One of Those Days

"I still have bad days but that's okay.  I used to have bad years."  ~ Anonymous

So today is one of those days.  We all have them.  Days when we're sad, weepy, grumpy and miserable for no apparent reason.  And you know what, it is perfectly okay to have them.  No one can be on top of their game every day.  We're over-tired, our defenses are low, dreary weather drags us down and we wake up to find an engraved invitation to a pity party with ourselves listed as the guest of honor. 

If at all possible, give yourself the break your mind, body and spirit so desperately need.  Call in sick and spend the day taking care of yourself in all your favorite ways knowing that if you do, most likely you'll be back in action by tomorrow.  

So stay in your pajamas, hide under the covers, grab a box of tissue and feel all those feelings. Acknowledge them, surrender to them, wallow in them for a time, accept them and let them go.  Most importantly, don't beat yourself up.  Life is about balance. 

Think back to your playground days and the teeter totter.  Remember how it felt to be stuck at the top, your feet just dangling, helpless until the person on the bottom let you back down?  Remember how hard it hurt when they let you drop too quickly and you smashed your butt on the ground when you landed?  It was more fun and much less painful when the two of you agreed to take it easy and hang out in the middle, never going too far up or too far down.  

Don't fight the laws of nature.  What goes up, must come down but with practice, the downs won't be as jarring as they used to be.  Nothing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a day of a cartoons can't fix. 

Take care of yourself.  You're the only you you've got.