually get trashed. However, once I looked out from the cabin’s deck and saw a postcard shot of Emerald Bay, celebratory shots of alcohol soon evaporated. My soul took a deep exhale and I knew this is where I wanted to be when I turn the page on another year. But, the majestic view had nothing to do with me being sober, so let’s continue.
The first thing we did was go to the grocery store to stock up on supplies. I glanced at my phone and saw that it was June 22, 2:22 pm. I quickly shot HUGS a text to make a wish because repetitive numbers were her thing. In the back of my head, I was thinking, 'Hey, this might be good luck for me, too.'
When we got back, we went for a short hike from a trail close to the cabin. As we reached the trails viewpoint, the dog came running back to us. Then someone pointed in the distance and said, “What’s that moving in the bushes?” Megatron quickly answered, “It’s a bear, lets GO!” As I looked up, I saw a brown bear, the size of a Mini Cooper, looking straight at us.
The bear was probably about 100 yards away but we had to go towards it to reach the trail. Instinctively, Megatron directed us to slowly back away and start heading down the unmarked face of the mountain. As we were blazing our own trail down, I kept looking up to see if the bear was following. My heart was pounding but for some reason, I wasn’t panicked. Maybe it was because I wasn’t at the back of the pack. It was cruel but true. At one point where we had to help the girls down a small cliff and I was the last one. My leg started to shake and I couldn’t consciously stop it. Luckily the trembling was only limited to my leg. I ignored it and pressed on. Stepping through virgin brush and bushes, not knowing if there was a secure foothold, and falling down the cliff; didn’t seem so scary as getting mauled by a bear.
As I hurriedly stepped through some brush, a branch speared through my leg above the calf. Blood began to ooze out but I noticed it wasn’t gushing. Luckily it didn’t hit an artery so I decided not to mention it to the others since we all needed to fully concentrate on getting to the bottom of the mountain.
We finally made it down. All of us were cut up, bruised, with torn clothes. Edging up the side of the windy Highway 89 back to the cabin with cars whizzing by was a welcoming site. Once we got into the cabin, we attended to my puncture wound. First, we doused it with Smirnoff then took the showerhead straight to it. I’ve had sutures before and it looked like I would need some. However, I had no health insurance and since it was already passed business hours, I would have to go to the emergency room. I called some of my nurse friends and they gave me the breakdown in costs and health. I decided to forgo sutures and any possible leg-modeling career.
That night we went grabs some beers to calm the lingering jitters. Three-fourths down on my first 22-ouncer, I began thinking about ordering another beer. Then I felt a cool stream go down my leg. I rolled up my jeans and saw blood running through and down my bandages. The alcohol had thinned out my blood and prevented it from clotting. I pushed the rest of my beer to the center of the table and was done.
So a few days later, for my actual birthday we end up hitting the casinos in Stateline. Even with cocktail waitresses offering free booze, I ordered a coke. I hobbled away from the craps table ahead for the first time in years. We took the winnings and the four of us got dessert. At the diner, we shared chocolate cake and an unspoken bound. As the clocked turned 2:22 am, I grinned with contentment.
To be continued . . .
Horoscope in Hindsight:
Who doesn't get thrown off by a bear?!!!