Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Just Another Day

Ani DiFranco is playing a concert in town tonight. When I first heard about it a couple of months ago, I thought I would like to go. I listened to her music quite a bit a year and many moons ago. All those angry, bitter, you-did-me-wrong, how-could-you-do-that-to-me, heart-wrenching notes suited my mood at the time, and I thought that would be a good way to mark this day.

And then I changed my mind.

Do I really want to devote a perfectly good day every year being mired down in anger and regret? Not really.

So I've decided that today will not be the day that would have been our third wedding anniversary. Instead, today is just another day. Get up, have breakfast, go to work, go home, and maybe even spend the night in the arms of a new love.

I'm not thinking about three years ago. I don't want to. I'm not angry or bitter or upset or avoiding anything. I just don't want to.

So, as of now, and going forward, November 26 is just another day.

Monday, November 24, 2008

A Bitter Song

Three years ago today was the first major snowfall of the season.

Exhale...

A Bitter Song

All I need is a bitter song
To make me better
Much better

All I need to write is a bitter song
To make me better
Much better

If only to hold me
But I don't like it at all
Won't feed it
Won't grow it
It's folded in my stomach

It's not fair
I found love
It made me say that
Get back
You'll never see daylight
If I'm not strong it just might

All I need is a bitter song
To make me better
Much better

All I need to write is a bitter song
To make me better

I feel better

I feel better

- Butterfly Boucher

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Lists...

I'm not afraid of a list.
I'm not a afraid of a long list.
I'm not afraid of really long list.

Maybe I'm a little afraid.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Switch to: OFF

You can't shut off your feelings. You can't change your feelings. You're going to feel what you feel, so learn how to deal with it.

That's basically what she said to me, in a nutshell. For an hour this morning. I begged and pleaded with her to tell me how to fix this, but apparently, there is no pill or diet or technique to be employed in the feeling-changing department.

That blows. Someone really needs to come up with a pill for that one.

Broken

Let sorrowful longing dwell in yoru heart.
Never give up, never lose hope.
God says, "The broken ones are my beloved."
Crush your heart. Be broken.

- Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir, aka Nobody, Son of Nobody

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I'M GOING SWIMMING

I'm going swimming.

I'm going swimming.

I don't know what I'm afraid of. I'm not an idiot. I know how to get to the YMCA. I know how to get to the pool. I know how to swim.

Stop. Being. Scared.

STOP IT.

I'M GOING SWIMMING NOW.

The Sign on my Lawn

Originally written on June 7, 2008:

I have a friend who told me the other day that I have a big FUCK OFF sign on my lawn

I don't actually have a lawn, but I get the metaphor. She said I can be really defensive with people, and that it's usually to either prevent myself from getting hurt or having a reason to fall back on when the inevitable hurt finally arrives.

I never really thought of myself as a defensive person before. Angry? Sure. Bitter? Who's not? But not defensive. But as she laid it all out there plain as day, it was hard to deny what she was saying.

This all came up because there's this guy...blah blah. Whatever. The point is, I don't know what to do with him. I do like him. But I don't want to tell him. For two reasons - one, I don't want to hear him say he doesn't like me back. Two, I don't want to hear him say he does like me back.

Fun, huh?

It would be really nice to have a boyfriend. But, it has also been nice not having a boyfriend. And I'm really not up for heartbreak right now, so I'm keeping all of this to myself. But apparently, it's more than that. It's the big FUCK OFF sign on my lawn rearing it's ugly head.

I told her all the reasons I don't think it would work between me and said boy.

And she said, "This is you, making excuses for why it won't work, so that when it doesn't work, you can say you knew all along, and you think that if you keep these reasons in your back pocket and pull them out when the 'inevitable' happens, it won't hurt, because this will be your ammunition against it." Or something like that.

Anyway, the point is, she's right. I had never thought about it like that before, but as soon as she said it, I saw that she was right. And not only did I see it in this situation, but I saw how I have done that over and over again in my life.

It's not to say that I'm going to tell said boy how I feel, but she has given me a lot to think about.

Angry, bitter and defensive.

Jeez. I suck large.


My thoughts now, November 12, 2008:

She was right and wrong. I can definitely put up the FUCK YOU sign when I need to be defensive. But that's not what was going on. Because, the day after I wrote that, I went on a date. And another date. And another. With the same guy. Not the guy in that post. Another guy. A guy I'm still dating today.

So where did the FUCK YOU sign go with this guy I'm dating now? Why didn't I have it up with him but with guy #1? I don't know why it was so hard to see then. I didn't want him. Looking back at it, and it wasn't that long ago, it's pretty clear. I didn't want him. I could have had him if I wanted it. I didn't. I made every excuse in the book.

"It just won't work."

"We're too different."

"We're too much the same."

"He's too much the same."

I felt like I should want to be with him. It made a lot of sense, on paper. But I just didn't feel it. I didn't then, and I just couldn't fake it. I did that for so long, I just couldn't do it anymore.

So there we have it. It only took me 5 months to figure that one out.

Good on you, Anne. Keep going.

Let's try this again

Looks like I wasn't totally unblocked there. Maybe this will be it. I wanted to follow my Pink Collar friend's lead, and post 30 times in 30 days, but I'm already 12 days behind. Another month. Another challenge.

As I was looking over my old posts, I noticed I have seven unfinished drafts. Then I thought, "well, that time has passed, it's too late for those posts". Then I had another thought. This is my blog. This is my writing. There are only, like, three people who read this blog anyway. So I can do whatever I want with it. Nobody cares. So I'm going to go back and see if I can finish what I started. I'll back date them for my three faithful, so you can go back and see what was a-go when I started them.

I'm so sure you will.