At the worn-out end of summer, when one more day of wet southern heat seems unendurable, I start to long for fall. For the clothes, the cool nights, for saying adios to mosquitoes. Until we get a stretch of drab rainy days that settles in like the dullest sermon in the longest church service you ever endured. Will winter be this sad, I wonder. Suddenly, everything in my yard looks chewed on and just plain defeated. I can’t think of anything I want to fix for dinner. My waistband is too tight and I hate the way my hair looks. I cannot conjure up any happy endings, and it will be a long winter unless I can turn up the creative heat around here. Here’s my preliminary list of S.A.D. busters:
* Light the Lux Perpetua candles that languish on my coffee table.
* Vitamin D
* More music, less news
* Learn the words to some songs and sing along even though I can’t carry a tune. I think humming and singing off key joyfully might release endorphins, and I have a severe endorphin shortage right now.
* Stop trying to control outcomes for my kids’ lives. Trust them to prevail over adversity without my intervention. Pray to some one, some force for them to be okay.
* Remember how good working out feels when it’s over.
* Paint my front door a happy color to make me smile when I come home.
* Get rid of possessions that depress me — the bed in the spare room, the beige area rug that just lies there being dull, the ugly, uncomfortable kitchen table chairs that I’ve been too lazy to replace.
to be continued…
