Some Nights Cherries, Others Pits

Erma Bombeck was a wonderfully positive person, who made me laugh.  She took ordinary things and made them apply to every woman in America.  She had a sense of humor and shared it with the world.  She was just an ordinary person who did extra-ordinary thinking.

Tonight/this morning I need Erma Bombeck to whisper in my ear and tell me how to look at some things with her humor.  I wonder if she ever wrote about headaches.  I wish I knew, because tonight/this morning I would love to hear her take on a bad headache.

I have often wondered why things seem worse at night.  Babies seem sicker at night. Aches and pains seem worse at night.  Loneliness is worse at night.  Little problems seem bigger at night.  You get the idea. 

I went to bed earlier than usual last night.  I was tired, for no real reason, and I was bored with the movie we were watching, so I went to bed.  My DH had flipped my mattress earlier in the day, and put clean sheets on the bed, and I suppose I just wanted to try it out.  So I did.  I fell asleep fast, which for me is unusual.  I slept soundly until 3:00 am.  That is when my headache woke me up.

I tiptoed to the kitchen and got a few Pita Chips to eat witha big glass of water and 3 Ibuprofen.  Then I tiptoed back to bed.  I tossed and turned for awhile and then dozed off.  Only 30 minutes passed and I was awake again.  That is when I thought about Erma Bombeck.  What would she do at a time like this.........?  I decided it was time to get out of the "bowl of pits" and get into "the bowl of cherries". 

So here I am.  And I am wondering what the heck am I doing?  There aren't any cherries in Idaho in February.  Besides, it is -6 degrees right now so why would there be cherries?  We do have beautiful designs on our storm doors that Jack Frost painted recently...maybe, about the time I went to bed.  I wish I could take a picture of them, but I am not going to as my head hurts and I can't walk. But I have memorized them in my little pea brain.  And trust me, they are beautiful designs.  If you haven't had a relationship with Jack Frost lately, you are missing out on some spectacular designs.  Hollywood designers should try and re-create these designs on a long gown for the Oscars.  The dress would win!  However, Hollywood designers would forget to make the fabric opaque......they have a problem doing sensible things like that.  I bet Erma Bombeck has an opinion like mine.  Opaque is good in clothing, don't you think?

Yesterday I had physical therapy (again).  I was on the treadmill....and I just didn't have any energy.  I hadn't had much all day, but I think someone tied weights on me when I wasn't looking so when I got to the treadmill I wondered how I was going to do it!!

I have a friend who runs.  She is amazing.  She runs early every day..and I read her blog about running.  Some days she doesn't feel "inspired" but she does it anyway.  So, when I was on the treadmill I thought about her.  I visualized her thick long brown hair in a pony tail.  I thought about her iPod and the music she listens to.  I thought about her running past cactus and under street lights.  I imagined running next to her, and how easy the treadmill would seem to her.  Then I made the mistake of looking down at the treadmill panel and saw that I had gone .05 miles.  What?  How?  I had passed cactus and street lights!! 

I wonder now how I had thought all those thoughts, and I thought a huge amount of time had passed and I had only barely begun!  I really thought I had "day dreamed" for about 5 minutes!  It was only about 5 seconds.  How was that possible?  I must confess that I only lasted 10 minutes on the treadmill.  I only went .40 of a mile.  I just didn't have the energy to do it.  I needed my friend with me, talking me through it and helping me lift my feet and put one in front of the other one, and repeat, over and over. 

With a poor showing at physical therapy and a headache, I am going to blame it on the barometric pressure and the clear sky.  Also, the fact that 2/3rds of the country got fresh snow and we didn't.  Yeah, that is the reason.  Some people who want it to snow don't get what they want.  So, instead, they spend hours watching the weather channel and trying to project themselves through space so they can feel the wind and the snow on their face.  When it doesn't work, they go to bed early.  They dream about Erma Bombeck and a skinny girl who runs....and loves her life "in the bowl of cherries" she has.  She is grateful to be loved and warm.  She is so happy to have her 7 month old grandson and his mom visiting her.  (She wants her other 2 kids and their loved ones to be here too, but she has to wait until it warms up outside) 

Waking up in the wee hours of the morning is good for the soul.  It is quiet, and a great time to reflect on all the blessings we have.  Today, I am grateful I went to bed early, so I feel rested.  I am grateful for a headache so I could spend this quiet time counting my blessings.....cherries, below zero temperatures, skinny running friends, good books who influence our lives, and a fire in the fire place.  Yep.  Life is good!  I think I will make a cherry pie today.  Want to come and eat it with me?  You are welcome anytime!