<p>It is bad enough that my ground is so soggy I can’t dig in it-
that when I look in the mirror I don’t just look * tired* anymore, I look * old*, I can’t stop crying and I thought I was having a nervous breakdown.
( and Pearl Jam isn’t even in this hemisphere! !!! )</p>
<p>But I don’t feel depressed even though I am exhausted-
Luckily I have a good naturopath, if I can get it together to call her-
since it looks like maybe I am suffering from Adrenal exhaustion, which seems to be one of those premenopausal things. :p</p>
<p>Ya know since women ( get to /have to ) give birth/go through so many hormonal changes, are held to a higher standard for appearance and behavior throughout their lifetime than men ( IMO), and still get paid less for the same amount of work ( not to mention have a second job when they come home), there should be some sort of payback doncha think?</p>
<p>I reread CC book group choice Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society again since it is so sweet ( and since the IRL book group is reading * Anil’s Ghost* which is so * sad* )</p>
<p>But more humor is needed!
There is only so many times I can reread David Sedaris-
and blah- how depressing is all the xmas stuff when you don’t really have any little children in your life?</p>
<p>I happened to catch the beginning of a Frasier episode yesterday that I remember DH and I watching and laughing hysterically over when it was first on. Go to y**tube and search on “Frasier Three Valentines”. Watch Part I. Just a nice 6:51 of physical humor by Niles.</p>
<p>Sunburn Country by Bill Bryson makes you glad that you don’t face the dangers of Australia everyday. They have so many ways to die. Really funny.</p>
<p>This suggestion may sound weird but go out and buy crayons! You know, the 64 set with all the great colors. Then get some art paper or some silly coloring books and color away! Works for me!</p>
<p>I did buy the Mr Sketch pens and I was going to give them to my daughter when she was a counselor at camp this summer- but she already had bought some and I keep running into them with the caps mysteriously off and they are sitting on my good jeans.
But the crayons is a great idea- as long as I don’t put them in the dryer.</p>
<p>I was at Walmart one time buying something. There was a very large very loud woman about 25 in line behind me. She was buying a coloring book and crayons and telling everyone without shouting distance how much she loved to color. The more I thought about it the more I thought I should do that some time!
Pss…EK you don’t even have to stay in the lines if you don’t want to.</p>
<p>I’ve not indulged for awhile, but occasionally I’ll buy a little bottle of bubbles and go crazy blowing them. If it’s dreary outside a good soak in the tub and a bottle of bubbles to blow makes the world seem fresh again.</p>
<p>Just yesterday, my 92 year old mom, who lives with us, started her “list” of everything that was going wrong. I stopped her right there. I asked her to start a list of everything that was going right instead. Immediately she put on a smile. Her list was shorter, but it did the trick.</p>
<p>Can you list a few things that are good about this time in your life? Even if you don’t have little children in your life, do you have college age ‘children’? Now that they’re older, are they more ‘fun’ to talk to? Shop with? Cook for?</p>
<p>Bubbles. Babies. Water fountains. Big Bird. Kittens who sleep in bathroom sinks. A clean kitchen. The smell of gingerbread. Hot chai. Comfy chairs. A good book. A crackling fire. Starbucks giftcards. Finding a piece of clothing that’s just ME. Browsing shoes on Zappo’s. Hugging a purring cat. Having a dog be happy to see you. Pixar movies. Red jewel-toned pillows. Having the laundry all done. Newly-vacuumed carpet. Watching clouds burn orange and magenta at their edges when the sun is starting to set. Fresh herbs. Cooking with good knives. A new episode of my favorite show waiting for me on my TiVo. Accelerating on an onramp. Ray Charles. Feeling sand between my toes. Sitting around with friends and just existing. Stapling a completed project. Having someone notice that I did something for them. Smiling at a homeless stranger and seeing them smile back, knowing that my kindness made their day. The simplicity of a Bach etude. The maddening but oh-so-sweet loudness of a family gathered for the holidays. Walking through a florist’s shop. Letting a balloon go in the park. Having a simple bread-cheese-and-wine picnic with a friend on a gorgeous May day. The beautiful sentence, “You know, even if we don’t always keep in touch, you will always be my friend.” Teaching something complicated to a child and seeing their eyes light up when they see the dawn of understanding. The precious simplicity of a good idea. A fuzzy pair of socks. The time when your bed has finally warmed up on a cold night. Waking up to the sound of rain outside. Really good thunderstorms. Snuggling. Moments of understanding between friends. Beethoven’s Ninth live, with a great orchestra and a full choir. The smell of fresh pine. The smell of grass. The smell of a new pack of crayons. A warm cookie. Getting out of the house the first day you feel better after a cold. Being all dressed up and having someplace to go. Wading into a warm ocean and watching the incoming waves, and the sweet anticipation of knowing that they’re going to nearly knock you off your feet. Seeing the groom cry at a wedding. Seeing the bride cry at a wedding. Seeing EVERYONE cry at a wedding! The perfect joy of Disneyland. The nuzzle of a contented cat. Opening boxes after moving and seeing all of your things safely tucked in there, ready for you to pluck out and placed in their new homes, just as you’ve been placed in your new home. The amazing experience of playing music, and being entrained with other musicians in a group. Dropping a letter in a mailbox and sending it on its way. Getting a box from Amazon. The delicious surprise of learning something fabulous about someone you thought you knew everything about. Waking up before your alarm goes off and knowing you have a whole hour to hunker down under the covers and avoid all the trials of the day. Five o’clock. Hearing lawnmowers for the first time in the spring. Seeing the first snowflakes of the year. The slippery-smooth feel of wet clay up to your elbows when you’re at the potter’s wheel. Seeing kids selling lemonade. Watching the silent wavering of a lit candle when everything around you is dark. When the lights come back on after a long power outage. When you walk into an air-conditioned room coming in from the hundred-plus degree heat and humidity of a Houston summer! Having free time that you can do anything with. The glorious optimism of taking up a new hobby. Painting your toenails a radical color during the winter because nobody at work is going to see your toes for a while. Making a pie. Getting a new haircut. Looking over pictures from a favorite vacation. The pride and triumph of paying off a debt. Watching “It’s A Wonderful Life” and bawling your eyes out. Having friends that you can be silent with, and it won’t be awkward. The undeserved heroism that comes with being the one to bring muffins/cupcakes/bagels to work/school/church (even if they’re store-bought). Seeing an act of peace. Seeing an act of charity. Seeing that there’s some good in this world, be it ever so small or seemingly insignificant, and appreciating it for the precious thing that it is.</p>
<p>Having one of those unexpected moments where life is better and more amazing in its everyday simplicity than you could ever hope for.</p>
<p>May tomorrow be one of those days for you, EK. =)</p>
<p>Look for and watch silly pet videos on that You(-know-what-I’m-talking-about)Tube site that we are not supposed to mention here (for example, search for “Chester the Incredible Peeing Dog”). Watch some old episodes of your favorite TV comedy shows on Hulu. If you like cats, kill some tome surfing LOLcats :)</p>
!!! )</p>