LOOKING BACK: FINDING WAYS TO “CHASE AWAY THE BLUES”

Good morning!  It is Friday, but today I’m going to share some thoughts about Mondays…blue Mondays.  And I’ve dug into my archives here and found a post from two years ago:  December 22, 2014.

I had just moved this blog over from Blogger…I got tired of the issues I was having there, and my other blogs were at WP.  Not that there aren’t issues here, too.  But I felt comfortable with most of them.

The “Blues” seems to be a recurring theme for me, not only on Mondays, but during the holidays.  So in this excerpt, I am remembering what I was feeling back then…and what I did to overcome the “down in the dumps” feeling.

 

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I love Mondays!  Seriously, I do.  But I used to hate them.  Which is one reason that I am now celebrating, via this blog, the absence of Blue Mondays.  Post-retirement, I relished being able to wake up on Mondays, or any day, and do what I wanted.  And read all day every day.

Chasing Away the Blues (through reading) is our antidote to the blues.

But some Mondays can seem blue, even now.  Like the Monday of a holiday week, with many blogs quiet and memes missing.  Yes, the bloggers need a break, too!  What does this say about me that I am so glued to my laptop and my online world?

Am I addicted?  Dependent?  Or at loose ends because I just miss those connections?

Meanwhile, however, the books, those trusty friends, are close by.  And I am now reading A Fireproof Home for the Bride, by Amy Scheibe.

 

 

 

I am frustrated by this book.  I am rooting for Emmy, the main character, but wishing she had more backbone.  But then I think…yes, I can relate to the tyranny of her home.  Many aspects of it resemble the one in which I grew up, and it took me a lot of determination to find my voice.  And I was already kind of a rebel.

Eager to find out what she does to escape the tyranny, I kept reading late into the night…and hope to finish it this morning.

Some horrible things have happened to her, and I think that I would have been out of there already…and she is eighteen at the time most of these things happened.

Do you ever get annoyed with characters that seem mired in their situations?  Do you want to urge them on?

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Next, I hope to read Lillian on Life, another review book…but I also have some e-books on my list this week.

 

 

 

 

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Later today, I am going over to hang out with Noah, my youngest grandson.  He also loves to read, and when I went there on Saturday, we spent time at Barnes & Noble, buying books for him.  I enjoy reading and sipping their coffee while he picks out books.  We might do that again today.

 

 

 

I restrained myself and didn’t buy any books for myself that day.  I had already downloaded some e-books from Amazon.

Yesterday, the UPS man delivered a package…on Sunday!  I couldn’t believe it.  It held the cute birdhouse in the photo (below).  I collect birdhouses, and my youngest son has added to this collection over the years.  I think this one reminds him of our A-Frame house in the foothills.

 

So I am feeling very cheerful at the moment, with much to look forward to…and hey, my blues have disappeared!  Again.

Even when you have a sure-fire way to chase away the blues, do you sometimes have to reach down and plumb the depths?  Searching for that antidote?

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What brings you out of the blues during the holidays?  Besides the things I mentioned above, I love watching Netflix these days. The Gilmore Girls revival helped me last weekend.

Since we all seem to have the blues occasionally during the holidays, I ask myself what triggers the feelings?  Could it be that the cheery songs, lights, and constant parties remind me of what I don’t have in my life?  Or is it simply the passage of time?

Whatever brings me down, it is important to find ways to uplift our souls, whether it is with books, movies, or family and friends.  Let’s hang in there!

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