Cheese and Rice!  I have managed to sad myself right into depression.  But, I’m not having it!  Nope.  Enough. 

If I had to analyze myself, I would say my mood of late has been a culmination of several pretty big events.

1) My Nannie, who was a HUGE bright loving light in my childhood, turned 90 on the 23rd.  My mom went over to England to surprise her and to celebrate her birthday.  I have to face the very real fact that the odds are I will never see my Nannie again. 

2)  Nic turns 18 next month.  I’ve done post after post on how I feel about that (click on the ‘Motherhood’ category). 

3) I think I’m having a mini-midlife meltdown.  (My first clue might have been when I dyed my hair from natural blonde to brown.)

While I am grateful for everything I have, and blessed beyond my wildest dreams when it comes to friends, family and those most important things that cannot be bought, I worry. 

I worry that I have no savings, no retirement plan, no health insurance to turn to with my very real health issues. Very easily interpreted by an imaginative mind into: I have no future.

4) I’m beat!  Seriously tuckered out.  It’s been a hell of a few years! 

I stopped drinking, asked for a divorce, got the divorce, was almost homeless, was unemployed, moved, got a job, got my smile back and started a blog to share it all.  Throughout all of that I’ve dealt with my heart condition, my lung disease and penny by penny, caught up with past due bills and by the grace of God – I made it! 

But jeez – sometimes a nap is in order after such exertion. 😉

5) The tooth.  This will be the last time I mention it. (Until I get it pulled, then I’m all up in your eyes with a post about that) But being physically knocked off my perch was the final straw for this camels back. 

But here’s the thing –

• Not once have I wanted to drink through any of this. 
• My Nannie is alive and amazing
• My son is here – and we have an outstanding relationship
• I am not hungry. (OK, I’m a little bit hungry lol, but I have food, just can’t chew)
• I am not homeless
• I can afford my medicine
• I woke up this morning
• the bills ARE paid
• I have an appointment to handle the tooth

I have got to focus on the positive, because God hasn’t let me down yet.

So what the heck am I doing not using that smile?

I’m glad I blogged about how I was feeling at the time though.  I hope that maybe someone who feels like I felt, but wouldn’t say what I said – knows that there is ALWAYS the choice to decide to be happy anyway.

I am grateful.  I am loved.  I am human.  And I’m going to have times when I feel overwhelmed – and those times will teach me how to be stronger, without putting armor on.  I have learned to reach out.  I have learned I don’t have to put on my wonder woman cape.  I am enough. 

I’ve done an awesome job of climbing over obstacles, and even though my muscles are a bit sore (I really should stretch before all that climbing), it’s so great to get to the other side.

Out of the dark, up and over into the light of my loved ones. 

(Oh, and poor Teddy, getting dragged into such a somber post.  I owe him his own.  He’s been through a LOT with me.)