Things That Make Me Tick

There are certain things that make me feel normal. They make me feel organized, prepared, adult-like and fulfilled. I realize after 25 years that not everyone enjoys cleaning like I do. Not everyone enjoys organizing shoes by height of heels, or clothes by sleeve length, but these things make me feel ready. Of those things, many of them have fallen to the wayside in the last 4 weeks.

On Sunday evening I went grocery shopping for the first time in about two months. How did I survive you ask? By eating popcorn, ice pops and random frozen veggies I had, of course. When enough was enough and only a slice of cheese and a bottle of water remained in my fridge, I admitted defeat and headed to my own personal hell: Wal Mart. It just so happens that there is one across the street from my apartment and after all, they claim their prices are cheaper than their competition- so I gave it a shot. Almost $300 later, I have so much food I am convinced I could feed a small country. You name it, Ive got it. Something about having food, snacks, lunchmeat and juice make me feel like the world is mine for the taking. For this reason alone, I predict many more weeks will pass before I return to the store once again.

Watering my plants always makes me feel good too- an admitted plant killer in recovery; I have managed to keep THREE plants alive on my balcony for almost FOUR whole years now. Granted, they are some of the hardest plants to kill and are basically fool proof in their needs, but they look pretty and give my balcony that something extra. Also due to my epic trip to the grocery store, an adorable and round little pumpkin has found a home on my balcony.

Paying bills, while annoying and serves as a painful reminder of my adulthood, I like putting the stamps on the envelopes and setting it all aside for mailing the next day. Who knew that gas, electricity, rent and cable could make me feel so efficient? On that same note of "necessary evils" eating breakfast helps me feel ready to conquer the day. It has been drilled into my head for as long as I can remember that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but that doesnt change the fact that Id rather sleep the extra ten minutes than get up and fix myself breakfast. I will admit, however, that on the days I eat on my way to work or once I get to work (I keep oatmeal in my desk) I feel so much better. I know, I know. You would think I would learn the error of my ways and make time to eat every morning, but alas, I do not.

Working out always makes helps me feel good- both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, I am one of those that fall into one of two patterns:

1) Not working out at all (and eating/drinking everything in sight)
2) Working out every single day without fail and counting every single calorie I consume.

I desperately need to find a balance between the two- I always have an excuse. Work makes me exhausted, I feel guilty leaving Molly in her kennel an extra hour every other day (I DO realize I could take her on a walk but her stamina is even worse than mine), or I just plain dont feel like it because something more fun and less sweaty came up.

And of course, blogging makes me feel productive. As cliché as it may sound, getting online and writing really helps me clear my head. When I dont have time to do so, I have all kinds of ideas, problems, complaints, stories and lists running through my mind. Sitting down and sharing it all with you (the lucky ones) makes me feel calm and at peace. It doesnt have to be about anything important, or anything earth shattering, I just need to get on every now and then and write about whats on my mind.

The moral of the story: the blog lives on- even if I write on here half as often as I used to.