Month: July 2022

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Protest, march, make your voices heard! …. Then vote for democracy!

The situation in the United States of America is dire. The Supreme Court is selling out the country as if there is no tomorrow… and there may not be UNLESS you start acting now:

a) Call your Senator to support an abolished filibuster (Find your senator here and all telephone numbers here and how to prepare here.)

b) March and protest and show your support over the next few weeks and months.
Look at the Woman’sMarch website for a march near you.

Protesters in Foley Square defending the right to abortion following the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade. Part of 2022 abortion protests in the United States.
By Legoktm – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=117660220

c) Get into politics, learn about elections, learn about your rights (NAACP, ACLU, Civil Liberties Defense Center, iAmerica) and possibly even run for office.

d) Register to vote or change or update your voter registration.

e) Vote in EVERY election you are allowed to vote in – all of them from the local, smaller elections to the midterms and presidential races. Most importantly, keep elections of school boards in mind since these have a huge impact on your children’s thinking and with that, on all our future.

There are of course those who say that it’s too late. They say that there are no possibilities to improve on the situation anymore. They show you pictures of violent behavior of domestic terrorist groups and tell you to better listen to them. Don’t trust these sources. They may have ulterior motives. They may benefit from the current situation and the misery it creates.

It never is to late to save your country! It ALWAYS depends on what you do next. It ALWAYS depends on your actions and we have to act now. So go and act!

What will you do to save your country?

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Dry July is back and I’m excited about it

Yes, it’s this time of year where the sun is out, everyone seems to meet at the riverside, beach or the local park and summer drinks are everywhere. I can’t wait! After two years of COVID restrictions and staying mostly indoors and away from people, I am really looking forward to a more “normal” summer. This year, I not only want a normal summer, I want a super summer and my first step is to start with Dry July.

Lemonade mocktail (Photo by Geraud pfeiffer from Pexels)

You heard me right: I want to abstain from alcohol for a whole month. I wouldn’t describe myself an alcoholic but who would say that of themselves? Also, many people regularly drink more than I do. This should not be an excuse though. I think it would do me good to be sober for a few weeks and learn from the experience. It shouldn’t be hard, after all, 4 weeks pass quickly. Besides, I’m not the only one who is choosing July as the go to month considering that “Dry July” rhymes.

Have you ever heard of Dry July?

I actually hadn’t but I still wanted a month without alcohol. Given the “Dry July” rhyme, I thought I’ll search if others are doing it already and I was not disappointed. In Australia, the Dry July Foundation has been going since 2008 and raised over AUD 250.000 in the first year and already over AUD 580.000 this year. What an achievement!

July is not just any month either, no! July is a month with 31 days so it’s a lot longer than say February. It is also the main summer school holiday month in the Northern hemisphere. In some regions of Spain, the holidays in July are summarized as “Festivos de julio” and the locals party for a full 3 weeks straight!

Can I do it?

I think I can. I successfully completed two “Dry January” months already and never struggled. The best result of this month was that I slept better and lost weight (about half a pound) over that month. That in itself was worth it. Yes, I was younger then but surely, age and experience will work in my favor? If not that, then the fact that I’m calmer now with fewer opportunities to go out and party.

Quick side note: I am doing this month off for personal reasons. I guess, I am trying to prove to myself that I actually can do it. No more, no less. No hidden reasons, no intention of forcing my little experiment onto others. It’s just my month off.

Right now, I’m planning how to get around being tempted to drink and it seems easy enough. In summer time, I sometimes enjoyed a Gin&Tonic, so I simply leave out the gin. Simple. There are also numerous mocktails available, that I won’t have a hard time choosing. With nice dinners out, red wine was my typical go to drink. My plan is to swap it out for tea and infusions (hot or cold but most certainly without sugar and sweeteners). The flavors should give me the same sensation as wine without the buzz.

In summary, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be to go for a whole month without alcohol.

How about you? Will you join me and thousands of others in Dry July?