10.29.23
It is a cold one out there! All of a sudden, we went from a balmy 45 degrees earlier this week to a rather chilly 19 degrees at five o’clock in the morning just like that! Rather takes a bit of getting used to! Yet there is something to be said for getting up early, leaving the warmth of your bed and padding into the living room, putting a kettle on to boil while you light a fire in the wood stove. Soon the crackling of burning logs joins the sound of the kettle singing away and a house that was a tad chilly becomes a warm and welcoming home.
Life is so often like that. Things can go from wonderful to wicked in a heartbeat then with the simple rekindling of your soul, a flame can once again stir within to warm and comfort you. How easy it is to focus on the negative when life throws you a curve ball. Yet if one is willing and looks hard enough, one can always find a positive thought which often is enough to give one that spark that ignites into a flame.
This sudden cold snap, although not unexpected because Mother Nature was giving us lots of hints, zapped my “glass half full” attitude. My Bell’s Palsy, always very sensitive to weather changes, flared up and left my face tight and incredibly sore. When this happens, especially if it comes with a dose of stress – which it did! – brings forth the fear in me that a full lapse is imminent. Knowing the warning signs of an oncoming Bell’s Palsy attack, the dread that I will once again fall victim can be quite terrifying. Forcing myself to relax, frequently applying hot packs, continually telling myself I am fine and will get better, is a chore but it usually works. Although feeling as if I have run full tilt into a barndoor, the left side of my face is finally succumbing to my pampering. I will be fine.
When episodes such as this hit me, I often resort to giving myself a good talking to. I look around me and feel blessed for the life I have. The dogs are laying in their respective spots by the fire which by now has the living room toasty warm. I am ready to get myself another cup of tea then turn the coffee pot on, so a good brew is ready for Darrell when he gets up. As I peek out the front window, the moon, full and bright with Venus sparkling close by, throws an ethereal light on the frost covered ground.
Tossing another log on the fire, stroking the heads of Bonnie and Bella as I head to the kitchen to add sugar and milk to my teacup, gratitude floods though me. Coming back to sit in my easy chair a sense of peace fills me as I hold the thought in my mind that we will never be given a burden more than we can bear. I know I can weather this storm for already, as I sit here putting my thoughts down on paper, I feel my glass refilling.
