Sometimes it’s just the littlest things that either bring us down or help build us back up…
I spent my entire Saturday in a hormonal stupor.
I wore a path between the bathroom, the kitchen, and my couch.
When I wasn’t pacing, I sat with my computer on my lap, wandering back and forth between Facebook, my blog, and open files that need my attention.
And then there was my handy dandy iPhone with its guilty little pleasure apps called Dragonvale and Candy Crush Saga (Level 140 and counting.)
It’s been quite a while since my hormones induced such an overwhelming urge to eat and eat and EAT, followed by lethargy and outright fatigue.
When Big Guy asked us to go play tennis, it took a bit of nudging from Warren before I finally agreed to go.
Wonderful man that he is, he used my own words against me, actually, they are my sister’s words that I’ve repeated many a time: “When you least feel like doing something is when you likely need it the most.”
So, off we went, bundled in cold weather gear and gloves to chase brightly colored pink and yellow balls around a court.
Ten minutes after we arrived it began spitting that white stuff!!
But it was good to get out in the fresh air, and I did feel a little better, especially after returning home to a good long soak in our hot tub.
In addition to my whacked body chemistry, I was also beginning to feel sick over a situation I had little or no control over.
The farm we live on has a second home on the land, one that the original land owner elders built when they sold out to their son.
As we own all the way around the structure, we purchased the house many years ago; having some say in who your neighbors are is better than any fence could ever be.
The family of three plus one dog that moved in their five years ago has blossomed into two adults, two children, and two dogs, and they’ve simply outgrown the space.
The first time they came and talked to us about the rental, they discussed wanting to get their financial affairs in order, to take care of the debt mistakes they’d made when they were “young and foolish”, and to be able to buy their own place.
Each year, when they’ve resigned the lease agreement, they’ve talked about the progress they’d made; their pride and excitement about their progress evident in every conversation.
It appeared that they would have to wait one more year, but within two months of renewing the contract with us, the bank called with the exciting news they’d been waiting for and they found their dream home.
I advertised in every conceivable column in print and online, hoping to secure new tenants for the December availability.
The holidays are the worst possible time to rent housing, especially if you are discretionary.
The closer November 1 came, the more worried I grew for all of us, as Warren and I certainly can’t absorb the mortgage, and I knew this family would be hard-pressed to make those payments, too, even though they had acknowledged their responsibility to pay rent for the duration of their commitment.
I’ll spare you the boring details, but after some creative thinking and negotiations, we finally signed with a young couple who have been looking for a place just like the home we have to offer.
Just this afternoon, we finalized the details and as they signed on the dotted line, I felt as if a world of weight was being lifted from my shoulders.
Once that was done, I opened the pile of Saturday’s mail.
I couldn’t help but smile at this greeting card!
Last week my mother sent me this birthday wish…
The note at the top says, “76 more days until the big 50”
The bottom note says, “50 is the new 30.” Honestly, I’m kind of looking forward to fifty and have no desire to go back to the tumultuous thirties! Ha…
But I couldn’t help but smile and feel all warm and fuzzy inside, even more so when I opened this most recent correspondence…
Clearly, there are many people who dread this milestone birthday, but I can’t say as I fall into that category.
Do I feel like 50?
Yes, my muscles are a bit tighter than they’ve always been, and my chiropractor and masseuse are two of my favorite people.
And, yes, I’m also happy to finally be able to answer the question of what I want to be when I grow up.
I’m delighted and humbled and relieved that Warren and me and our kids survived young adulthood and trauma and death and life’s grievances big and small.
For those of us who have our children in our mid-to-late twenties and early thirties, fifty is the beginning of the next chapter of our lives.
I actually feel younger than I expected I’d feel when I imagined turning fifty with two years to go before the Empty Nest…
That said, I never felt anxious about it.
The only birthday I’ve ever dreaded was nineteen, and that’s because I thought I was going to have to morph into an adult overnight, and I had no freaking clue how I was going to pull that one off.
A little teaser… I’ve been debating how to open the speech I’m giving at TEDxSFA in February, and I’m thinking about this story…
Since turning forty-nine, I’ve been thinking about doing something grand, something I’ve never done before, to celebrate this milestone.
As a way to stay focused on this goal, I participated in my first 5K last May and became part of The Cure.
I had thought about going to Nigeria to visit a friend who’s teaching there, but she doesn’t have any time off during my February break, and then there’s the little thing called vaccinations that I hadn’t thought of far enough in advance…
But honestly, I can’t think of any BIGGER or BETTER way to celebrate than to present my life’s work on one of the greatest platform stages of all time…TED…
There’s no place I’d rather honor fifty than right there, in Nagadoches, TX!
The people…good old southern hospitality…and those endlessly bright skies!
A few days of abundant sunshine is sure to chase away any of the blahs the dark, northeast’s winter skies might bring.
I imagine the warmth will be a little like these gorgeous fall flowers that greet me every time I walk through our kitchen…
Color, exercise, humor, relief, and my mother’s love…these are a few of the Moments that offset my stress this week… What about you? What modest Moment(s) nourished your happy last week? Share them here and spread a little joy…
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