Is it Friday Already? Hip Hip Hooray!

Sometimes the most
important thing in a whole
day is the rest we take
between two deep breaths,
or the turning inwards in
prayer for five
short minutes.

Etty Hillesum

TGIF, my friends...and better yet, the Friday of a long weekend.  I survived this long, tiring, stressful week am badly in need of some rest.  Of course, tomorrow is my cooking day so I can't look for it there, but I still will have two days to call my own.  It's been maddening at the new place.  I am trying; I really am.  The noise never seems to stop.  Our clients may all clear out by 1 pm, but we still have the mental health program that shares our floor...and they are LOUD.  Seven hours in that place is like doing 14 hours in the old building.  I sometimes find myself wanting to cry.  I know anything new calls for some adjustment, and I do hope it gets better soon.

On the plus side, I discovered late in the day, even though I cannot get my Real Player to work, I can still get Pandora, and I found the most relaxing station--Native American Dreams.  The sounds on it are wonderful--flutes, drumming--meditative, a much-needed respite from the surround sound which has been driving me up a wall.  And, also on the plus side, I found a place that offers 30 different kinds of fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies, and he is not expensive at all.  I've been trying a different one every day as I make my way through his menu. 

I am still feeling quite a bit of anxiety about this  freight elevator from hell.  I've a fear of elevators to begin with, so when I find myself expected to ride up and down ten floors in something you can look at and see it falling apart, I panic.  Fortunately, most of the other staff members feel the same way about it so we have all been taking  the other elevators, but,  from what I heard this morning, those are not much better.  This morning, I happened to ride up with one of the girls works the freight elevator, and when I told her I was frightened of it, she said, 'Oh, I prefer that one to these.  They always getting, and you can't get out.  At least with the freight elevator, you have a way out.'  Yeah, right, like at 64 years old, I am going to jump up and climb out of the roof of the elevator car and and then climb up a ladder in the elevator shaft to the next floor.   Can you just picture that?  The thought of it sends shivers up my spine.

Oh, did I mention that last night was my late night, and the mice were racing each other up and down the aisles?

Labor Day...the unofficial end to summer is upon us, and I sit back and wonder where did the summer go.  What do I have to remember this year?  And sadly, I have to say nothing.  I think back to spring and all the wonderful plans I had, but none of them really panned out.  Weekends were usually days of unbearable heat or days of rain and stormy weather.  Only two trips to my beloved ocean are what I can remember.  


But, autumn is one of my favorite seasons, so all is not lost.  There is something special to be said about walking along the beach with the cool breeze that accompanies that first nip in the air, the waves thrashing against the shoreline.  The throngs of summer beach goers have retreated into their other lives and aside from a few others, the oceanfront will be mine.  Yes, summer may be gone, but the best is yet to come.  May you all have a wonderful weekend filled with joy, peace, and love.

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterward.

Spanish Proverb