Because it’s Friday AGAIN. And because traditions are important. In which I cover the good stuff and the hard stuff in my week, trying for the non-preachy, non-annoying side of self-reflection.
And you get to join in if you feel like it.
Yep. Still on emergency vacation with my gentleman friend and Selma.
Though Selma has been making herself scarce because I’m trying to be all incognito.
Hooray for emergency vacation!
But — emergency vacation or no emergency vacation — there’s no way I’m missing this since the Friday Chicken is my favorite part of the week.
Of course it’s a pretty short chicken, all in all, because hardly anything happened. Which was absolutely wonderful.
The hard stuff
Saying no: I still completely suck at it.
Even away on my little holiday I still ran into way too many situations where a NO was required and it was uncomfortable and not fun for me.
Oh, irony. How I love you.
Given that one of the biggest things that triggered my about-to-have-a-breakdown must-go-away-and-recover vacation was this whole theme, it was pretty interesting to see just how often it came up this week.
I know these situations are just going to keep showing up until I’ve found the right way to interact with and resolve them. And at the same time, I really, really needed a break from it.
There are a couple of things I’m not looking forward to coming back to — situations where I know completely that NO is the only answer I can give but I am scared of the consequences of that NO.
And still don’t know how I am going to find a way to give the NO that still manages to be both gracious and generous.
But I’m trusting that the right NO will come, as will the strength and grace to stand in it.
Connection to the real world = totally depressing.
While I’d arranged to have one of my pirate crew put up blog posts for me and such, I also promised my first mate that I would check in now and then just to make sure there weren’t any big, crazy emergencies that needed my input.
Ugh.
Yes, I learned that lesson fast.
The first few days of emergency vacation were so completely healing for me. And then as soon as I was back online for even a few minutes, my oof everybody needs stuff from me mood returned.
So I shut off completely and am just hoping that between Marissa, Peggy and the universe, the Fluent Self pirate ship is still staying its course.
Zero energy.
I’ve developed a theory about going on vacation. I’m thinking what one really ought to do is take the break not seconds before it becomes an emergency but significantly before.
Because I didn’t so much take a vacation as go somewhere and sleep a lot.
Not that I’m complaining, really, because it was spectacular.
Just that next time I’d like to maybe, I don’t know, see something or do something in addition to all the napping.
But … speaking of napping …
The good stuff
Napping!
I have become the most ass-kicking rockstar of napping.
Seriously. I’m talking Olympic training levels of napping. If napping were an Olympic sport. Which it totally should be.
The funny thing is that it’s not like I run around completely sleep deprived in my normal non-emergency-vacation life or anything.
I do get up fairly early (between five and five-thirty) but then I also go to bed early (by ten). And I am a fan of the occasional afternoon nap.
Not to mention completely addicted to the weekend afternoon nap.
But this was out of control. I took a nap twice a day every day for a week. And when I wasn’t napping, I was planning the next one.
So yeah, it might all sound kind of boring but it was just what the hypothetical doctor would have ordered had I actually consulted her.
Unscheduled time heals all wounds?
My very favorite part of the week by far was watching myself come back to being me.
Like I was just turning back into myself.
Each day the dark circles under my eyes were a shade lighter, my smile more easy, my step more happy.
My gentleman friend and I took long walks by the water. We practiced our rhumba (very entertaining). We drank bourbon under the stars.
We began each day with no plans and let each day be filled by whatever needed to fill it.
It was perfect.
I didn’t fall apart.
How’s that for the most amazing part? The whole point of the emergency vacation was if I’m going to fall apart, I might as well do it somewhere pretty.
But then I didn’t.
Obviously, I’ve known all along what sorts of things were triggering the ick. But actually seeing and experiencing what happens when you remove yourself from the stressful situation was a really big deal for me.
It’s helping me realize just how much power there is in not being in the situation to begin with.
Not making the focus be having better tools to cope with it. And not working on how I react to things.
Just removing myself physically and emotionally from the hard.
It was absolutely incredible how my need to fall apart and collapse just faded into nothing.
I didn’t need to fall apart. I just needed to get plenty of sleep and to not have anything to do for a while. And that was enough. Deliciously enough.
That’s it for me …
And yes yes yes, of course you can join in my Friday ritual right here in the comments bit if you feel like it.
Yeah? Anything hard and/or good happen in your week?
And, as always, have a glorrrrrrrrrrrrious weekend. And a happy week to come.
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“I’m thinking what one really ought to do is take the break not seconds before it becomes an emergency but significantly before.”
Ha ha ha! Man, what a concept. Oh, that made me laugh because it’s not funny. So true. So obvious. So easy to ignore.
My hard this week:
I’m running out of things to blame my “I’m going to either cry, or scream, or explode” episodes on. Work hasn’t been very stressful this week. Yet I still feel awful. Guess things might stay that way for a while.
My reaction to some stuff that other people are doing, which has nothing to do with me except it’s happening in my niche and I don’t like them, reveals that yes, I AM a spiteful harridan, I DO want them to fail, and I can stop pretending otherwise. Ow.
Also had some yay this week:
A weekend! Like, one of my own, where I can do stuff, OR NOT! That was pretty amazing.
A tidy room (thanks to that weekend), creative scribblings (also thanks to) and good times with the boyfriend.
Working with 31 Days to a Better Blog, and reading through the blog therapy series here, to make my blog more than an occasional announcement system. It’s fun and seems to be working.
Hmmmm….napping. Sounds delicious. I seriously need to go on emergency vacation.
The hard…
Never ending work. Feeling guilty because the work keeps coming in despite other people struggling with the economy. Afraid to stop working because what if I come back and all the work is GONE!
Coming up on 3rd anniversary of dad’s death. Feeling guilty because I still haven’t visited his grave since the funeral.
The good…
Made some good progress this week. Actually made a delivery to a client. Another client scheduled more work.
Lost some weight. Applied for new medical insurance and they haven’t turned me down (yet). Today we get the car back from fixing the latest car crash. Auto-insurance hasn’t gone up (yet). (Hmmmmm…I’m seeing two “yets” there…think I need to work on decreasing my need to anticipate problems.)
Avonelle Lovhaugs last blog post..Avoiding the cone of silence
Hey darling Havi, it’s so wonderful to hear that you’re resting, and returning to yourself. Unscheduled time is as necessary as air or water . . . without it, the world around us shapes us to its demands, which are endless. Hooray for you, for giving yourself the gift of this vacation! 🙂
My hard this week: Inexplicable blips in communication. Everything from phones cutting out partway through client sessions, to hurt feelings and hissy fits all around. Also, a degree of overwhelm that didn’t feel like me at all, but that had me quivering in me boots–or in my bare feet. 🙂
My good this week: Since so many people I know have been complaining about communication blips, overwhelm, and general all-around malaise, I finally looked at what’s going on with this dear planet of ours. Then disconnected from a decaying, toxic energy-field that’s surrounding the earth right now, and immediately felt like my own self again. Not overwhelmed, not cranky, not blecchh, but generally peaceful, happy and optimistic.
So this has been a great lesson in boundaries. And in healing. Without clear boundaries, I can’t help with planetary or any other kind of healing because I get buried under whatever-it-is that needs healing.
Hoping the rest of your vacation gives you breathing room, and nap time, and lots and lots of good nourishment.
Much love to you,
Hiro
Hiro Bogas last blog post..When I grow up I want to be me . . .
Great post! I so, so totally understand. I’m fortunate to be working and have cash flow (which pays for life so nicely) but it’s a stressful job that I don’t love, and until I took an April vacation (first in 8 years!), and a May seminar (spending half of my time playing hookey at a world class museum), and a late May/early June personal interest workshop (happiest place and event in the world for me) I was in the process of coming apart. Like, Friday crying jags at my desk (at night, when no one else was around, fortunately) and manual-thwacking sessions (that’s when you explode and thwack a manual against something else or beat the manual with your phone receiver). Thanks to that time off I’m no longer exploding, crying or thwacking – but what does this say about my life that I’m usually ready to kill someone or something and have so few days of peace?
I have GOT to change – so thank you for your wonderful post making me face up to this issue and reality again.
Good this week – peonies are blooming and the sun is out.
Unscheduled time is so important! I’m glad you had some of that, and lots of naps. I’m sorry to read that peeking online was so hard; I hope the re-entry from vacation will happen in a way that will let you stay in that place where you are back into yourself. You being you sounds good to me.
My hard:
– having people want me to plan things in relation to my upcoming trip while I just don’t feel like planning
– not being quite as far as I’d have liked on my project before I leave
– writing my latest post: I needed to write it, but it wasn’t exactly easy
My good:
– being amazed by the wonderful comments I’ve received on that not-easy-to-write post
– my project moved forward, even if it’s just a tiny little bit
– knowing that I leave for Paris in a week, after four years without going
– last but not least: seeing my favorite 6-year-old decide to participate in a fundraiser to benefit an organization helping children who have cancer, with less than a week to go to the fundraiser, and seeing him raise over 700$ in five days! Wow!
Josianes last blog post..Exposing some flesh
Yay napping!
I took two yesterday, myself. OK, that’s more than normal, but I was sleep deprived and there were chainsaws and tree grinders happening. Hard to sleep through.
Nothing too hard this week, except a little sleep deprivation.
Today I’m prepping for my art show this weekend. The good: I’m totally on top of things. Here’s hoping for a great show! (If you’re in the Los Angeles area, stop by and say hi!)
Barbara J Carters last blog post..Art in Thousand Oaks… this weekend!
I can relate oh-so-well to the tendency to wait until seconds before a meltdown to decide to do something about it. How wonderful that you circumvented the need to fall apart!
The hard this past week:
– Lots of stuckness and frustration which manifested as writer’s block.
– Work needing more of me when what *I* need is less of it.
The good:
– Finally breaking through the blockage!
– Making a mental shift that will allow me to move forward in getting my business started.
– Taking some steps to give myself a creative outlet or two.
Victoria Brouhards last blog post..Wreck This Journal – Week 1
Havi, I’m SO happy you are on emergency vacation taking care of yourself. This reminds me of when I hit a complete and utter burn-out point in school in my third year. I ended up taking a quarter off just to get my shit together and ended up sleeping most of the time for at least 4 weeks before I started to feel somewhat normal again.
Now, taking real breaks at regular intervals are very much a priority.
Happy vacation to you!
Me too. Me too. With the not taking breaks/vacations until I’m on the brink of emergencies…or the breakdown has already started and then I leave in a tizzy without any preparation and then things really start falling apart. Yikes. It’s gotten better recently, but I’ve had that tendency for sure.
My hard from this week:
**Moving my office from the tiny room in my house into the living room so that we can have Big Headquarters! And moving the living room into the tiny office. All seemed good at first, until late last night when we were moving the futon into the little office room and realized that all of the furniture is NOT going to fit in here.
**Feeling lonely and wishing someone would take care of me. I do a lot of caring for other people. I enjoy it and when I’m strong and centered in myself I feel happy to do it. This week I required some care and it was hard to want other people to do it for me when they don’t necessarily know how to do it or aren’t necessarily good at it. So I felt lonely and missed my mom.
My good from this week:
**Because all the furniture doesn’t fit in the new Small Den, I think we’re going to get rid of our TV! I’m SUPER EXCITED about this and that means that our new little living room in the small room will be more of a cozy sitting area with 2 chairs, a futon, some books and some plants.
**My yard is SO beautiful. We have a brugmansia tree that has like 6 full blossoms on it right now. We have a plumeria plant with 4 blooms. Our grass is bright green and recently cut. We have an Amazon Jasmine tree and it smells sooooo good. All of them smell so good actually. I LOVE going out into the yard and just looking at the Fresh. And taking in the Life.
**I hand selected one-by-one like 27 cherries at the farmer’s market yesterday. I picked the best ones. And there are 6 left for my sweet bee to eat today. I enjoyed them last night and savored all but 6. Also a nectarine and plum fruit salad which was out of this world amazing like I’d never had those fruits before. I was humming with yumminess with every bite.
I really like this game, Havi, of looking at the hard and the good. Thank you!
Mona Graysons last blog post..Big Office. Little Den.
Yea on the healing vacation! Yea for naps! Yea for bourbon under the stars!
This was a week of almost all hard for me.
Announcement came Monday that layoffs are coming to the 5th Circle (of Hell for those who slept thru Dante in secondary school Literature classes). My direct reports are likely targets. Heck, *I’m* a likely target.
So much to “ugh!” about.
Plus … because I’m the comms guru her in the 5th Circle, I got to write the employee communication about the impending layoffs, AND I lost the debate over how to communicate it. I wanted honesty-filled compassion, the boss did not.
So, much was hard. But it is now Friday and I’m thankful. Very thankful.
christys last blog post..Boundaries – and Communicating Them
Dearest Havi,
Oh yes, a fan of the naps…. I could give you a run for your money in ANY Olympic napping event!
And not being a big fan of the NO… I just want to always say YES! and there’s so many wonderful things to say yes to, but then I end up saying no’s in ways that don’t always feel good to me because they are” at the end of my rope” no’s. Still struggling to learn that one.
The hard: There definitely is something in the air around boundaries and overwhelm and crankiness and just tired, tired, tired….. I am ready for a nice long road trip with my honey where we just get in the car and see where it takes us, with nothing to do except what pleases me in the next moment.
It’s on the books and coming up soon!
The good: I am preparing to facilitate the last week of my first Teacher Training program. It’s a time of huge accomplishment and completion…. for them and for me. I am looking forward to a big, fun graduation experience and send off for us all.
My husband said to me the other day: “You know how you’ve been talking about how you’ve been wanting to expand and take your business to the next level? Well, guess what? You’re already there!!”
Another good. I live with a wise man who loves me madly.
So glad that you’re taking care of yourself. And FYI. The pirate ship seems to be running just fine.
Love you bunches,
Chris
Chris
chris zydels last blog post..Who Is YOUR Creative Alter Ego?
My hard
~ 6 sets of family who all want to see us at least twice when we visit Britain, along with four different types of medical check ups, and MIL not being too mobile, oh and getting equipment for our programme next week.
~ Feeling sad about not seeing said people enough, wondering why we are living 8,000 miles away.
~ Feeling guilty about not blogging, and procrastinating stuff.
My yay
~ Having six sets of family who all want to see us at least twice when we visit Britain.
~ Having all check ups lead to clear results.
~ Having a programme to deliver next week.
~ Getting a surprise paid day off as client changed schedule.
~ Learning loads about facilitation, forming a schema for the Skilled Facilitator approach.
~ realising that if we moved back to UK it would not be the end of the world, quite nice really
~ realising that we need to get arse in gear to get moved to New Zealand
~ buying 2 more Havi courses
~ walking the dog in beautiful British sunny mornings
Oh my god, I could go on and on with yays…
A
Andrew Lightheart @alighthearts last blog post..I’ve overfished my pond
Oh and yay for naps.
Naps are healing in a deep way that people who don’t take them don’t seem to realise.
Havi – Oh, naps! How absolutely glorious and restoring for both body and spirit!
Avonelle – I share your guilt about not visiting the grave site of your father. Mine’s been gone almost 4 years and I still haven’t been back to make sure they really put the headstone there. My spouse ALWAYS goes to his parent’s graves on Mothers Day and Fathers Day. I feel SO guilty. In my defense, the cemetery is a long drive and there is no easy way to get there (i.e. via freeways). BUT it is sort of on the way to Indiana where we go each summer to visit his cousins. I’ve committed to getting there this time.
The hard: a complete and total overload of work since I had two out of town trips in the past 3 weeks. I almost don’t even know where to begin to whittle down the backlog.
The good:
– a smooth flight back from Seattle, the flight even got in EARLY!
– My second interview for the doctoral program I’ve applied to – but won’t hear the final decision until later this month.
– AWESOME student workers/interns who came to my rescue this week when I found myself committed to being in 2 places at the same time! I have the BEST students!
– MAJOR progress on getting my first lectures ready for the classes I am teaching next week. While I may still find myself trying to stay one week ahead of the students, at least I’m almost ready for the first round!
My dad said something good about vacations once. He said you need 2 weeks. Because you spend most of the first week unwinding and the last few days getting back in the frame of mind to go back. So if you have 2 weeks, you actually have time to do vacation things and be unwound while you do them.
It makes a lot of sense. And I’m glad to hear that you are getting the rest you so obviously need. I haven’t seen any evidence of the ship getting in any trouble in your absence.
JoVEs last blog post..Congress: looking back
I have a hard time saying no because I’m hung up on the word “no”. It immediately invites another word: “why?” Most of the time I don’t want to have to explain the why to this stranger person. And I certainly don’t want to be convinced that my “no” is the wrong answer!
I’ve started saying things that mean “no”, but aren’t the actual word. “I have a previous engagement/deadline,” “It’s not in my budget right now,” or “I can’t, I’m sorry.” Most of the time people drop it, and I got my “no” in without having to use that icky word that I do not like.
I should probably investigate my relationship with the word “no” at some point…of course, my first instinct at thinking this is to say, “No!” Definitely need to work on that.
Enjoy the rest of your emergency vacation! I am envious of your Olympic napathon. 🙂
GadgetGirl – Yeah, I’m in the same situation: my dad’s grave is almost 3 hours a way, and not much freeway driving. And I never go that direction, so it isn’t like I can combine it with another trip. It feels kind of weird to drive for 3 hours, visit his grave for an hour or so and then drive back.
Avonelle Lovhaugs last blog post..Avoiding the cone of silence
I have a nap scheduled for just after this, once I wind down from my day so far… It’s even on my to-do list! *g* I’m glad you’re finding space to retreat to the crow’s nest and hide from your pirate crew for a time, and I’m sure everything’s going shipshape in the meantime.
The Hard:
Burned my thumb baking cookies this past weekend. Oven + stupid = ow. Sadly, it was totally a moment of dumb, too.
Saw humans 5/7 days this week, including 3 networking events, and was getting Very Cranky and Tired of People by the end of it.
Prospects still not quite ready to bear fruit yet, leading to budgetary woes.
Money = teh suck.
The Good:
I have cookies! They are ginger lime sugar cookies. They are tiny and delicious and totally worth the burned thumb. Also, I still have some chicken noodle soup, and farmer’s market cherries, and last night I had white peach w/ strawberries, honey & milk.
Clean bill of dental health today, yay! I am orangey fresh after my cleaning.
Kitties missed me during all that social and have been more cuddly as a result. Kitteh cuddles are awesome as always, and very restoring.
I have an actual date! I’ve been veeery lazy about dating since my last LTR ended, and it was nice to be asked out by someone I actually like.
Found focus on a project for a client, made progress on some projects for myself, and have some small work for existing clients that will allow me to continue to eat. Eating = good.
Made time to listen to one of my Havi products partway and felt pretty good about it, but want to finish it & allow it to absorb properly this weekend. Also, Havi call on Sunday yay! Must find brains for formulating questions.
And now, I nap.
Amy Crooks last blog post..It’s All About Length
The hard: We’re beginning to get ready for our annual huge house party, which is coming up the weekend after next. I’ve learned from experience that once the party is under way, I’m likely to enjoy most of it, but the stress of getting ready is kind of rough! It aggravates a particular facet of “my stuff” — specifically, the voice in my head that says, “I can’t do this, it’s too hard, I’m all alone and much too small, I don’t know what to do, I’ll mess up and everyone will be mad at me, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!”
I asked one of my beloved partners for a little support around this, and while he did eventually say and do things that felt supportive, his *first* response was a sort of tough love, ‘snap out of it!’ speech. Oof.
The good (in fact, the *very* good): I finished a paper that I have been working on, no kidding, for about eighteen months. It’s a first draft, so it may need revision, but at least I have something to revise! Now I can move on to the next hurdle en route to completing my PhD in the next couple of years. Step by step, holding my own hand and reaching out to others when necessary, I really can do this!
Long live naps. I think perhaps I’ll go take one right now.
I really miss having a person to do things with. Even when that thing is active nothing.
“We began each day with no plans and let each day be filled by whatever needed to fill it.”
That sounds both wonderful and utterly terrifying.
Kates last blog post..Brida
I’ve gotten good at saying “I’d really love to but I just can’t” to a lot of things. It doesn’t work for everything, of course. I’ve been putting off taking my vacation for a couple of months because there was one thing after another at work that had to be done. Of course I’ll be spending my vacation working full time on my business. I’m not sure I actually know how to relax anymore. Except for napping. I’m good at that.
Good things: I started physical therapy this week. Ooh, that felt good… And my irises are blooming. The most perfect, beautiful irises ever.
Riins last blog post..a pain in the neck
‘Just removing myself physically and emotionally from the hard.”
Just reading those words feels like a vacation itself.
Janice Cartiers last blog post..Smooth as Silk
Super glad you’re getting the time to get back to yourself.
I’m wondering when my own emergency vacation is going to become urgently necessary.
Sonia Simones last blog post..What I Love About My Job
Ah, the art of napping. There’s something I could sign up for. 😀
Well, I hope you’re well rested and ready to get back to your usual kickass self. I know I missed you.
Here’s my chicken of the week:
The Hard:
-Working half time
-Carrying my toys home in the rain
The Good:
-Graduation! I’m a free man!
-Virgin Megastore Closing Deals
-A very enlightening conversation with my girlfriend. I applied some of your techniques on paying attention to what’s my stuff and what’s her stuff and I felt we really solved a major issue, that could have easily blown up in my face.
-Rock Band 2 has some pretty decent music in it. (Maybe this is just the shiny new phase and I’ll get bored with it later?)
Andrews last blog post..Andrew’s Friday Update v1.0
just how much power there is in not being in the situation to begin with.
Not making the focus be having better tools to cope with it. And not working on how I react to things.
Just removing myself physically and emotionally from the hard.
Yeah! I really liked this bit.
b.t.w. hello! I’ve been reading your blog a few weeks now. I’m a fan of where you’re coming from with the compassion for yourself and listening to your arms and suchlike (what wise arms you have b.t.w.).
My favourite bit so far was your “Pirate queen” metaphor invention/transition the other week. I did a couple of courses some years ago on Symbolic Modelling a.k.a. Clean Language, which was extremely fab (don’t know if you know it – it’s basically all about metaphors though). So I kind of know the territory of metaphor exploration, but I hadn’t particularly been thinking about it recently. But your post reminded me of all that, and I’ve just been developing a new metaphor for “my thing”, and it is v good. So thank you.
Jennifers last blog post..Information as activist resource
I’m a day late, but *SO* with you on the saying “no” thing. Overscheduling adds so much to my stuckness. But I’m learning.
The hard:
– Again with the lack of motivation to do the stuff that really needs to be worked through to make room for the fun. I’m having a hard time figuring out where this resistance is coming from, because none of these have-to-dos are all that hard or scary. I sit down to do it and the brain instantly freezes.
– I have a show in five days. I’m not nearly as prepared as I want to be. Minor panic is setting in.
The good:
– Damn, my garden is starting to look really, really good, because I’ve been playing in the dirt instead of doing other stuff.
– I’m finally making progress on eradicating the awful, invasive chameleon vine that is taking over everything in the garden beds and even the yard. (But still no progress on figuring out what the hell the previous owners were thinking when they planted that stuff everywhere.)
– My second wedding anniversary was this week, and we had a nice, quiet celebration. I am so thankful everyday for my husband and our marriage.
– I got word that B&N is very interested in the book I coauthored and thus the publisher is moving up the pub date so they can do a preholiday promotion.
– My work is now officially available in a gallery outside of my immediate area. Still the same state, but the other end of the state. Baby steps.
It really has been a good week. Thanks again for the sharing your ritual and giving us the space to join in.
Lori Paximadiss last blog post..find me in Yellow Springs
Hey, guys.
Nice to see everyone doing chickens right and left. That sounded horrible. Never mind.
@GadgetGirl & Avonelle – for what it’s worth, grave avoidance seems 100% normal and forgivable to me.
It’s a hard, complicated, loaded thing. To me it seems absolutely reasonable that someone wouldn’t be inclined to do all the things that would need to be done to make it happen. Different people, different grieving/coping ways.
Anyway, if that doesn’t help, feel free to ignore it. LOVE.
@everyone else – happy happy rest of the weekend. Thanks so much for being my Friday companions. It means a lot to me!
“grave avoidance” – thanks, Havi, for that term! And thanks for your gentle, loving advice.
My relationship with my father was complicated. I could spend years in therapy trying to sort it out, but to what end? Instead, I choose to remember the good times and the attributes that I inherited from him which make me a hard-working person who isn’t afraid to back down in the face of adversity! ‘nuf said!
You’re an Olympic-level napper? Me too! Are you also in Nap Club? (The first rule of Nap Club is zzzzzzzzzzzzz.)During our honeymoon, my darling hippie took pictures of me sacked out in many tropical paradise settings. Those were some awesome and well-earned naps. I am so happy to hear you got some on your vacation – they really *are* some of the best healing time.
Ahhhh – this week. I’m complaining from the yacht again, but here it is.
The bad: no job, no energy, everything feeling like it was way too hard to do/learn/remember. Lots of reading to catch up on. Missed entry date for school. Stuck stuck stuck. Ugh.
The good: an amazing, understanding, wonderful husband and partner, two very interesting cats, and a warm roof over our heads. And finally got my blog started – w00t! (Now, I just need to start venting all the stuff that’s been building up in my head.)
Maybe you should go to Napa for your next vacation? (Sorry, I couldn’t resist…)
I just popped in here to share this article with Selma…
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_12522193?source=most_viewed
Is that a too-cute, heartwarming story or what?
Life is Good. Be Well.
Oh Havi, you need a holiday in the Outback. I have a secret holiday house, amongst the dunes and desert oaks, where you can look at the rugged peaks of an ancient canyon in the sunrise and sunset (see my blog header for the picture from our loungeroom) and at night, the kiss of million, million stars.
No streetlights, no cars, no hum drum. Just peace and crystal winter in the Australian Outback. Feel free to visit.
Amandas last blog post..Journal Work: Three Tools for Instant Problem Solving