June 30th happy hour is one hour earlier than the norm today!
Oh, my God. Oh shit. Hey there. Welcome. Welcome. So Bernard somber, our. Little early today. It's three o'clock. Um, we've been uh, rushing around today. It's been a busy Tuesday. Happy, uh, happy Tuesday. Um, again, my dog copper is always with me. He's he's a golden doodle. And he sits next to me during all of my live. So he says, hello too. Hey, Rachel. Hi, Rachel, where you just, uh, in Paris. Um, I must hear more. Yeah. So happy hour today, sober somber hour. I'm your host. Jen Vara and um, we are talking today about the power of reflection.
And specifically what I like to dig into is sobriety and. How, whatever topic we choose to talk about on cadre. Um, for me, comes back to substance use and sobriety. I have a, um, gosh, coming up on. 12 years in July of continuous sobriety. And I also just celebrated a birthday. Um, how does everyone feel about birthdays? I. I always, I don't know. I, um, I really embrace them. Let's just put it that way. Um, I'm very vocal about it. I don't know if I've always been like that, but definitely when.
I turned milestone 50. I decided to always, um, embrace. My birthdays, let people know. Because there's a certain energy around it. Um, think of, you know, when you have a friend that has. A birthday. You're definitely excited. And. Um, feel like you know, you want to. Celebrate with them. So anyway, I just had three days. Of continuous celebration. And was just reflecting. Um, because it is actually around the same time. The year always is. Halfway day, has anyone heard of halfway day? It is July 1st.
And I love this concept. I found. Out about it years ago. And it really is like revisiting. What you set out, maybe to do your intentions at the beginning of the year. And it is about, um, kind of seeing where you're at. Doing a mid-year check. So. Um, if you have a one word or any mantra, you said at the beginning of the year, six months in to 2026. Where are we? So I always feel like the power of reflection. Is just a pause, um, that not a lot of times we're. Encouraged to take in society. Like we just move so quickly.
So that's what I would invite you to do today. Take pause, reflect. And when I think about how that applies to my sober journey. I every year am filled with. Gratitude thinking about birthdays past even like where was I, you know, 13, some years ago. At my birthday when I was still in active addiction. And what did the, what did those birthday celebrations look like? And reflecting on how different they are now. How different, I mean, I packed so many things into three days and I'm pretty sure I could not have done had.
I been sort of in that spiral. Of alcohol misuse. So the reflection part of me is. Um, for me is looking back, you know, for every year on my birthday. Can also be reflecting on. Goals for the year. So maybe if, if you're logging in, if you're here now, um, listening to it later. Remembering or reminding yourself, what was your goal in the beginning of the year? Where was. Your mindset, where did you. Start, uh, 20, 26. And like I said, my word is adventure. And for the year. And I was reflecting.
On how how far I've come with that. So in the first part of the year, I really haven't traveled or done. Anything, but literally have been planning for six months. Um, for all the travel, I will be doing the rest of the year, which involves travel. In August, um, the entire month of September, a couple trips in October, and then finally. Another trip in November. Um, earlier in the year, I was just doing local travel, going up north, um, of Minneapolis. Here in doing, you know, things locally. So I was like, wow, that, um, actually did achieve some things.
I said, out to achieve, even though it's felt like a long. Road and, um, a lot of. Um, setbacks in getting all of my plans aligned. So when I, when I think about how much it has taken to like make the rest of the year happen, you start to understand, um, just the idea of like reflecting and moving forward. And how much, um, those two are. Connected. And what I always say is taking time to pause and celebrate. So I just, um, wanna ask the question of that today. Where, where were you January? Of this year and what goals did you set for yourself?
If you did. And what does that look like? Halfway during, during, you know, mid-year here. What does that look like? Can you reflect, can you adjust course? Um, you know, what's needed, what's needed to continue on. And I align that with sobriety very deeply. And like sometimes just going through the motions of, oh, I have 12 years of sob. Sobriety, um, it's really powerful to take a look back at. Where I was 13, some years ago, and I used my birthday as an example of. A date or a, you know, something I was doing 13 years ago that involved alcohol.
And I was in that active place. And now. You know, looking to the last 12 birthdays over the last years and how much. I've evolved. (laugh) and changed, um, because of. The decision to not drink. So I just think that's really powerful and I would encourage. You, if you haven't to just stop and take a look at that. Do some writing on it, do some reflecting on where you've been this. First six months. And what you wanna take with you into the rest of the year? I just did, um, some guided sauna. At the yard.
Um, last Friday night, the yard is just a local. Sauna company in Minneapolis. And I talked about the season of Capricorn full moon, which is yesterday and today, the. 29th and 30th. It's also known as the strawberry moon, but it is the moon of. The year that is calling us to release things that no longer. Serve us. So I also, um, was reflecting on that in my intentions. Intentions for the rest of the year. What no longer serves me so that I can create energy and momentum. To do the things that I want to do to make the rest of the year.
Productive. So pretty powerful. Um, and if you do believe or work with astrology, there is an energy right now around releasing. What no longer serves us. So I would encourage you to take a look at that. Think about that. And, uh, yeah, I didn't even share beverage today because. Um, I'm a little early. I gotta run to. Um, a really great event where I'm going to be serving non-alcoholic beverages. Beverages, but, um, just wanted to pop in a little early today and say, hi, thank you so much, Rachel, for.
Joining. I'm not sure if others have joined. Um, or if you catch this later, Slater, um, take some time to reflect and we'll see you next week at the regular time. Four o'clock. Thank you. Bye.
