License to Gripe

So last night Dave and I were talking in bed when I realized that I've been really kind of stressed lately.

Life's just been a little hard.

Not like I need a Hallmark sympathy card. Life's been good too.

It's just been filled with some extra funky, silly, different, and difficult things lately.

And, given that I'm a major "mind over over" kind of person, I get bothered when I'm bothered.


Does that make sense?

In other words, it stresses me out when I'm stressed.

Anyway, back to my point!

As I sat there ranting to Dave about my stress, it suddenly hit me: THIS IS FUNNY. The way you're behaving is funny.

I was able to see myself as if I weren't myself--kind of like I was observing someone else having this life experience/making these choices/etc.

And I have to tell you, it was a kind of a liberating thing to do: to look at myself as an outsider. I had a lot more compassion for myself about all of the things going on.--about all I had been doing to muddle through.

In the end, I was left kind of thinking, "Well Dawn's doing the best she can."

And you know what, I know it sounds snotty, but I think that's true, "I'm doing the best I can."

And that's all I can do.

So there.

Now, because this makes me laugh--and I'm working through it--I thought I'd share a little of my "Monday Night in May Rant" with you. (PS: This definitely exposes me as a knuckle-head, but that's okay. You already know that. At least now you'll have sympathy for poor Dave. Oh, to have someone else rant to you at the end of a long workday. Those are good times.)

THINGS THAT MAKE DAWN CRANKY ON A MONDAY NIGHT IN MAY
(and yes, I've started speaking in third-person)

**********************

1. The person who sold LuLu a broken vase at the garage sale on Saturday.
Not only did they take her hard-earned money, but they sold her something DANGEROUS. Ugh.It was visibly broken and sharp; not an oversight.

2. The state of South Dakota.
Jr. had a report on South Dakota due today. I can honestly say, I've never hated a state more than South Dakota. For the love of Pete. Oh, and I think I hate 5th grade, too, now. And public school. And Windows OS. And our printer. And my computer mouse. Oh! And Club Penguin while I'm at it.

3. The weather.
No, weather-man, it did not feel like 82 degrees Monday. It felt grey, dark, and cloudy. I don't care if it warmed up. Unless I SEE the sun, there's no sunSHINE. Copy?

4. The dirty towels I folded WITHOUT KNOWING THEY WERE STILL 
DIRTY . . . until I went to use one yesterday.
WHO puts dirty towels in the dryer? (I'm telling you, when I locate the culprit. It's not going to be pretty.)

5. The dinner Dave and I ate at a local Italian restaurant Saturday.
It was THE worst food ever. Like, Gordon Ramsey would shut them down. I honestly think everything came out of a can. It was so so so so bad. Dave was laughing as soon as he got in the car and said, "I would actually purge JUST to get that food out of me." Funny, I wasn't mad about the food being bad, I was mad I PAID for bad food. I just kept thinking, "for X dollars, I could have made 12 bundt cakes, 34 loaves of bread, granola, a salad, got a filling, ANYTHING." Ugh. Live and learn. (PS: I would name them, but this review would be the end of them.LOL!)

6. The quality of everything lately. (With the exception of Janae's dad's bread. HOLY COW THAT's AMAZING BREAD!)

Dave just ordered a book on Amazon, "Is everything SHI*?"

I think this book may express exactly how I feel lately--does anything, ANYTHING, have value? Is there anything people make, sell, share, that is "GOOD"? I feel like lately I'm getting crap--regardless of what I pay for something (regardless of its quality). 

For example, I bought a dozen donuts Saturday . . . supposedly "just out of the oven." THEY WERE FROZEN. FROZEN! That makes steam come out of my ears, people. Come on. Newsflash: frozen donuts are not good.

7. (Ironically) Kids complaining.

I don't think I can listen to another kiddo complain about their jobs at home. Seriously, how hard is it to unload a dishwasher? When I was a kid we didn't even have dishwashers. 

Wait a minute.

Yes we did. 

And I'm pretty sure I complained when I had to unload it.

Oh, well.

That's the Circle of Life, baby.

ENJOY it! (And PS--no, that's not Fajhdi in a previous life.)