It's Insomnia, It's Day Twelve Early Hours

Here's another alarm bell warning, when exhaustion should be sending me to bed to rest and recuperate but instead I am wide awake just awaiting the crash.  *sigh*

So it's probably a good thing that the next theme is this -

Write about five blessings in your life:

Now if you have been reading this blog, and god knows I'm most likely to be the only audience, then you'll know I'm a pessimist stuck in an optimist's body - or is it the other way round?

It is hard to think of the good things but still I can account for at least five blessings right now.


My Sons

Of course, of course, of course it would be top of the list for these two.  They've made a happy woman very old!  An old photo here, about 10 years ago, but I loved watching them build sandcastles - very serious, very industrious.  Hours of fun guaranteed.  They'll be on every list where I have to name good things so get used to it.


My health

Say what?  What am I on about?  Does the ME/CFS/whatever they want to bloody call it now not count?  Yes, yes it does and I'm up at nearly 2:00 am because of it but I can still walk, I am not house bound, I am not bed bound.  This may drag me down to the very depths of despair some days, I have forgotten what it feels like to awake refreshed, being able to walk a few metres without needing to find a resting place would be marvellous but I could be a lot worse.

It's a Pollyanna moment despite what has been described as the most debilitating of chronic illnesses, one that is constantly undermined and misunderstood but it's not going to win.  I fully believe that one day it will pass and I can go back to a normal life, that's what makes me consider my health a blessing.

My hobbies

Is this a weird choice?  I don't care.  If I didn't have my sewing, my art, my writing, I would have been conquered by the black moods long ago. They give me an outlet to forget about things for a while, to get some enjoyment no matter how ill I am on a day, even if it's just looking through art books with shaking hands then it lifts the spirits.  I am so glad I have things that define me to myself.

This Little House of Mine

It may be in desperate need of some TLC but I have managed to keep a roof over our heads and in this day and age that is surprisingly difficult.  You would think in 2015 we would have worked out a way for everyone to be safe, fed and sheltered but human nature means no.

So I feel it is a blessing that, while each month is a financial juggling act and we've not the money to truly enjoy ourselves, we are housed, we have food and are relatively safe.  Many, many people are not.

Little Things

The bees who love the lavender in the garden.  Beautiful paintings accessible in galleries. Libraries in old buildings.  Listening to waves wash up on a Scottish beach.  Waving to the International Space Station as it passes overhead.  Appreciating the stars in a crisp, autumn night sky.  The wind rustling through long grass.  Pine trees carpeting the forest in their needles and the gentle creak of the wood.  Seeing a wild animal (calm down, I mean a red squirrel or something, no lions in Scotland - yet).  Watching the flowers and plants change through the seasons.  Fresh snow.  A little cottage by the sea. Standing on a sleeping volcano. Hearing a piece of music that perfectly captures the mood.  Climbing into a bed of clean, fresh sheets.  Snuggling in on a cold day.

Lots of tiny, little things that can make a life worth living.  That is a blessing indeed.