Is it me - or are you dealing with a lot right now, too?

Hey it’s me staci b!

Everyone at the Thanksgiving dinner I attended, except for me, got hit with COVID. I’ve had three friends in the hospital with serious issues. The stupid head cold that took up residence in my sinuses has refused to leave despite multiple eviction notices. I chose to leave a professional situation that wasn’t working for me and the reverb of decisions like that is for real.

Calgon, take me away! (if you’re too young to get that reference, google it!)

There are two things that have gotten me through these experiences with my sanity in tact.

First of all, laughter. You can’t have enough of it. Quick story. After finding the contents of the tall kitchen bag I left for the garbage truck strewn on the sidewalk, I realized I needed to buy a trash can. In my defense, I’ve lived in an apartment for eight years where I just dumped my bag into a can and that was the end of my involvement.

I did my due diligence. I didn’t want wheels because they break so easily. I wanted a secure lid. And I didn’t want to pay $60. I ordered one from Lowes, picked it up curbside where the lovely young woman put it in the back seat. I forgot about it until I got home several hours later. When I pulled it out of the car, I thought I was being punked.

It literally comes up to my crotch. It tickled my funny bone in a way I cannot explain. Since that moment, friends I’ve shared this photo with have laughed along with me at the ridiculousness of it. The laughter the Leslie Jordan of trash cans has generated is beyond welcome - from imagining the reactions of the people on the garbage truck to imagining how I could decorate it with vinyl stickers, googly eyes and a tail!

Laughter buoys the spirit in ways nothing else does.

The other thing that has kept me sane is taking my own damn advice and returning to the practice I created in self-care journal I wrote. Exploring where I am and what I need to have the kind of experience I want this day has been a lifesaver. If you want a copy for you or a friend, click on the link below.

Keep doggy paddling! Til next time…