The State of Things: March

It’s the start of a new month! And in a few short weeks, a new (long-awaited!) season will be upon us. Those are reason enough to rejoice.

The things is, I haven’t been doing much rejoicing. I feel as though I’ve been hanging in mid-air, ready for a drop, ready for a button to be pushed or a command to be given. I’m suspended but there are no time-outs, however much I may need them. 

In lieu of eloquence or much clarity, I thought I’d take a cue from Kelly over at A Lovely Life Indeed. She features monthly Ahora posts (ahora means now in Spanish), outlining what’s trending in her life in a variety of different areas. Thanks for the post inspiration, Kelly!

Here’s my first edition of  The State of Things:

Weathering

It snowed a lot. I’ve never seen so much so snow in one month, or so many single-digit temperatures. The upside is, now I know that I can handle waking up to 6 degrees and taking the dog out for a walk. Triple layers? No problem! Now twenty or thirty degrees doesn’t feel so bad.

Fighting Cabin Fever

Andy and I visited two great attractions nearby: The Fields Sculpture Park at OMI International Arts Center in Ghent, and Mohonk Mountain House down in Ulster County. Taking advantage of the Hudson Valley’s abundant offerings, check!

Watching

We’ve been watching both The Walking Dead and Better Call Saul. I love Saul so far and can’t believe that a well-made Breaking Bad prequel is airing so soon after the original’s ending. Also, Jimmy Fallon never fails to make me smile, particularly when he sings:

Moving

The gym! We continued to go regularly, even on snowy mornings. I think it’s helped a lot when it comes to dealing with uncontrollable outside circumstances.

Drinking

We recently became huge fans of ImmuneShein, a great immune-boosting elixir produced right here in the Hudson Valley. My favorite variety has just four ingredients: ginger root, wildflower honey, lemon juice, and cinnamon (all organic).

Traveling

I dove into Seattle trip planning and reserved some city tours, hotel stays, and a Mount Rainier day tour. I leave next Tuesday and I’m so excited.

This past weekend, we took an impromptu trip down to my parents’ house on Long Island, and we got to see some more of this winter’s dramatic effects. Long Island Sound is the body of water in between LI and Connecticut, and since it branches off of the Atlantic, it is salt water, not fresh. I’ve never seen this much ice coating the water before– all that whiteness you see is normally water and rocky beach!

Mourning

Lastly, the reason we went down to LI is because my godmother Julia passed away last week. If you read my last two posts, you know that this has been a particularly heavy time. A friend of Andy’s passed away unexpectedly, I learned of an old friend’s suicide, and now my godmother. She was 96 and had been suffering from dementia for several years. I was closer to Julia than I was to either of my grandmothers, and at one point, than most people in my life. I’m still processing this, I admit. Up until last Wednesday, I’ve been able to say that I’ve never lost anyone close to me. And now, as I said earlier, I’m suspended. I’m missing and loving and at times on the brink of tears that never fully come.

That sums it up: Be kinder than necessary. That was Julia. That’s what I’m feeling lately.

What’s going on in your world?

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The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.       –Elisabeth Kubler-Ross