Wow! I just realized I am one quarter of the way through to my goal! My goal was to write every single day for a year and I just noticed that as of yesterday, I have successfully written 90 blog posts! I rarely do anything for 90 days in a row, aside from breathing and eating and drinking and sleeping and ‘using the restroom’, so this feels like quite an accomplishment. Yay! That went fast! I’ve only got 9 more months to go. And then what? I wish I knew. I may have to let out my own leash a bit and give myself a little more latitude. I’m treating it like a job at the moment, even though I’m not getting any compensation from it, other than my own satisfaction from seeing it come to fruition each night. And even with jobs, most people get a day off once in a while. But I think I can continue at this pace for another 9 months, as long as nothing significant happens that might put a wrench in the works. After the year is up? Maybe I’ll ease up a bit and just do it every other day or even once a week. We’ll see.
For today? I want to write about all there is to celebrate! First thing on my list? Christmas. Why celebrate Christmas? It’s over. Exactly! It is finally o-v-e-r. Whew! Thank goodness! Every year I dread Christmas. And on Christmas day, I always find myself at the bottom of a well, figuratively speaking. It doesn’t matter how I spend it or who I spend it with, I always get depressed. My husband tried so hard to pull me out of it this year, but nothing worked. He lowered a ladder down to the bottom of the well. That didn’t work. Then he threw down a rope. That didn’t work either. I wanted to use it, but not for the reason he intended. As a last resort, he put on ‘Home Alone’, one of my favorite Christmas movies, and even it didn’t work. I lost interest about 1/3 of the way in, right before Kevin started setting up all of the booby-traps to ward off the ‘Wet Bandits’. And that’s my favorite part of the movie, but I was so down I couldn’t even stick around to enjoy it. What generally works? Toughing it out and getting a good night’s rest and waking up to a new day.
What’s really interesting is now that I’m doing better, my husband’s depressed. I think the darkness that was inside of me on Christmas day, crawled out when I went to bed and went directly into him. And, man, he’s been in a ‘funk’ ever since! What usually pulls him out of a ‘funk’? Our kiddos, something else to celebrate! Yes, I love my kids! I know that seems like an unusual thing to say, or is it not that unusual? Either way, I don’t know how else to say it, other than they make my heart feel good. I had them when I was young and I certainly didn’t do everything right or ‘by the book’. I made a lot of mistakes, to be honest. But they turned out really great. And I know I’ve said this before, so I’m sorry if you’re having to hear it again, but I just cannot help myself. It’s just so wonderful now that they’ve grown up and figured out their lives. I wasn’t a big fan when they were younger, especially when they were teenagers. But much has changed between then and now, and fortunately for the better.
And were it not for my hubby (yet another reason to celebrate), not only would my kids not be here, but I don’t believe they would have become the people they are today. When my husband and I met, no one expected it to last. We were both 19 years old and I won’t speak for my husband, but I can tell you that I was extremely (with a capital ‘e’) emotionally immature. I was a downright mess! But he’s stuck by my side through it all (richer or poorer, sickness and health, better or worse, fatter and thinner). And we’re as opposite as you can get in every possible way, but somehow it works. No matter what we face, we get through it together. And I have to admit, I love being able to prove the naysayers wrong. All of those people that were convinced we wouldn’t make it a year, let alone over three decades. Don’t let me kid you, it hasn’t been easy. But has it been worth it? Yes, absolutely! I’ve got a great guy by my side and even though he constantly chews his nails and eats chips really loudly and annoyingly drums his fingertips on the countertop, I wouldn’t trade him for the world!
Something else to celebrate? A handful of really great friends! I don’t have many friends, but the ones I have are pretty phenomenal. They’ve seen all sides of me, including crappy, crappier and crappiest, and they don’t run away (at least they haven’t yet). No matter what I’m going through, they are ‘there’ for me, loyal and true. I can tell them anything and not feel judged. And as remarkable as I think they are, I think they feel the same way about me. They tell me they do, so I’m going to take them at their word. They’ve served as ‘sounding boards’ when I’ve had stuff I needed to vent about. They’ve been my greatest cheerleaders when I found myself floundering and uncertain where to turn. They’ve shown me tenderness when I would tear myself apart. They’ve provided support when I just needed enough to make it through another day. They’ve shared their love (and wisdom) even when I didn’t think I deserved it. Over the years, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried and we’ve danced. And they’ve all made the best dance partners! I cannot imagine this world without them. I truly can’t.
What else is there to celebrate? Oh my gosh, we could be here all day! I had better mention the kidney my brother gave me because without it, I’d have machines keeping me alive. And I never wanted that. My mother-in-law lived that way for at least 10 years and that’s no way to ‘live’. If this kidney decides to stop doing what it’s supposed to do, I’m telling you now, ‘DNR’. Pull the plug! Please! I give you permission. No, I don’t want to live forever! When it’s my time, I’m good to go. None of us are getting out of here ‘alive’. And, hey, if I get another 15-20 years out of this kidney, I’m satisfied. It’s been a good ride. A couple of grandkids would make it sweeter, but even if they never ‘appear’, that’s totally ok. I can always borrow my neighbor’s. Speaking of neighbors, great neighbors are something to celebrate! You really appreciate them, especially once you’ve had a lousy one. Oh! I just thought of one more thing, great bosses!! Doing the ‘9 to 5’ thing can be a real bummer, but having a great boss can make all of the difference. I’ve had my share of lousy bosses but I’ve also been lucky enough to have at least three spectacular ones, too.
And feel free to skip this section if you don’t really care to hear about the little things (that matter to me), but I think I should give them their ‘due’. Here goes. A good night’s rest. A comfortable pair of shoes. A bra that doesn’t ‘ride up’. Winter gloves that actually keep hands warm. Dogs that don’t shed (I have yet to have one like that, but I heard they really are something to celebrate). A car with a remote start that goes not just from A to B, but also to C & D. A great haircut. Socks that stay up. A still-warm blanket that just came out of the dryer. Phone calls that are not from solicitors or politicians. A satisfying meal that costs less than $5. Express checkout at Costco. A hot bath with Epsom salts. A book that’s so well written that it’s hard to put down. Lint rollers that remove hair and fur off clothes and furniture and anything else hair and fur gets stuck to. Getting a card or personal letter in the mail. Pants that fit not only in the waist but also in the length. A cold glass of water on a hot day. I know this all sounds so simple, but it’s the stuff that I take notice of.
There are a lot of things I didn’t mention that affect a lot of us. But I’m just here to write a blog, not a novel. I hope to write a novel one day, but not necessarily today. If I had ‘that little pill’ like Bradley Cooper used to further his intellect, like on the movie ‘Limitless’ (which I loved, by the way), then maybe it would be possible, but I don’t. I just have 10% of my puny brain to work with and it hasn’t been able to pull the content of a book together. Yet. Did you catch that? The 10% comment? That’s actually not true! The majority of people believe that but it’s a total myth. Don’t believe me? Look it up! You’ll take my word for it? Fabulous. That said, I think my brain is starting to ‘cramp’ a bit. I’ve stretched this topic out as far as I possibly can without tearing it. It may have something to do with being hungry or it might just be that I literally have run out of things to talk about. The latter is more likely. I can only imagine what’s going through your brain right about now, “Geez! I wasted the last 15 minutes reading this lady’s blog and all she talked about was a bunch of crap. I should have just watched ‘the Golden Girls’. At least, it would have been a better use of my time!”
I hope that’s not how you feel (or what you’re thinking). I hope I’ve entertained you as much as Dorothy, Rose, Blanche & Sophia would have if you had watched ‘the Golden Girls’. Hey, at least I didn’t bore you with a long winded tale about St. Olaf! Needless to say, I wasn’t kidding about being hungry. It’s time for my snack, apples and peanuts. I know, b-o-r-i-n-g. But it takes the edge off and it’s good for me, so ‘apples and peanuts’ it is! Have a fantastic day. I hope you experience ‘something to celebrate’, even if it is just a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter’s day. Thanks for dropping by and I’ll see you soon!
My entire family is insane. 