letting go

the view in our backyard today

Thanks for all the sympathetic responses to my whiny post the other day! Sometimes I think that maybe I'm addicted to stress. Stress hormones are nasty little chemicals in the body, but it seems like one could be just as addicted to them as to the nice things, like serotonin or endorphins. Any health scientists out there care to weigh in?

Any rate, this week I just had to make the decision to let go of my stranglehold on stress. It came after I had been short, grouchy, or just plain obnoxious to almost everyone I know, culminating in a truly awful interaction with a colleague who is a close friend, and who - thankfully - called me out for it. Ugh! Who is this b*tchy crab that's taken over my brain??

That b*tchy crab needed to calm the F down. I went to bed on Thursday night with these awful knots in my neck that I've had for months, and when I woke up they were even worse. I felt so awful on Friday, between the neck knots, spring allergies and my addiction to being the grouchiest, most stressed-out person around, that I decided something had to be done.

To warm the hearts of all the list-makers, here's a list of what I did yesterday to exorcise the b*tchy crab:
- decided I didn't want to be stressed out anymore
- stopped freaking out about all the work I have to get done
- bought a keyboard and mouse, and put my laptop up on a riser. Remember that neck pain? I think it may be on the way out.
- had a leisurely lunch with a lovely friend outside on a beautiful Friday
- took my computer outside and worked in the fresh air all afternoon
- went to an extra yoga class after work -- it kicked my behind in a most excellent way
- had a late dinner with my sister
- started a new knitting project

I think the first item on the list was the most important, because it allowed me to do all the other things on that list. And I do feel vastly better. And I started a new knitting project! I think I've mentioned the idea for this project before -- it's a kids' design that I dreamed of and then actually remembered when I woke up. All I did was wind the yarn and make a gauge swatch, but that's pretty exciting. Now I can actually start knitting it! And that can only be good for knotty necks, right?

Last thing: My sister sent me this great video clip. Our motherland of Southern New Jersey (now I'm out of the closet) was featured on the Colbert Report. This video is just a tiny preview of all the bizarre gigantic statuary along one of the main highways that bisects south Jersey. With scenery like that, who could be grouchy?