June was a tough month all around. Without going into uncomfortable detail, I can confidently say that it's been one of the toughest thus far. Andrew and I have both been taking hit after hit. While there were multiple times I was ready to accept my losses, it turned out to be the little, unexpected things that let a little light leak into those dark days. I know we all have bad days, bad weeks, and bad months, so I thought I'd round up some of the things that brought some happiness (or at least allowed me to be sad, less.)
..
 |
| Get out, get some fresh air, smell some roses. |
No one can nap as hard as I can and I challenge anyone who thinks otherwise. Unfortunately, my favorite pastime, talent, and fast-forward button did not work in my favor this month. I found myself as miserable as ever with every afternoon nap I took. Getting out, on the other hand-- something as simple as a drive to the post office-- pushed me in the right direction. After a while my apartment began feeling toxic and any change of scenery was welcome.
 |
"Good morning mommy!" - my daily Ezra text, courtesy of my mom
|
This is Ezra, he's one of the many dogs in our menagerie back home, but he is my son. I couldn't bare to take him away from home when I moved here, so he remains in the very loving care of my family. Without fail, my mom sends me a picture of him every day, and no matter what I'm going through his little face will force a smile on me. On trips to the store, I make sure to stop by the garden center simply to take a look at the succulents that grow naturally back home. Even gazing at them on a shelf brings about its own kind of serenity. She's always sure to remind me that I always have a home in Texas. I'm not one to run from any of the obstacles I'm faced with, but knowing that nothing will be final, nothing will end me completely, is its own type of comfort.
 |
| Find a way to get your fix |
One of the big hits June dealt me was job related and it hit me hard. Not because I was torn up about not having money or being materialistic or anything, but because I couldn't step out of my apartment (refer to exhibit 1 for significance) without a hundred reminders about how I couldn't afford anything at all. Groceries, an Uber, a $3 candle-- nothing. (Greatest Boyfriend Ever Lifetime Award goes tooooooo!) I was miserable. But beyond all that, I knew I had to get out and get out of my funk while I was at it. I needed my human interaction. The perfect night for this took the form of Midnight Sushi at Surin of Thailand. They're famous for their dollar sushi rolls, which make outings really affordable. I had a full meal and was able to have a good time with our friends without feeling guilty.
You might notice that Netflix or tv/movies in general didn't make my little list, and that's because I found them to do more harm than good, at least in my case. This month, I took to reading more than anything. Maybe it's that reading requires more brainpower and is able to better distract me from my reality or perhaps tv and movies have me yearning for pretty things that I realistically could not have. Whatever the deeper reasoning behind it was, I picked up some books that I'd been meaning to finish and curled up for hours at a time.
..
I'm probably more familiar with bad times than any person should be, but we unfortunately can't control that. One of my favorite phrases is "turns out rock bottom had a false bottom," and I use that when things get tougher than tough. Last month drove several storms through, but also discoveries about what I can do to counteract the effects. When you're gonna be sad, you're gonna be sad, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything about it.
