Upswing

Greetings dearly beloved cyberspacerians,

With honey chamomile in hand,

I would like to report a few things to treasure closely for darker days

1) A moment of rapturous glory. A lake of molten blue ruffled by a stiff breeze. Birds glimmering through a sky of softer sapphire - their white bellies capturing the light to reflect silver gleams. The strong pine tree and the startling white of the slender birch.

2) The warm hand of the sun to lean into and the whisper of how beloved I am

3) Remembering who I am and all that is possible. Remembering the taste of joy... and the laughter as it fills my mouth

4) Going to get my hair cut and getting a surprise hand massage in addition to the regular head and back relaxation treatment. Also, having multiple people work on me at one time (to get the job done on time) made me feel rather like a queen.

5) Being called beautiful in three different ways... once by the stylists over my hair, once by the receptionist as I paid about my smile, and once after I dressed up for dinner and actually did my makeup. After feeling (and seriously looking) like death all week, it was a treat.

Although one part of me struggles and thinks it's wrong to need words of affirmation... the other part of me realizes how much I've missed people appreciating parts of me. It may be superficial, but we all need to be admired and appreciated in various ways.