Winter Gray Days ... Again!

 

I woke up this morning and the morning was already settled into a perfect shade of winter gray ... again!  

I didn't have anything pressing on my morning agenda ... nothing that couldn't wait ... in fact, I mused, why do I even have lists of things to do when I get everything else done?  If it can wait, it's not really that important any way ... Why even keep a list?  That made me smile ... Haven't even had my coffee and I'm already giving myself a headache!  

Gray days are my worst days.  They seem to drench me in a gray mood ... not happy, not sad ... ambivalent ... If I am already down, a gray day can shove me under the covers and deeper into my pillow.  If I am in a better mood with lots to do, I don't pay any attention to the gray.  I pretend it isn't there like a hole in my stocking that no one but me can even see.  

Today, with nothing better to do, I looked GRAY in the face and SMILED!  I'm gonna beat this gray thing today.  I'm not going to hide from it.  I'm not going to ignore it.  I'm going to use it to work for me.  

I'm going to pretend I'm in elementary school art class and the teacher handed me a gray sheet of paper ... How can I liven up a gray piece of paper? 

PLAY !?!?!   

I needed a little light and a little warmth so I decided to light a few candles.  I love candles!  In fact, if a few are good, several are even better!  

That reminds me of a new trick I found.  I had a jar candle that I wanted to put in a crystal vase, but I needed to find a way to balance the jar in the vase and there wasn't enough room for those little glass bubbles.  I remember seeing someone put sand in between two candles, but where am I going to find sand in February and besides, sand might scratch the crystal ... but ground coffee wouldn't so I used ground coffee in between the jar and the vase to hold the jar in place.  Know what happened when I lit the vanilla candle?  It warmed up the coffee and the whole house smelled like one of those fancy coffee shops!  Try it!  It works great!    

There was a bulldozer working in the neighbor's yard so I put my favorite CD on and turned it up to drown out some of the noise.  Hey!!!  That's nice!  I even danced a little on the way into the kitchen.  

Tea!  I need a good cup of hot tea!  My favorite tea is licorice spice, but I change favorites about every other week.  I reached into the canister and picked Tuscany Orange Spice ...   

Hmm ... not bad so far.  My gray day is brighter with candles, happier with music and now it tastes like orange and spice ... Now, just like an elementary child, I need to use my imagination.

My sister gave me a porch swing for Christmas.  I love to swing! 

I took my tea and a cozy quilt and sat on the back porch, just thinking of all the things I am thankful for.  I have been doing that ever since I started recovery ... counting my blessings ... In the beginning, it took almost all day to find even one thing to put on that list!  It became a habit, and today, I really do have a lot to be thankful for.

Going over this next week in my mind, I made a big pot of chili and a roast this weekend and froze them in smaller portions ... which means I won't have to cook as much this week ... which means instead of planning meals, I can walk a mile or two more.

What can I think of next?  

The music I put in is a Bobby Darin tape.  That music was way before my time, but I have always loved the old movies and the love stories and the innocent way the world viewed itself.  I thought about the clothes ... tailored suits or flowing gowns in silks and satins.  I loved the look ... the curls ... the matching bags and shoes ... simple pearl necklaces and soft sweaters ...

I know what!  I'm going to curl my hair and paint my fingernails pink and wear a sweater to match!  

I have a black leather coat and boots.  It's a little colder today.  I could wear my new scarf with all the colors, even pink!  I could wear those dressy wool slacks.  I haven't been able to wear them for a while but I have lost weight. 

I could even go shopping or meet a friend for lunch ... I haven't gone out much lately.  I don't know why.  I guess I wasn't in the mood.  I am in the mood today!

I am?  

It's a boring gray day and I forgot it was a boring gray day!  Isn't it amazing what a few candles, a little music, a cup of tea, curls, finger nail polish, a soft sweater and pearls can do?  It wasn't all that?  What was it then?  

ME!  

I am the difference in this gray day!  I chose to put color in this gray day and I lit it up from the inside.  Sunny days and blue skies are just plain HAPPY ... but when the sun takes a break and the blue has gone away, I can make own sunshine!  

On gray days, I get to make my own sunshine?  

KEEEWL !!!!!  

I think I like gray days!