by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
They say there’s nothing worse than a dry drunk and with that in mind, I won’t say that I’m going to stop drinking, but I am going to manage it. I’ recently turned 50 and it’s really beginning to hit home that I have a limited amount of time on the planet.
As such, I want to free up some time by not being drunk all the time.
The thing about booze is everyone comes at it from a different direction. Some people think that, by definition, if you drink at all you’re an alcoholic. Meanwhile, I’m of the opinion that my drinking so much has been the result of just pure old laziness.
I feel it’s possible — not probable — that I’ve entered a New Era in my life because it’s really hit home how precious every moment of life is. Something about turning 50 has rattled my cage some.
I have a lot of plans and, yet, I’m not getting any younger. And, what’s worse, even if somehow I miraculously did become a success late in life, the whole context of that success would be different. Sure, I might finally reach my dream of being a fucking smug bi-coastal Twitter liberal looking down on the Poors of middle America as I jet between New York City and LA, but….I will be an Old.
It’s not like I can experience New York City as a wide eyed and bushy tailed 24 year old…ever. The closest I ever came to that situation was in Seoul. Even then, I was in my 30s.
I think…what’s happening is I’m beginning to feel some regret? Is this what it feels like to be an Old?
Anyway, I hope to use my new quasi-sobriety to get a lot of creative work done. I’m not prepared to make any grand pronouncements about how I’m on the wagon now, I’m not.
But I am trying to be more productive.
