Life Past 30

Normally, I am a happy-go-lucky person who is balanced with serious and comedic qualities.  My mood swings are usually mild and last for short periods of time, however, since Monday, I have been in a less-than-happy mood.  I am not sure if it was due to the end of the Thanksgiving holiday and coming back to work, hearing/watching the depressing news, or something else altogether.  Since Monday, the traffic has gotten under my skin more than usual and the multiple conversations on the bus have really gotten on my nerves.  However, I am happy to report this episode of intermittent irritation has finally come to an end.  I feel wonderful today and all feelings of wanting to be alone in a quiet place are gone.  Well, not completely, I still need my few hours to myself on the weekends.  I know that everyone goes through periods like or similar to this, but for me, it does not happen too often.  Perhaps I just need an extended break from the rat race to regroup or I need to run more since that relieves stress.  I am just glad to be feeling like myself again and am looking forward to the Christmas holiday and New Year’s Eve. 

When I was younger, the prospect of experiencing insomnia seemed far-fetched, but I soon realized that it sneaks up on you until one day, you find yourself staring at the ceiling when you should be sleeping.  During my teens and early twenties, I never had any problems with sleeping, although falling asleep usually took a little longer for me than most people.  However, once I went to sleep, I stayed sleep until the alarm went off.  I began suffering from bouts of insomnia when I was 27.  The first time it happened, I thought nothing of it and attributed it to something I had eaten the evening before.  As the years went on, insomnia crept up on me from nowhere and caused much frustration in daily life and activities.  I tried using a sleep aid once, but when I found myself waking up feeling more tired that I was before I went to bed, I decided that was not the way to go. 

Over time, I have learned to deal with the occasional episode of insomnia, although I am still very much annoyed by them.  Not being able to sleep is one of the worst feelings in the world, but exercise and diet seem to help me battle this issue when it occurs.  Luckily, I do not suffer from insomnia too often, but when it shows up, it puts a damper on my day.  I hope it does not happen again any time soon.

November 27, 2008 will go down in history, at least in my book.  I am not a person who enjoys cooking and only do it because my body and my daughter require daily sustenance.  Cooking has never been an activity that I wanted to do often, but is quite necessary.  Besides my slight disdain for cooking, I am a good cook and my daughter enjoys eating what I prepare.  Admittedly, preparing and cooking homemade french fries from red potatoes is something I enjoy immensely and cooking anything else feels like a chore.  Thanksgiving of 2008 should go down in history because I cooked my very first turkey - ever!  My daughter and I buttered and covered with Turkey Rub the magnificent bird, then he was placed in the oven.  What was to be a somewhat experimental meal turned out to be a hit that received wonderful accolades.  What made it even more special is the fact that I LIKED cooking it.  Now, I cannot say for sure if I am willing to do it again.  I do not want to move too fast and make promises that I may not keep.  Being domestically inclined is one of my weak points, but I do what must be done anyway, you know, cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. 

When my daughter tasted the first bite of turkey and stuffing, her eyes became large, although she did not utter a word.  I asked her for her honest opinion and had to wait until she had finished chewing and swallowing her food.  She looked me in the eyes and said, “Mom, this is the best turkey I’ve ever had.  It’s better than Grandma’s.”   Well, imagine how great that made me feel.  She then went on to suggest that I make Thanksgiving dinner EVERY year as I thought to myself, “What have I done?!”.  Anyway, perhaps I will cook one more turkey for Christmas and call it day.  Good things should never be overdone.