Celebrate Good Times

Inspirational song: Jet ( Paul McCartney & Wings)

Some milestones are worth celebrating. Tonight we gathered to acknowledge the first 90 days of sobriety of one of our core Bonfire fellows, which is by most metrics an admirable accomplishment. If any of us thought the Bonfire parties would dry up and be boring without booze, tonight proved the reverse was actually true. I've had as much or more fun at this sober revelry as at almost any drunken Bacchanal. I concede, sobriety among this crew is purely a chemical state, not a state of being. These folks are twisted. These are my people, my tribe. Yet, even among a group that totally gets me, I still can't win a game of Cards Against Humanity. How is it possible I'm not the weirdest kid at the table? With these people, I'm not even close.

I've been going through an awful lot of ups and downs, with faster turnaround times than usual lately. I think I'm starting to miss boring. Dull nothingness seems easier to tolerate than this bipolar slingshot that is in control of the world around me. I might even be willing to sacrifice a little of the frantic celebrations, if it would cut down on the number of deaths, major illnesses, floods, and other disasters that keep coming my way to balance out on the bad side. It's almost time to enter countdown mode, and I just want the days and weeks to pass quickly and quietly. If all y'all could just stay alive, healthy, solvent, and friendly with each other for another month or two, that would be great. 

A beautiful thing happened while we were finishing dinner next to the Bonfire. A cold front blew through, and it was actually necessary to put on a jacket tonight. After five hours outside, I was thoroughly chilled. I've been home for over half an hour, and my hands are still stiff and my face is still cool to the touch. I still have my hoodie zipped up, and my hair smells of wood smoke from standing right over the fire to stay warm. The only thing missing at this point is a cup of hot chocolate, but I have no milk to make a mug of it (and I threw out the powdered stuff when I read the list of chemicals on the label). Every trip outside for months has meant a half dozen or more mosquito bites. Tonight and tomorrow night have the potential to end mosquito season for the year. Tell me that is not yet another reason to celebrate.