Reverb12: Day 20: Coping

Day 20: How are you coping with this time of year? Pressures at work regarding year-end deadlines, review season for those of you that are managers, holidays, parties, sad news on the news...

Well first I'll say that I'm coping well but not super well. I've skipped a lot of nights at the gym or at the yoga studio when I need it the most. I've been using any and all excuses to get together with friends and drink wine or beer. I've been looking longingly at a brown landscape wishing for snow. Mostly I've been pretty damn grumpy since Friday the 14th which is why I took nearly a week off from Reverb12.

I know about all of the coping tactics. The meditation. The breathing. The reading and staying off the Internet. The shopping online and avoiding the mall, crowds, and traffic. To tell you the truth I pretty much ran out of patience this past weekend. I got so sick of just everything...traffic, people, being nice on the phone. I had a bit of a protest and spent the entire weekend not even turning on the news.

Tonight I'm heading back to the yoga mat and tomorrow instead of attending an End of the World Party I'm going to Zumba. I'm hoping this sets the mood for a weekend of baking, family, friends, Christmas, etc. in a better way. Baking gingerbread did perk me up this week as well as a beer & pizza event last night with Massachusetts Girls Pint Out in Kenmore Square (found a meter right there...can you imagine?). I'll be baking some orange coconut cookies this weekend and meyer lemon cake on Monday. As usual I expect to be eating pork roast and roasted veggies on Christmas Eve.

Hopefully my few days of not coping well are coming to an end.


How are you coping? I'd love to hear from you.

Reverb11, Day 22: Dream

On this, the first day of winter I dare you to dream.

Not too big. Not too ridiculous. Just big enough.

Does your dream involve hiking with a llama (thinking of you, Western MA peeps)? Does your dream involve sleeping under the stars (wear bug spray--I've done it). Is your dream to rescue or foster a dog or cat from a shelter (foster programs are wonderful if you are able and willing to do it).

For me I have plenty of sunshine in my office (major plus, I may never go back to a cubicle farm). I get to spend enough time outdoors to not go stir-crazy in winter. I volunteer and give back. I may not run races or be raising children but I dream of mostly peace and quiet. Time in the woods with my snowshoes. Time to read and look out the window at my lovely neighborhood. Time to travel and have someone else pay for it (thank you, employer).

Mostly, these days I dream about rest and relaxation. Yoga. Now there's a dream I can stand behind. Yesterday I was so stressed out running errands during lunch. Downtown Westborough was a mad house. I nearly got run over twice from people too busy to *look*. I shrugged with dismay at the 15 cars waiting in line at the drive-thru instead of getting off their lazy asses to go in to Panera Bread. (burn two calories on the way in to get the giant bagel? Nah. I think I'll sit in line). Then I got to Zumba. I felt better. I forgot about the holiday madness.

Dare to dream.

Cute. I haz sunshine.

Rainy Day Fun Book

When I was little I remember having an activity book called the 'Rainy Day Fun Book'. It had various at-home activities. I wish today at work that I had a book like this.

Mostly we're just trying to have fun and combat the Mondays by eating lots of tasty food (including homemade carrot cake that someone brought in). This...was not the best approach. I actually just downed a 1,000 calorie lunch (whoops) that I hope will be offset by me taking Zumba (!) for the first time at my gym tonight. I'm a little bit scared but my skills are not that shabby considering the last time I played the dance game on Wii I did quite well. As long as I don't fall down and burn over 500 calories I'll consider it a successful class.

While we're on a healthy topic I have a gardening question I was hoping any of the readers who garden can help out with. Each year we grow some veggies we have not tried before. This year (well technically we will not be eating them until 2012) we are planting asparagus. Also leeks. If any of you have tips and suggestions for growing asparagus or leeks please do share!
(Photo credit: Eco Logic)