Monday's Energy

That's right! I'm going.

A January Monday in New England has a lot stacked against it, as far as good, positive energy goes. Monday. January. Bleah. But yesterday I began the day by bringing my Squam registration to my local post office--it's the closest, even though it's not the one in my town, because once you go over the river you're in a tiny little jut from the neighboring town, until you cross the river again--that's what was explained to me when I tried to puzzle out why I was in a different zip code. It's a small place in an old building near the river and the Amtrak tracks, and it's just about always the same woman working when I go in. There is never a line, and she always gives me her full attention and answers my questions about things like international shipping and the best way to track an envelope as it travels 30 miles north. She wasn't there when I mailed off a (late, obviously) package between Christmas and New Year's, so yesterday I asked if she'd enjoyed her time off, and she had, except for the very end, when an expected but still sad event finally occurred. It's her story, not mine, so I'll leave it at that, except to say that she clearly wanted to talk about it, and I'm glad I couldn't wait to mail my envelope and so went early instead of fitting the post office in on the way to my doctor's appointment, because that meant I had time to stand, and listen, and talk, about the sad thing and other things as well. A nice break in her day, she said, and I like that I know the person who mails my important things, and I hope being able to talk to someone removed from the sad but willing to listen helped.

And then I went to the doctor's for a follow-up on my Lyme, and he said that since I'd taken almost all the 30 days of doxycycline and it was making me feel so, so awful, I could stop. O happy day.

And then throughout the day I received lovely supportive comment after comment on my post about Squam (and I have tried to get back to everyone I can or visit blogs if I can and if I haven't managed to, please know that I was happy to read each one and touched, too), and was amazed to see the post linked to from the Squam blog, and I hadn't realized I was feeling and writing what so many others have felt, in one way or another. And throughout the day I'd check into the Ravelry Squam group and participate in the excitement there, and boy, there's no antidote for New England January like registering for an amazing event in June. Spring will come, that's for sure.

And when I picked my boys up from school I told them I'd mailed off registration for a creative summer camp for adults, and I was so excited, and my 7yo said, You won't even come home at night? And my 10yo said, Whose car are you taking? (Because he loves when all three kids get driven around in his dad's car, because he gets to ride in the front seat) and Will you show us what you make when you get home? My 3yo had already assumed she got to go, too, but we'll work on that. The kids were happy for me, is the point, and periodically throughout the day I'd think about that envelope in the mail and say, I'm just so happy, and my 3yo would say, Good, Mama. Good.

And if that all wasn't enough, I also began Stephanie Levy's Creative Courage e-course yesterday, in hopes of gaining some clarification on what (if any) creative goals I may have. Maybe I'm destined to always be a dabbler and a putterer. Or maybe not. Maybe this will help me figure that out.

And finally, I finished a quick-deadline gift knit last night, so now I can finally make something else. The second one (yes, it was in two parts!) is blocking, and I will post it (here) and then post it (through my friendly local-but-not-in-my-town post office) on its way, soon.

Oh, I hope your Monday was a good one, too.