Saturday, April 24, 2010

 What a Wonderful World...

It was getting pretty bad, you see, this thing I had come to think of as F.o.B. - Fear of Blogging. Fear of Blogging was only the beginning. After a while, I couldn't follow Twitter or Facebook, and my e-mail inbox was bulging.  Full-blown Cyberphobia. Stop it, you silly woman, I kept saying to myself, but my scolding didn't make a difference.  Totalfeckineejit asked me to come up with a poem for his anthology, (OMG. Was that a month ago?) and I promised in good faith to try - but I couldn't do it.  Whenever I tried, all that came to mind was a first line:

Once there was a woman who fell into a well...

and, well, that way lay a whole lot of self pity, which, as you are probably thinking, would be the last thing in which I should be indulging (any more). I could picture the eyes of my followers all rolling in unison (which was an odd picture, by the way). So...

 Meanwhile, the world kept on spinning. My car is a total loss for sure. The volcano in Iceland (the one Jon Stewart nicknamed Kevin) has stopped, or at least slowed down, its belching, so folks are flying in and out of England -- which bodes well for my trip.

And speaking of belching, this whole boring drama culminated in my coming down with the flu a couple of days ago. It was horrible, but it was short. I lost four pounds overnight. And maybe there's something to the idea of purging. Somehow, I feel better now.

My first clue was when I was at work yesterday. I opened the dinner I had prepared and packed - a stir fry that included pieces of Thai basil. I tasted the basil and said - right out loud - "What a wonderful world, to have a flavour like this in it."  When I heard myself say that, I knew I was on the way up. Today I've kept right on climbing. This is what I did today, before work:

I took my camera out for a ride and photographed my favourite dogwood tree. It is bedraggled and long past its best, admittedly, but I got out there and took its picture.  The ornamental cherry beside it is in better condition.  The main point of the exercise wasn't really the photograph. It was the exercise itself, the putting one foot in front of the other and walking a block uphill from the parking lot to the trees in Bowen Park, soaking up sunshine along the way, breathing.

Oh, and speaking of going for a ride, this is something I saw along the road. Actually, Jane and I spotted it the other day, but I didn't have my camera with me. This is just down the street from my house, and it makes me very curious. Maybe it's destined to be just part of the collection growing in this driveway, but maybe there'll be a horse living in the back yard before long.
 
While I was in the park, taking photos, my cell phone rang. It was Pat, an English friend of ours whom we will be visiting near London at the end of May. She told me that she is in Nanaimo, and we made arrangements to have (Thai!) lunch together on Monday. Not only was it good to hear from my friend, but it was good to have proof that people are indeed flying out of Heathrow.

Then I went to the bank and to the insurance agency, where I renewed the insurance on our second (also bedraggled and well past its prime) car, so that I'll have something to drive over to Vancouver on the 5th.

Then I went to the cable company and paid for this month's and next month's service, so that I don't have to worry about it while I'm away.

Then I went to the supermarket, and finally I came home to make my lunch and pack a dinner to take to work.

Considering that there have been days recently when I had to force myself to get up and brush my teeth, I've had a Really Busy Day.  And I feel great. I'm actually excited about my trip. I've started my checklist:  Passport. Ticket. Money. Camera. Laptop. Books.  The way I figure it, as long as I have these essentials, everything else will fall into place. They sell toothbrushes in England, after all. And underwear. If I forget anything, I'll just buy it over there.

8 comments:

RLM Cooper said...

Wow, girl! I sure am glad you are on your way back up. I hated it that you were so down... but nothing anyone can really do. You have to find your own way - and I'm so glad that you have and you are. Huge hugs to you!

Karen said...

I'm glad to hear you're climbing out of the funk. I'll be thinking of you and hoping for the best.

Sandra Leigh said...

Thank you, AM and Karen. See? Here I am, back at the computer, at 5:30 in the morning, happy to see you - though not too thrilled about being up at this hour! Off to work, now. Have a great day.

Julie said...

Hi Sandra,

So glad that you are finding your footing with greater ease. We all go through the down times, just remembering that up is an option is a good thing.

And I'm excited about your upcoming trip and expect to hear about your adventures. :)

Barry said...

One of the great things about blogging is that having nothing to say, makes a great topic for blogging, being frighten of blogging makes a great topic for blogging, not being able to write a poem for Totalfeckineejit, make a great topic for blogging.

Going to England on vacation makes a GREAT topic for blogging.

Knowing there are a whole bunch of us out here who need of Sandra fix, makes a great topic for blogging.

You just make our day with your post.

Unknown said...

Good to hear that! I have problems with the "black dog" myself, & it can get in the way of things we like--lots of times it's possible to think we don't deserve things that give us pleasure or feel fulfilling. Anyway, glad you're excited about the trip. All that Thai food sounds really good!

Sandra Leigh said...

Aye, Julie. There's the rub. Remembering.I should put a reminder on my cell phone. ;>)

Barry, the idea that you need a Sandra fix makes me grin from ear to ear. What a delightful thing to say!

John, the surprise factor was important. I think of myself as a positive person, and it was as if I'd been kidnapped and held hostage by that black dog. Big teeth, that fellow has.

Never mind. All over now. All gone. Poof.

Mary@GigglesandGuns said...

Happy to have you back! Look at all the things Barry gave you to write about -- should keep you busy for a time.
Enjoy your trip but more important, enjoy your life.

Giggles and Guns