I will be honest to say that I've been a bit touchy and out of sorts since we have arrived back in Southern California. Not to justify myself, but Jarod's been cranky and mildly put out as well. While having this month off from classes, he has been carrying the weight of homemaker tasks, and there's just nothing simple or easy about it. Running errands, buying groceries, carrying groceries through gates and stairs and parking garages, navigating through the city of closed roads and traffic puts one's nerves on edge. I was welcomed back from Christmas Break with a 14 hour work day on Monday.. 8 hours of Drug Intervention at Lassalette Middle School and 6 hours of folding and refolding clothes at Old Navy. I was exhausted at the end of the day and Jarod tried to cheer me up with a RedBox Rental. It was my first time to watch "Forrest Gump". I cried. A lot. It didn't really cheer me up at all. Then today, at Sparks Middle School, I had a near breakdown with 3 of my students (and no, it wasn't the kids who were breaking down, it was me). Jarod picked me up from work with In-N-Out, our 3:30pm dinner. On the drive home, we both had realized our 4 days of negativity was descending into a downward spiral. So, we made a list of all the great things about living in LA. After about 4 minutes of contemplative silence, our list began:
1)no sales tax on food
2)In-N-Out
3)boba
4)plans are never hindered by weather
5)the beach is 15 mi away
6)$13 pedicures
7)we share a hobby of biking now
8)we have made some really good friends in a very short amount of time
and 9)we live in the same state as the climbing mecca of the world, Yosemite.
Surprisingly, this little positive list has uplifted our spirits. Jarod went to RockCity tonite to climb and I am finishing my book club December read. And I made my mom's Blonde Brownies. Baking always helps me to feel settled somewhere, especially when baking a tried and true and sentimental recipe.
Although now I don't feel as miserable as I had been feeling, I am still a little ho-hum to hear that quiet Branson is having it's 3rd snow day and to think of how at this time last week, I was enjoying coffee by the fireplace with my parents, watching the peaceful snowfall ... and that now I'm back and it's 75 and sunny and sticky and crowded and cramped and overrunning with people and cars and smoggy and dirty and lonely and ugh.. I wanna go home. What's on my list again?