A Bad Day

Yesterday was not a very good day. So many little things happened, none of them a big deal on their own, but the entirety of it all became "too much." You know those days - I think we have to admit that we all have them from time to time.

I'm disappointed in myself though that I let My Bad Day Of Little Things get to me. I try hard not to let that happen. I try to keep my reactions in check and not make things worse by allowing it to snowball. I didn't do a very good job with that yesterday.

Eventually, I put myself in timeout. If I can't hold myself together, the least I can do is not drag anyone else down with me. Ever notice how much negativity there is online? Twitter especially seems just full of 140-character complaints. They don't do the complainer any good because most of the time the offending party will never see the issue to do anything about it. I'm not above it, by any means. But I try to remember how all of those negative messages can bring others down and that's reduced my groaning somewhat.

By the end of the night I was feeling better. I stepped back and gave myself room to settle down. I ended up on my beloved porch, in the dark, in the rain, and it was the perfect ending to an otherwise not-so-good day.

Today is Friday (Friday!) and I'm glad to see this week coming to a close. It's been very busy, mostly with great things that I didn't take the time to blog about. There have also been a lot of inconvenient things that are necessary (things like home appraisals for refinancing and estimates from plumbers and calls to the gas company over a potential gas leak in the 'hood).

I guess if this post has any point at all, it's just that we should consider the energy we bring to a place, whether it's our office, our home, or online. I know I'm going to make a stronger effort.

Six Word Saturday

some may say I'm a dreamer

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Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing. I love seeing what everyone does with their entries.

Each week (probably on Sunday or Monday), I use random.org to select a bunch of entries to visit.  Or I visit everyone. Or even numbered entries. Or odd numbered entries. Or multiples of three. Depends on what's going on that week.  In addition, please visit the person ahead of you on the list (or visit everyone if you like!). That way everyone receives at least one visit!

If you play along in your blog, please add a link to the Mr. Linky. I appreciate a link back (shiny code below if you like!). Otherwise, you're welcome to leave your six words in this post as a comment.

Please be sure to link either to your main page or (preferably) directly to the 6WS post. Links to blogs that do not contain a 6WS entry will be removed (sorry, just the button in the sidebar doesn't count as participating).

<a href="http://www.showmyface.com/search/label/6WS"><img src="http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp35/showmyface/guts/6wsButton.jpg" /></a>

Slow Love by Dominique Browning (Book Review)

The invitation to review Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness, a memoir by Dominique Browning, mentioned comparisons to Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. They shared moments of self-indulgence but the similarities ended there. Gilbert's story inspired me to embrace meditation and explore more of the world. Browning, on the other hand, umm, well, she inspired me to buy fresh mint to add to my drinking water.

The book is a short read and Browning spends most of it in her pajamas, eating cookies and feeling sorry for herself after she loses her job as a magazine editor. In her 50s, establishing a new “normal” is quite overwhelming.

It’s understandable that she would experience a period of shock and even mourning. In addition to the loss of her job, she also spends an inordinate amount of time dwelling on her last relationship with an unavailable (aka still legally married) man. She makes only cursory attempts to improve her circumstances until finally she gets her act together in the closing pages.

There are lovely vignettes but the prolonged look into the dark days only served to bring me down with her. It also made me want to shake her a bit and yell “you’re worth more than that, get it together!” Browning does have a story worth sharing, but the balance felt off if her intention was to inspire others to find their way out, rather than just recount her own despair.

This is a sponsored (but honest) review for BlogHer Book Club. I received a copy of the book (which I'm willing to pass along if you're interested in reading it - just leave a comment below), as well as a small stipend as compensation. For further discussion about Slow Love visit the BlogHer Book Club.

Great Week

Last week, I had a really great week. My husband was away at a conference, also having a really great week, while I stayed home and focused on reading, writing, and recharging.

I'm pleased with what I accomplished. I (mostly) turned off the tv, shut down twitter, and neglected my email. I finished reading four books, making my goal of 30 for the year, and started two more. I'll finish one of those today or tomorrow. I also painted and made major progress on my book idea. There was also some exercise, meditating, and blogging.

What's this mean? It means, among other things, that I'm going to repeat my little digital vacation from time to time. It also means I'm going to be more in-tune with creating what I want, when I want. As far as what that means for this blog, I'm not sure. It might end up meaning I blog more. It might mean less. It might mean twice on Monday and nothing for the rest of the week. (Six Word Saturdays will remain unchanged.) I might start blogging crazy (-ier than usual) stuff. Or more serious stuff.

I have no idea. The intent for the week wasn't to come out of it with a schedule. It was to really focus on the things I wanted to do, which I did, and which I plan to keep doing.

Six Word Saturday

sorry husband but... Best Week EVER!!!

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Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing. I love seeing what everyone does with their entries.

Each week (probably on Sunday or Monday), I use random.org to select a bunch of entries to visit.  Or I visit everyone. Or even numbered entries. Or odd numbered entries. Or multiples of three. Depends on what's going on that week.  In addition, please visit the person ahead of you on the list (or visit everyone if you like!). That way everyone receives at least one visit!

If you play along in your blog, please add a link to the Mr. Linky. I appreciate a link back (shiny code below if you like!). Otherwise, you're welcome to leave your six words in this post as a comment.

Please be sure to link either to your main page or (preferably) directly to the 6WS post. Links to blogs that do not contain a 6WS entry will be removed (sorry, just the button in the sidebar doesn't count as participating).

<a href="http://www.showmyface.com/search/label/6WS"><img src="http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp35/showmyface/guts/6wsButton.jpg" /></a>