The beginning of September has been challenging mentally. While I am normally prepping for my fall week of mania, where my mind is aflutter with all of the ideas and creative projects I want to prep for the winter, I have been hit with a mild depression instead. This is totally out of the norm, and I think is a direct result of feeling empathy for J for two significant life changes she went through recently. I think my “mompathy” kicked in and all of the grief that she is too busy to feel right now hit me like a ton of bricks. 

It started around Thursday the 10th and persisted over the weekend. I told my workout buddy that I was feeling down and didn’t know how to snap out of it. I tried exercise. I tried good food and lots of water. I tried sleep. I tried doing something good for the community. Nothing seemed to work. Finally on Tuesday night I meditated and asked the universe how long I had to be sad, because I could be sad for my daughter, but I needed an end time. I heard back 70 more hours. I could do that. That’s less than three days. I could do three days.

On Wednesday morning, a friend’s post on my Facebook feed reminded me to leave room for magic, and I reminded myself that the magic of the universe dictated I only had two more full days of feeling down.  My workout buddy brought me a gift basket with a rainbow rose, fine chocolates, a pair of fuzzy socks and a Teen Beat magnet she found with Corey Haim, Kirk Cameron, and other 80’s heart throbs. I was so touched that she cared for me and wanted to help lift my spirits.

Later that evening we went to Coyote Wisdom, a mystic shop near Old Town, with our friend and crochet teacher. We looked at all of the crystals and spells and tarot cards and all of the other whimsical, magical trinkets that a mystic shop holds. I picked up a worry stone that had “Healing” inscribed on it and a rainbow crystal necklace. The three of us then went to dinner at Cancun, my most favorite Mexican restaurant that happens to be in downtown Grand Ledge, half a mile from my house. We laughed and gabbed over Mexican food and chips and queso, and I forgot how healing it is to be with other women. I mean, I can tell my BFF anything, but he is a dude and sometimes things call for a woman’s perspective. I haven’t had true girlfriends like my workout buddy and crochet teacher (I would use their initials, but they both have initials that match my kids’ initials and that just gets confusing) since college, and I feel like I can be my true self around them and they accept me without judgment. It is only by the magic of the universe that we crossed paths to begin with, and our connection is truly cosmic.

On Thursday I woke up feeling lighter, and I could visualize my happiness meter at 90%. One more day. At that thought, I felt immensely better and The Mayor and I went to BJs, where I whistled back at the robot and picked up a halloween shirt. When the theme from Flashdance came on over the loudspeaker and I couldn’t help but wiggle, I knew I would be okay. 

By Friday morning I had a psychiatrist’s appointment, and I was back to normal. I filled him in on my recent sadness and he was supportive and affirmed my pinpoint of the trigger. It was so important that I didn’t get stuck in the sadness—I asked for a sign from the universe, was told 70 hours, and my body responded. I don’t know if I tricked myself into feeling better or if biochemically I just needed to process all of the changes in my sphere and it just took about a week. Either way, I feel better.

On Saturday, we celebrated a return to normalcy. It was Mystery Date day, the Destiny version, where I surprised the Mayor with a mystery date this time. We went to a glass blowing class at Delphi Glass, where our instructor Roy walked us through blowing glass into decorative pumpkins. For the very first time, we did an activity that neither of us had done before and we had no skills whatsoever, so neither of us had any advantage. It was such a wonderful experience. I went first and when I tapped my pumpkin off the rod, my entire face lit up with joy. I was so proud of the Mayor for being open to trying something new and for creating something beautiful with his own hands. We ended Saturday with an impromptu trip to see Jim Gaffigan at the Fox Theater in Detroit. The Fox is architecturally stunning and Gaffigan was a treat. It was a perfect evening. 

I am grateful to my friends, who continue to lift me up when I need it. I am grateful to The Mayor, who supports me when I am not 100% and celebrates me when I am. And I am grateful for the magic of the universe, that somehow places messages that I need to see within my scope. They reminded me to leave room for magic to happen, and when I did, I was not disappointed. 

I love you all, some more than others 💜🌻