Sanity Secrets

For the last 2 ½ months a lot of Richard and my conversations have gone somewhat like this...

Richard- “I have a business trip next week in England.”

Me- “Really?” “I want to go.”

Richard- “Then the next week I have to go to Tucson.”

Me- “Okay.”

Richard- “Then the week after that I’m going to Pennsylvania.”

Me- No comment. I look for a chair in order to sit down.

Richard- “Then at the end of the month I’m going to have to go the Philippines or India, I’m not sure which yet.”

Me- (Sigh) Where is that chair?

Richard-“Then to New York and Phoenix and then I should be able to stay home a while.”

Me- Forget the chair, I collapse on the floor.

Throw New Jersey and another New York & Pennsylvania in there, and you will have the last few months of our lives.

Really, I am not complaining. I have been very lucky this year with just a few trips here and there until now. It has been and could be worse. He counted up how many weeks he traveled last year and came up with the number 25. If you figure there are 52 weeks in a year, he was gone almost half of it….so I count myself very lucky. I think that single parents should be awarded something spectacular because I have had a taste of what they experience. I'm sure they will get their just reward in heaven- where it matters most.

I have friends and family who ask me how I do it and express that they would be insane if their spouse was out of town so much. This makes me feel good. They think I am still sane!!! I thought I bought a ticket on the 'crazy train' years ago. So barring that they are just being nice, I have decided to share my top 3 ‘Sanity Secrets’ with you.

#1- Prayer. And lots of it. There is no other power by which all of my children are still alive (especially #’s 1 & 3). They are a walking testament to the power there and that miracles do still happen.

#2- Caffiene. Yes, I am one of those “bad Mormons” that may have a slight dependency on stimulant laced substances such as Wild Cherry Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, and Mountain Dew; all of the diet variety of course. That one, maybe two- okay, three on a really bad day, ice cold pick me ups is a Godsend when my tank is empty. Plus, I am hoping all my prayer will get me an allowance in this department.

#3- Adult interactions. I love my children dearly, but at the end of the day I need to have a little more stimulation than hearing all about various Pokemon and the damages they do.

There is nothing like getting together with adult friends and talking about interesting subjects and current events happening in the world. Okay…. so that rarely happens to me. When Richard is gone face to face interactions are few and far between- almost nonexistent. (You realize how pathetic you are when you really look forward to a PTA meeting because there will be real live adults there.)

This is where you, my dear blogger friends, come in.

I love to read blogs. I love people and I love to know what makes them tick. Each time I interact with you by reading a post, I get a little glimpse into who you are and what makes you tick. And even if I can’t have face to face interaction with you, I start to feel like I know you. You become my friend, whether you like it or not.

I was chatting with a friend the other day and the subject of blogs came up. She said, “I don’t get up to read the news; I get up to read blogs.” I thought… That IS news!!! The very best kind of news! Because it is about someone you might actually know. And if it isn’t someone you really know, at least, it is someone that you care about enough, even if it is just because you enjoy their writing style or humor, that you give them a portion of your day by reading about their world.

This is the interaction I am talking about and love.

Your trials and triumphs, adventures and mishaps, trips and photos, are the news I crave. I laugh along with you or, if fitting, I laugh at you. I cry when you are hurting. I contemplate your views. Often, I do all three together. Sometimes, I sit quietly letting your words penetrate; absorbing the lessons you teach me. I most often comment, except when I hold back because I feel like a comment pest or have never really met the blogger who I am reading.

Recently though, I accepted a challenge to come out of my “blurking or blog stalking” shell. It has made all the difference in fulfilling my adult interaction quest. It feels good to let people how much I enjoy what they do, what they post...the little bit of their world they share. Sometimes they respond back and I love that- more interaction with an adult mind, acknowledging that I am there. Sometimes that is all that matters.

So you see, dear blogger friends, what you do is important. Keep up the good charity work you are doing. Keep on posting!

My sanity depends on it.