It's Back to Work-Back to Normal
It really hit me last night. The Holidays are over. Now comes the long stretch until Easter. Though I am really glad to be back to a routine, i.e., back to work, I dread the coming months. I don't know why, but January, February, and March are such difficult and dull months for me. In fact, they are so dull, that by the time they have passed I am so grateful for a change I actually look forward to the (Texas-HOT) summer.
Yesterday, Keith and I cleaned and cleaned and did laundry. Since we had gotten back from Houston so late Saturday, it left us with just yesterday to get everything done before returning to our regular schedules. And we were both desperate to start the new year with everything in some semblance of order. By the time we both sat down to watch TV last night it was dueling yawns. Keith bedded down at 9:30, I was determined to watch the weather, which I did manage to do, and followed at 10:20. When this morning arrived, I was not ready for it. Now how, after being off for so many days in a row, could I not be ready for a new work day to arrive? I just wasn't. I wanted to sleep and sleep, but luckily I forced myself into the shower and managed to perk up in time to make it to the office on time!
Keith agreed to put on the "patch" this morning so we are both now officially smoke free! Gosh, I hope this lasts. Having just spent the weekend at his sister's, it was a brutal reminder of just how much I have come to hate this habit. Thursday, when we arrived, we hung our clothes in her closet and I was shamed to discover the next morning that when I opened the door, the stale cigarette smell from our cloths had permeated the entire closet! Yes, I am ready to change. The scary part---is Keith? But only time will tell and I have already warned him that I will resort to "dirty play" to keep him committed.
Having just typed "...I will resort to dirty play..." I am again reminded how lucky I am to be married to this man. Ours is a marriage unmarred by the usual tensions and blackmails so prevalent in some relationships. I hardly ever "nag" Keith about anything and I can't imagine him nagging anyone . And I think it is the dramatic absence of manipulation in our relationship that allows it to actually work on the occasional times when it is necessary to implement such dirty tactics. And, of course, this smoking situation is just one of those situations. My blackmail line? "Fine, smoke! But I am going to eat all the ice cream I want and the heck with size 10........I have always liked the tunic and shift look anyway!" ;-) It'll work. ;-)
I have really been amiss with my journal entries these past weeks. I don't exactly know what was wrong with me. Aside from the obvious whirlwind that accompanied the Holidays, I just couldn't get motivated. I don't think I was depressed, but must have been somewhat down. I had actually gotten to the point of wondering what the point was of recording all this drivel. I felt like there was nothing original or new possible, considering how many things had and are being written.
But then a marvelous thing happened. I had a friend (previously unintroduced and now new ) write me and ask if I was "OK"--that she was concerned by the absence of my entries. And the possibility of meeting yet another wonderful person through this journal excited me and inspired me so much that I was eager to get moving again and start writing. I have printed out her e-mail and can't wait to sit, leisurely read and respond to her at leisure.
I have met several such people through this journal. One such friend, Margi, has been with me since the inception, I think. Shoot! I need to write her too! I am so behind, I wonder if I will ever get caught up? And the scary part is my office should swing into full gear by the end of this week and then, once again, I won't have the luxury of writing and reading during the day. Maybe if I work really hard at getting caught up I can stay caught up.
I wonder if anyone else makes New Year's resolutions? One of my stranger ones revolves around, okay, I know this is ridiculous, but--well--cleaning all the artificial plants I have. Now I don't exactly know why I worry about things like this but, I do. And I have so many of those little green suckers stashed in my house that everywhere I turn I see WORK. And *that* is driving me nuts! It's really quite sad. As much warmth and comfort as artificial plants and flowers add to a home, they just cease in this mission once they are all the same color, i.e., Dust Gray. I priced some commercial cleaning spray while shopping at Garden Ridge this weekend, but geez, the stuff is 3.98 a can. And I would need a whole lot of cans to clean all the plants in my home. Consequently, I need to get a bucket and just start wiping away at the leaves and stems with plain water and a little soap. Hopefully this will work. Either way, I will find out tonight because, being smoke free, I need to keep my hands active with tasks not related to the habit. At least, I don't think I have ever watched T.V. while washing a fig tree before.
2:30 p.m.
Just got back from lunch and my yarn purchase was successful. I now have enough brown, taupe, rust and ombre yarn to start a Southwesterny type afghan. Of course the fact that I went in with the intention of purchasing green, mauve and deep rose for a flowered bedspread never even entered into my head when I found this new pattern. I have so many more projects I want to do than time and money to do them.
Geez, work calls. Must dash off so I guess I will just upload to the site what I have here and continue rambling on tomorrow. Don't want to have to interrupt my "plant washing" tonight with computer time!
Peace and Blessings.
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